Rubbra, (Charles) Edmund

Rubbra, (Charles) Edmund (b Northampton, 1901; d Gerrards Cross, 1986). Eng. composer and pianist. Worked at 14 as railway clerk. Private comp. lessons from Cyril Scott. Studied at Reading Univ. 1920–1, comp. with Holst, pf. with E. Howard-Jones at RCM 1921–5, comp. with Holst and Morris. Taught, wrote mus. criticism, and comp. mus for a travelling th. group. Recognition came with perf. of first Sym. (1935–7). Lecturer in mus., Oxford Univ. 1947–68, prof. of comp., GSMD from 1961. Served in army 1941–5 and was ordered to form pf. trio with which he gave concerts to Servicemen and women throughout Brit. and, later, Ger. Contrib. to several works of reference, reviewer, etc. His prolific output covered all forms except for the th., and he was in the mould of Holst and Vaughan Williams, although folk-song as such plays no part in his work. His use of modal harmony and his large amount of religious mus. are in a particularly Eng. tradition, and his syms. have a mus. substance and spiritual grandeur which have still not been fully appreciated. CBE 1960. Prin. works:ORCH.: syms.: No.1, Op.44 (1935–7), No.2, Op.45 (1938, rev. 1951), No.3, Op.49 (1939), No.4, Op.53 (1941), No.5, Op.63 (1947–8), No.6, Op.80 (1954), No.7, Op.88 (1957), No.8 (Hommage à Teilhard de Chardin), Op.132 (1966–8), No.9 (Sinfonia Sacra, ‘the Resurrection’) for sop., cont., bar., ch., and orch., Op.140 (1971–2), No.10 (Chamber sym.), Op.145 (1974), No.11, Op.153 (1978–9); Festival Overture, Op.62; Improvisations on Virginal Pieces by Giles Farnaby, Op.50; Ov., Resurgam, Op.149; pf. conc., Op.85 (1956); va. conc., Op.75 (1952); vn. conc., Op.103 (1959); Improvisation, vn. and orch., Op.89; Sinfonia Concertante, pf., orch., Op.38; Soliloquy, vc., small orch., Op.57; orchestrations of Brahms's Variations on a Theme of Handel and of Rachmaninov's Prelude in G minor.CHORUS & ORCH.: The Dark Night of the Soul, Op.41, No.1 (solo cont.); Song of the Soul, Op.78; The Morning Watch (Vaughan), Op.55; Cantata di Camera (Carey and Spenser), Op.111, solo ten.; Suite, In Die et Nocte Canticum, Op.129; Inscape ( G. M. Hopkins), Op.122; Advent Cantata, Op.136, solo bar.; Veni, Creator Spiritus, Op.130.UNACC. CHORUS: 5 Madrigals (Campion), Op.51; 5 Motets, Op.37 (No.3 is Donne's Hymn to God the Father); Missa Cantuariensis, Op.59; Missa in honorem Sancti Dominici, Op.66; 9 Tenebrae Motets, Op.72; 3 Motets, Op.76; Agnus Dei, Op.143; 3 Greek Folk Songs, Op.151; Prayer for the Queen, Op.152.CHAMBER MUSIC: str. qts.: No.1 in F minor, Op.35 (1934, rev. 1956), No.2 in E♭, Op.73 (1952), No.3, Op.112 (1962–3), No.4, Op.150 (1976–7); pf. trio No.1, Op.68, No.2, Op.138; Lyric Movement, pf., str. qt., Op.24; 4 Easy pieces, vn., pf., Op.29; vn. sonatas: No.1, Op.11, No.2, Op.31, No.3, Op.133; Phantasy, 2 vn., pf., Op.16; Suite, The Buddha, Op.64, fl., ob., vn., va., vc.; Variations on a Phrygian Theme, solo vn., Op.105; Meditations on a Byzantine Hymn, solo va., Op.117; Improvisation, solo vc., Op.124; Pezzo Ostinato, hp., Op.102; vc. sonata, Op.60; ob. sonata, Op.100; Fantasia on a Theme of Machaut, Op.86, recorder, str. qt., hpd.; sonatina, Op.128, treble recorder, hpd.KEYBOARD: 8 Preludes, pf., Op.131; Introduction and Fugue, pf., Op.19; 9 Pieces, pf., Op.74: 1. Question and Answer, 2. Pipe Tune, 3. Hurdy Gurdy, 4. Slow Dance, 5. Catch me if you can, 6. Peasant Dance, 7. Cradle Song, 8. The Donkey, 9. The Shining River; Prelude and Fugue, Op.69, pf.; Introduction, Aria, and Fugue, hpd. (or pf.), Op.104.SONGS: Amoretti (5 Spenser Sonnets), ten., str. qt., Op.43; 5 Spenser Sonnets, ten., str. orch., Op.42; 4 Medieval Latin Lyrics, bar., str., Op.32; The Jade Mountain, high v., hp., Op.116; 3 Psalms, low v., pf., Op.61.