Rebecca Clarke - Dumka Duo Concertante for Violin, Viola and Piano

Violin: Carmit Zori
Viola: Kaya Katarzyna Bryla - Weiss
Piano: Jeffrey Sykes
Audio: Trace Johnson
Video: Dave Alcorn

Recorded in concert live on June 18, 2022 at the Collins Hall Hamel Music Center in Madison, WI
For more information visit: https://bachdancing.org/


"Clarke’s earliest compositions anticipate her study at the RCM. Several songs are of the parlor variety, an idiom she later parodied in The Aspidistra (1929). Standing apart from these, Shiv (1904) and Nach einem Regen (?1906) are perfectly sculpted miniatures. Gervase Elwes made Shy One (?1912) part of his repertory. June Twilight (1925) and The Seal Man (1922) were dedicated to John Goss. The Tiger (1929-33), relentlessly revised during her romantic entanglement with him, is her darkest song; its swirling chromaticism borders on Expressionism. The Seal Man, one of her favourite compositions, demonstrates her interest in atmospheric effects within large-scale structures, and dramatic, declamatory vocal writing. Her setting of Psalm xci (1921), the weightiest of her choral works, features melodic use of augmented 2nds as well as unison singing.

Clarke’s shorter solo pieces, written for herself or her friends to play, can be compared to similar works by Frank Bridge or Arnold Bax. Morpheus (1917-18), for example, develops a single melody through colouristic devices such as pentatonic glissandos on the piano and artificial harmonics on the violin. Her best known works, the Viola Sonata (1919) and the Piano Trio (1921), are powerful and expansive examples of post-Romantic sonata form influenced by the German tradition. The clarity of texture and Impressionist vocabulary of these pieces suggest comparisons with Franck and Debussy. One contemporary report implies that during the anonymous Coolidge competition, some judges mistakenly identified the Viola Sonata as written by Ravel, while The Daily Telegraph supposed ‘Rebecca Clarke’ to be a pseudonym for Ernest Bloch. Later chamber works include two pieces for string quartet. Sections of Comodo et amabile (1924) feature a buoyant lilting melody that surrounds a constructivist interior made up of short motifs, polymetric rhythms, polytonal harmonies and taut contrapuntal writing. The intense Poem (1926) merges a single pervasive motif with the harmony and texture of Debussy, fusing French colour with German depth. The Prelude, Allegro and Pastorale for clarinet and viola (1941) explores a neo-classical idiom. With its driving momentum, the Allegro can be compared to Stravinsky. The poignant melody of the Pastorale is emphasized by a stark undulating accompaniment. The Dumka (?1941), with its unusual scoring for violin, viola and piano, was probably written for Clarke and family members to play. It not only employs the 3 + 3 + 2 rhythms used in Dvorák’s trio of the same name, but also incorporates other gestures reminiscent of Eastern European folk music. Clarke was both familiar with Bartók’s music and editing a book on Martinu at the time of its composition.

Much of Clarke’s music was never published and remains the property of her estate. Her difficulties in publishing the Piano Trio, documented in her diaries, may have discouraged her from pursuing publication of later works. Although she has been identified as among the most important British composers of the interwar years, a complete understanding of her significance will only be reached when more of her music is available for study. The Viola Sonata has been recorded many times, and the Piano Trio and many songs are also available on recordings. The publication in 1998 and 1999 of three of her many heretofore unpublished works raise hope of wider availability of more of her work in the future."

Liane Curtis

Video courtesy of the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society https://bachdancing.org/