I recently bought a second-hand copy of Arthur Banyon’s Two Preludes for piano. These were published by Oxford University Press as a part of their Oxford Piano Series in 1929. More about these later. However, on the back cover the publishers have listed a selection of numbers in this series. It makes an interesting list.
Three things can be said. Firstly, none of these pieces appears to have entered the repertoire –either as a recital piece or as teaching material. The exception is York Bowen’s Nocturne Op.78 which has found its way onto the ‘Complete Piano Works’ edition on Chandos.
Secondly, a large number of these composers have truly sunk below the radar – even of enthusiasts of British Music. The [half] remembered composers include Martin Shaw, Edgar Bainton, Harry Farjeon, Martin Shaw and Benjamin Burrows. However, what happened to Ethel Boyce, Eric Mareo (New Zealand)and Michael Mullinar? Jane Joseph was a pupil of Gustav Holst, yet no one really knows any of her music.
Thirdly, some of these composers were prolific. Certainly, an investigation of Norman Demuth and Harry Farjeon would repay the effort. Although I noticed that Mareo and Boyce have dozens of entries in the music catalogues.
I present the list without further comment.
Edgar L. Bainton: White Hyacinth
Arthur Banyon: Wayside Pictures Set I & Set II
York Bowen: Nocturne
Ethel Boyce: Cinderella Book 1 & 2
Benjamin Burrows: Chimes
Harold Clark: Five Lyrics
Norman Demuth: Rigaudon; Reverie
Percival Driver: Three Pieces
Harry Farjeon Invention & Pavan
Ralph Greaves: Miniature Suite
Jane Joseph: Suite of Five Pieces
E. Markham Lee: Ten Little Pieces
Eric Mareo: Storyettes
Michael Mullinar: Grimm’s Fairy Tales
Martin Shaw: In the Garden; The Path through the Wood; Follow my Leader; The Winter Evening; Puppets; Round Dance.
Gordon Slater: Three Little Pieces; Bouree in A; Rhapsody in B flat
Felix Swinstead: Two-Part Invention
Colin Taylor: Capriccieto; Powder & Patches
Percy Turnbull: Piano Suite
Ernest Walker: Prelude in e flat
Gerrard Williams: Four Traditional Tunes; Scottish Traditional Tunes
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