[Wagner] stands apart [from the German School], of course; but although I yield to no one in my appreciation o f his genius, I cannot from certain points o f view, wholly admire all his works.6
Influences from British music are also evident. There are occasional similarities to Elgar in Drysdale’s harmonic and formal structures, and his melodic writing. However, it is the many similarities with Sullivan, and, in particular, his Savoy Operas (pieces with which Drysdale was known to be familiar7) which are most apparent. This influence is best observed in Drysdale’s light operatic works with their number structures and variety o f forms and styles which include pot-pourri overtures, lengthy first act finales and conclusions which are constructed from previously stated material. Nevertheless, in Drysdale’s oeuvre in general, it is Sullivan’s often simple but charming melodies and
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their skilful orchestration which seem to have had the greatest influence on his music.
An examination of Drysdale’s juvenilia (written following a basic musical education centred on knowledge o f rudiments) establishes the basis upon which his compositional technique was built and indicates the extent of his natural talent. These pieces reveal Drysdale’s limited technical capabilities, but do demonstrate his ability to employ effective structures and to write satisfactory melodies within a simple harmonic idiom based upon primary triads coloured by occasional appoggiaturas and chromatic chords. Tonality is generally well defined — the occasional use o f chromatic harmonies over lengthy pedals pre-empting a later stylistic fingerprint — whilst modulations are mainly effective, though limited to closely related keys. However, overall, the music is commonplace with otherwise acceptable writing being spoiled by: failure to capture the full possibilities o f a text; foursquare phrasing; otherwise satisfactory melodies which contain cumbersome movement; lack o f thematic development; awkward harmonic progressions; less than subtle linking of sections, and passages which do not achieve an effective climax.
6 “Learmont Drysdale” Musical Herald (1 July 1904): 196. He notes that his sympathies are with the modem school more especially the French (it is most likely that this refers to Gounod, whose influence is apparent in several works, and possibly Massenet), with Russian music, as represented by Tchaikovsky, also having strong claims on his appreciation. He further states that Wagner apart, he has no sympathy whatsoever, with the modem German school (probably referring to figures such as Strauss).
Correspondence demonstrates this fact. For example, Drysdale attended a performance o f The Yeoman o f
the Guard during its opening run in October 1888. See: Learmont Drysdale to his Papa [Andrew
Drysdale], [October 1888], CblO-x.16/7.
8 Gervase Hughes in The Music o f Sir Arthur Sullivan (London: Macmillan, 1960) notes how musicians generally enjoyed playing Sullivan’s work (page 96). Drysdale’s orchestral writing demonstrates a similar diversity in the use o f forces. For example, woodwind parts (such as those in The Kelpie and Red Spider) contain a mixture of tutti, countermelody and solo writing, a variety which is appreciated by performers.
Corder’s tuition effectively harnessed Drysdale’s latent talent allowing him to transcend many o f the difficulties experienced in his early works. He taught Drysdale to compose in large-scale forms and encouraged him to revise and rewrite repeatedly (a process which the student found much more difficult than the initial composition o f a work) whilst stressing the need to eradicate faults in the development o f otherwise well- constructed themes. He introduced Drysdale to orchestration, an area for which he was to have a decided flair — throughout his professional career this aspect of his work attracted much positive comment. A progressive and enthusiastic teacher, Corder nevertheless placed dependence on modelling techniques and was over-optimistic of pupils’ compositions, relying on their enthusiasm to develop their own working methods rather than stressing the importance o f a disciplined approach. Though Corder’s teaching enabled Drysdale to develop his compositional skills to a degree which allowed him to express his many original ideas coherently and in a professional manner, his work still lacked self-discipline. His spirited inspiration and originality would have been better served by a sounder knowledge of compositional techniques.
The style which Drysdale formed at the RAM was to remain largely unchanged during his working life although he did diversify, writing larger-scale works for concert hall and theatre as well as experimenting with more unusual genres such as melodrama. Critics frequently praised his music for its beauty o f thematic material, orderly and interesting workmanship and vibrant orchestration, whilst his choral and theatrical works were known for their colourful characterisations and atmospheric portrayals of dramatic texts. Although changes in Drysdale’s style are observed occasionally (e.g. his
Border Romance of 1904 contains melodic and rhythmic ideas which are more fully
explored and expanded, and there is a previously unseen complexity in many o f his textures), such developments were not maintained. The choral ballad Tamlane, written in 1905, is commonplace and marred by a number o f blemishes in compositional technique.
The following discussion provides a summary o f the general trends and stylistic features present in Drysdale’s music.
Genre Orchestral Works:
• concert overtures/orchestral ballads;
• preludes (initially intended as introductions to large-scale choral pieces which were not completed);
• country dances which are mainly drawn from operatic scores.
The works in this group are illustrative — compositions such as symphonies and sets of variations are not found.
Instrumental pieces for: • piano and organ;
• individual instruments with piano accompaniment.
Chamber Music:
• Small-scale works for string/or wind ensembles.
Theatrical:
• grand or romantic opera;
• light opera (Drysdale employed a variety of nomenclatures for these works including operetta, comic or comedy opera);
• musical sketch;
• melodrama (i.e. spoken action with continuous musical accompaniment). This technique is also used as a localised dramatic device within otherwise sung works; • incidental music.
Secular Choral:
• large-scale works for chorus, both with and without soloists, and orchestra — • cantata;
• ceremonial ode;
• recitation for speaker and orchestra;
• dramatic scena for vocal soloist and orchestra; • choral ballad;
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• part songs;
• folksong settings, both for a cappella groupings and with piano accompaniment.
Sacred Choral: • mass movements; • motet;
• hymn arrangement.
