Charles Wood (composer)

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Charles Wood (June 15, 1866–July 12, 1926) was an Irish composer and teacher.

Born in Armagh, Ireland, he was the fifth child and third son of Charles Wood Sr. and Jemima Wood. His father was a tenor in the choir of the nearby St. Patrick's Cathedral, and later worked as the Diocesan Registrar of the church.

From around 1872 to 1883, Wood received his early education at the Armagh Cathedral Church School, in particular studying organ with Robert Turle and Thomas Marks. In 1883 he became one of fifty inaugural class members of the Royal College of Music, studying composition with Charles Villiers Stanford and Charles Hubert Hastings Parry primarily, and horn and piano secondarily. Following four years of training, he continued his studies at Selwyn College, Cambridge through 1889, where he began teaching harmony and counterpoint. In 1889 he attained a teaching position at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, first as organ scholar and then as fellow in 1894, becoming the first Director of Music and Organist. He was instrumental in the reflowering of music at the college, though more as a teacher and organiser of musical events than as composer. After Stanford died, Wood assumed his mentor's vacant role as University of Cambridge Professor of Music in 1924.

Like his better-known colleague, Charles Villiers Stanford, Wood is chiefly remembered for his Anglican church music. As well as his Communion Service in the Phrygian Mode, his settings of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis are still popular with cathedral and parish church choirs, particularly the services in F, D, and G, and the two settings in E flat; during Passiontide his St Mark Passion is sometimes performed. Among his anthems, Expectans expectavi, Hail, gladdening light, and O thou, the central orb are frequently both performed and recorded. He also wrote eight string quartets, co-edited three books of carols and was co-founder (in 1904) of the Irish Folk Song Society.

His pupils included Ralph Vaughan Williams at Cambridge and Herbert Howells at the Royal College of Music.

Contents

[edit] List of works

[edit] Chamber music

[edit] String quartets

  • No. 1 in D minor (1885)
  • No. 2 in E flat major, 'Highgate' (1892)
  • No. 3 in A minor (1911/12?)
  • No. 4 in E flat major, 'Harrogate' (1912)
  • No. 5 in F major (1914/15?)
  • No. 6 in D major (1915/16?)

[edit] Solo instruments

[edit] Organ

  • Variations and fugue on 'Winchester Old' (1907/8)
  • Three preludes on melodies from the Genevan Psalter (1907/8)
  • Sixteen preludes on melodies from the English and Scottish Psalters (1911/12)
  • Suite in the Ancient Style (1915?)

[edit] Cantatas

  • Ode to the West Wind, for tenor solo, mixed chorus and orchestra, Op.3 (1889?)
  • Music — an ode for soprano solo, mixed chorus and orchestra (1892/3)
  • A ballade of Dundee for bass solo, mixed chorus and orchestra (1904?)
  • Eden Spirits for female voices and piano (1915?)

[edit] Smaller secular vocal works

[edit] Madrigals

  • If love be dead for SSATB (1886?)
  • Slow, slow fresh fount for SSATB (1888)
  • The bag of the bee for SSATB (1895-1925?)

[edit] Part Songs

[edit] Mixed Voices

(Scoring for SATB unless noted otherwise)

  • How sweet the moonlight sleeps for SSATB (1887/8?)
  • Blow, blow thou winter wind (1888?)
  • The Hemlock Tree (1890/1?)
  • Full fathom five (1890/1?)
  • It was a lover (1892/3?)
  • Wanderer's night song (1892/3)
  • The widow bird (1895/6?)
  • A land dirge (1898?)
  • The countryman (1898?)
  • A century's penultimate for SSATBB (1899)
  • Nights of music (1899?)
  • As the moon's soft splendour (1905?)
  • The whispering waves (1905?)
  • I call and I call for SSATB (1905?)
  • How sweet the tuneful bells (1906)
  • Come sleep (1908?)
  • When whispering strains for SSATB (1908?)
  • Fain would I change (1908?)
  • Music, when soft voices die (1908?)
  • Haymakers, rakers (1908?)
  • Time (1914)
  • Awake, awake (1914?)
  • Love, what wilt thou (1921?)
  • Follow, follow (1922?)
  • Shepherd's Sunday song (1923?)
  • Spring song (1923?)
  • Autumn (1924?)
  • Wassail (1925?)
  • Lullaby (pub. 1927)
  • The Lamb (pub. 1927)
  • Down in yon summer vale, original for male voices (pub. 1927)
  • Hence away, begone (pub. 1929)
  • The solitary reaper (pub. 1930)
  • Rose-cheeked Laura (pub. 1931)
  • When to her lute (pub. 1933)
  • Spring time (pub. 1937)

[edit] Male voices
  • It was a lover for ATTB (1892/3?)
  • It was an English ladye bright for baritone solo and TTBB (1899)
  • Down in yon summer vale for TTBB (1901?)
  • There comes a new moon for ATTB (1907/8?)
  • When winds that move not for ATTB (1912/13?)
  • The Russian lover for TTBB (1921/2?)
  • Paty O'Toole for TTBB (1922)
  • There be none of beauty's daughters for ATTB (1926)
  • A clear midnight for TTBB (pub. 1926)
  • When thou art nigh for TTBB (pub. 1927)
  • Neptune's empire for TBB (pub. 1927)
  • Robin Hood for TBB (pub. 1927)
  • Carmen Caianum for unison men (1891/2?)

[edit] Female voices
  • The nymph's faun for SSAA (1908?)
  • Echo for SSA and piano (1908/9?)
  • Cowslips for her covering for SSAA and piano (1912/13?)
  • Good precepts for SSA and piano (1912/13?)
  • Music when soft voices die for SSA and piano (1914/15?)
  • Sunlight all golden for SSSS and piano (1918)
  • The starlings for SSA (1918/19?)
  • Lilies for SSA (1918/19?)
  • Golden slumbers for SSSS (1919/20?)
  • To music bent for SSA and piano or two violins (1920/1?)
  • To welcome in the year for SSA (1923/24?)
  • The blossom for SSA (pub. 1926)
  • What is a day for SSA and piano (pub. 1927.)

[edit] Solo songs

  • Irish Folk Songs (pub. 1897)
  • Irish County Songs
    • Volume I (pub. 1914)
    • Volume II (pub. 1927)
    • Volume III (pub. 1928)
  • Anglo-Irish Folk Songs Volume I (pub. 1931)

[edit] References

  • Copley, Ian. The music of Charles Wood: a critical study. London: Thames Publishing, 1978. ISBN 0-905210-07-7
  • Copley, Ian. "Charles Wood, 1886-1926." Musical Times, Vol. 107 (1966) No. 1480, 489-492.
  • "Charles Wood." Musical Times, Vol. 67 (1926) No. 1002, 696-697.
  • Nosek, Margaret Hayes. "Wood: A Personal Memoir." Musical Times, Vol. 107 (1966) No. 1480, 492-493.
  • Royal School of Church Music (London, England). English church music. Croydon, UK: Royal School of Church Music, 1963.
  • Ed. Temperley, Nicholas. The Athlone History of Music in Britain: Vol. 5 The Romantic Age, 1800-1914. London: The Athlone Press, 1981.
  • Webber, Geoffrey. "An 'English' Passion" Musical Times Vol. 133, No. 1790 (April, 1992), 202-203.

[edit] External links

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