Ivor
Gurney (1890 – 1937) : Composer, Poet
Ivor
Gurney
was born in Gloucestershire, and after an apprenticeship as assistant
organist
at Gloucester Cathedral took up a scholarship in 1911 to the Royal
College of
Music in London
to study composition. There his
illustrious friendship group included Arthur Bliss, Herbert Howells and
Arthur
Benjamin; a talented generation taught by Sir Charles Villiers
Stanford, Sir
Hubert Parry and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Along with many of his contemporaries, studies were interrupted
by war
service, and he served in France
from 1915 – 1917, before being discharged with shellshock, and the
lingering
effects of a gas attack. He had
struggled to maintain mental stability before the war, suffering from
‘nerves’
and ‘neurasthenia’, and the years immediately succeeding the armistice
saw both
prodigious creativity, and increasing illness; culminating in his
committal to
an asylum in 1922. He was never to be
released from institutions, but his work continued for a surprising
length of
time, despite the dual disabilities of mental deterioration and lack of
a
critical audience. Some of his
best-known war poetry was written retrospectively from within the
asylum, and
his mature work is characterised by his preoccupation with rewriting
his war
experiences, and his lifelong passion for the beauty of his home
county. Described
at the Royal
College as ‘the
English Schubert’, his
voluminous song settings display a uniquely sensitive relationship to
their
texts. His poetry offers highly original,
often idiosyncratic insights into the appreciation of natural beauty,
the
experience of war, and the creative interpretation of suffering.
There
remains a wealth of unpublished material by Gurney, about which much
remains to
be said. Gurney was almost unique in
writing both poetry and music, and thus provides a rich opportunity for
interdisciplinary discussion. This
conference aims to examine both sides of his output in equal measure,
establishing a dialogue between the two, whilst placing his work
against the
backdrop of the early twentieth century, war and the asylum.
The weekend
will include papers given by international delegates, addressing many
issues
relevant to Gurney’s life and work, poetry readings, a formal dinner,
and a
recital of Gurney and other English song by tenor Andrew Kennedy (Radio 3 New Generation Young
Artist and winner BBC Singer
of the World Song Prize)
including previously unheard and unpublished works by both Gurney and
his
contemporary W. Denis Browne.
Keynote
speakers: Kelsey Thornton (Newcastle
University), Stephen
Banfield (Bristol University)
There will
be 30 minute papers given on psychiatric issues and Gurney’s poetry
throughout
Saturday, with a poetry reading and drinks in the evening followed by a
formal
dinner. On Sunday there will be
papers
on Gurney’s music, followed by a recital in Clare Hall
College by Andrew
Kennedy at 4pm. All other events and meals
take place in Lucy
Cavendish College, where accommodation
is available.
For further
information about the event or to reserve a place for all or part of
the
weekend, please contact Kate Kennedy: kma23@cam.ac.uk
To
contact the Ivor Gurney webmaster,
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