Drysdale composed sacred works only when he held church appointments (i.e. from 1886 to 1888).
Solo Vocal:
• songs with piano accompaniment in the following styles — • art;
• music hall;
• folksong arrangements.
A complete list o f Drysdale’s compositions appears in Appendix I.
Form and Structure
Large-scale works:
• orchestral —
• modified sonata forms;
• works which do not conform to any distinct structure (e.g. three-part forms which contain elements o f both sonata and rondo form although they are not standard ‘sonata rondo’;
• choral —
• external structures which emerge from the plot o f the text;
• traditional operatic forms such as recitative, aria and chorus arranged in: • number format;
• through-composed sections linked to provide a continuous scene or act; • a mixture o f these;
• use o f recurring motifs to identify and recall specific characters, emotions or ideas contained within a text.
Small-scale works:
• orchestral —
• binary and ternary dance forms which are drawn mainly from folk tradition; • chamber and instrumental —
• ternary;
• modified sonata form; • song
• binary and ternary structures o f varying complexities;
• strophic structures are common in songs influenced by folk tradition or music hall style.
Harmonic Idiom
Drysdale uses the various chordal structures common to the more traditional composers o f the late-nineteenth century such as Dvorak, Elgar and Gounod and to a lesser degree, Liszt, Tchaikovsky and Wagner. Diatonicism predominates with melodic appoggiaturas and suspensions often serving to intensify otherwise straightforward progressions. Rich colouring is also provided by chords with added sevenths, ninths and elevenths, as well as a variety o f chromatic chords including secondary dominants, diminished sevenths, augmented and Neapolitan sixths, and chromatically altered harmonies. Modal harmonies and in particular, chords constructed on the flattened seventh degree o f the scale, are common. There is a little evidence o f experimental techniques (e.g. quartal harmonies or atonality) such as those pursued by the avant-garde o f the period.
Tonality
In general, tonality is well defined and closely related keys are employed. Nevertheless, there are often abrupt tonal moves including frequent use o f tonalities associated with the tertiary shift (i.e. keys a major or minor third lower/higher). Occasional tonal obscurity is achieved through devices such as:
• prolonged dominant preparations;
• tonality being briefly suspended by non-functional progressions including series o f seventh chords (major/minor and diminished) supported by chromatic bass lines.
This device is often associated with the tonal anchor o f a pedal point which serves to strengthen the overall tonality;
• sudden chromatic shifts where some or all o f the parts move by a semitone;
• mixing o f parallel major and minor tonalities creating passages o f modal ambiguity; • employing keys associated with the flattened leading note, a modal relationship
related to the double tonic effect; • delayed resolutions.
The notation o f one fewer sharp than the established key is found in a number o f Drysdale pieces and is associated particularly with movements beginning with long dominant preparations This feature is often linked with works based on Celtic themes.9
Modulating Techniques
The most frequently employed method o f modulation is via common chords. Other techniques used include:
• shifts via a sustained note or notes common to both tonalities; • chromatic shifts;
• diminished seventh chords; • enharmonic change;
• deceptive resolutions o f established dominant chords. Melody
Drysdale demonstrates a particular gift for writing attractive and satisfying melodies, but much o f his work shows limited evidence o f systematic thematic development. Often, formation o f extended melody relies upon phrase repetition varied through minor modifications in the melodic line and techniques such as register change, altered instrumentation, differences in texture or underlying harmonies.
Rhythm
Notable features in Drysdale’s employment o f rhythm include the use of: • rhythmic structures derived from traditional music and dance forms;
• recurring rhythmic motifr to identify and recall a specific character or action;
9 For example, the Introduction o f The Kelpie (1891-4), and the opening choruses o f Ode to Edinburgh (1891) and the Celtic opera Fionn and Tera (1909) employ this device.
• rhythmic figures as a method o f characterisation in illustrative works; • simple and compound metre appearing simultaneously;
• cross rhythm as a tension-building device.
Textures The textures most prevalent are:
• homophony;
• melody with accompaniment which is frequently interwoven with countermelodies to produce more sophisticated effects;
• passages o f simple melodic imitation. However, Drysdale’s few attempts at writing in complex contrapuntal styles such as canon and fugue are clumsy and ineffective.
Throughout Drysdale’s oeuvre, from his earliest works for keyboard to his late orchestral writing, the use o f arpeggiation is frequent and may explain his enthusiasm for the ‘orchestral effect’ o f the harp,10 an instrument which appears in all his larger- scale scores.
Scoring and Orchestration
Drysdale’s orchestral and choral/orchestral music generally employs the standard instrumental scoring used by less-adventurous composers o f his era: double woodwind; 4 horns; 2 comets; 2 tenor and one bass trombone; tuba; timpani; assorted percussion; harp; and strings with instruments such as piccolo and cor anglais being found occasionally. Scoring o f theatrical works is based on reduced configurations o f the above. There is one idiosyncrasy in Drysdale’s choice o f instrumentation — he invariably employed comets rather than trumpets, a preference which seems to have been acquired from Frederick Corder who discusses the relative merits o f the instruments in his orchestral treatise thus:
I think the vaunted brilliancy o f the trumpet its most serious drawback, because it simply kills all the other instruments. ... I maintain that in competent hands it [the comet] can play not only all existing trumpet parts more discreetly and bearably than the trumpet itsel£ but can furnish a far better upper part in the trombone harmony.11
Although Drysdale was a pianist with a limited first-hand acquaintance o f orchestral instruments, he demonstrates considerable skill in writing for orchestra. For example,
10 Learmont Drysdale to Janey Drysdale, 17 November 1888, CblO-x.16/11. In this letter, Drysdale is discussing his first orchestral work The Spirit o f the Glen.