(Reprinted, by kind permission of the Editor, from _The Musical Times_
of April 1, 1919)
When Christopher Wilson published his master-song, "Come away, Death,"
in 1901, _The Times_ said of it that it was "all that such a song
should be--fantastic, yet deeply pathetic, _and as musicianly as a work
by a Mendelssohn scholar ought to be_." The words italicised remain
true of all that this gifted composer left us; and the pity of it is
that for various reasons, some of which will appear in the present
notice, so little of his work has been printed.
"Chris" Wilson, as he was known to hosts of friends in Bohemian
circles, was born at Melbourne, in Derbyshire, on October 7, 1874. He
came of musical stock on both sides. Many stories, based on undoubted
fact, are current as to the boy's proficiency on the pianoforte, even
before he reached his teens; and while at Derby School, where his
headmaster was J. R. Sterndale Bennett, a son of the composer, he
played for the eleven--a somewhat rare combination of talents. There
was never a doubt as to young Christopher's future calling; and his
brilliant career at the Academy more than fulfilled his early promise.
He carried off no fewer than three bronze and three silver medals, and
was at the end of his third year awarded three certificates: for the
pianoforte, harmony, and sight-singing. He also gained the Agnes
Zimmermann Prize. Wilson received every encouragement from the
Principal, Sir Alexander Mackenzie, while his professors for harmony
and {viii} composition, pianoforte, and viola (his second subject) were
Mr Frank Davenport (his uncle), Mr Oscar Beringer, and Mr Walenn,
respectively. No one was surprised when he capped all his previous
successes by carrying off the Mendelssohn Scholarship in 1895. He went
abroad--as winners of the British Prix de Rome usually do--and studied
under Wuellner at Cologne, von Herzogenberg at Berlin, and Widor at
Paris. His gifts were appreciated by his foreign teachers as they had
been at home. The beautiful Suite for strings (since, 1901, published
by Schott) was performed at Cologne at one of the principal concerts--a
compliment that had been paid to only one young Englishman before him,
Arthur Sullivan. Moreover, he was selected by Wuellner to "coach" a
tenor at the Opera in the part of Tristan--no small distinction. There
can be no question that Wilson brought back to England one great
asset[1]: he had heard all the great operas over and over again, and it
was as a composer and conductor for the theatre that he was destined to
make his mark. His sense of the stage and of atmosphere and his love
for everything relating to the theatre were remarkably keen; so his
success in this sphere was not surprising. His gifts were quickly
recognised by Sir Frank Benson, Mr Oscar Asche, Miss Ellen Terry, Mr
and Mrs Fred Terry, Mr Otho Stuart, Mr Waller, and others; for the two
first named he acted as musical director for well over ten years.
Apart from the numerous Shakespearian productions for which he wrote
the music, his most striking successes were obtained in _Kismet, The
Pied Piper of Hamelin_, and the Greek plays. In these latter he made
no more use of the ancient modes than Mendelssohn had done; but the
result was highly effective and true to atmosphere. {ix} Opinions are
bound to differ as to the comparative merit of the music written for
the Shakespeare plays: on the whole, perhaps, _King Lear, Richard II.,
Antony and Cleopatra, Much Ado about Nothing, The Merchant of Venice_,
and _Measure for Measure_ mark his highest level of achievement.
Wilson was, of course, acquainted with all the traditional music, of
which he availed himself whenever he considered it suitable; the
numerous gaps he filled in with unerring taste and skill. Future
searchers in the British Museum Catalogue may consider his output
relatively small, in spite of the fact that he died in his forty-fifth
year. But it should be remembered that incidental music of this kind,
apart from the lyrics, mostly remains in MS. None the less, one may
rest assured that its spirit and traditions will live on, and that much
of it will be handed on by successive conductors for the enjoyment of
future generations.
His published works include, besides those mentioned elsewhere in this
memoir, settings of "On the Ground," "Take, oh take those lips away"
(1906), and a duet, "It was a Lover and his Lass" (1907); "Rest in
Peace" (words by W. Melville, 1900); "If we may not meet" (H. Kendall,
1901); "Roses for my Lady" (Harold Begbie, 1903); "To a Nosegay" (E.
Broad, 1903); "There lived a Singer" (Swinburne, 1903); "When Roses
blush" (E. Lyall Swete, 1904); "I bring thee Roses" (F. Stayton, 1908);
"Ave Maria" for S.A.T.B. (unaccompanied--organ part for rehearsal
only--1910); three Duets and a Song from _Kismet_ (1911); and a
Novelette in D for the piano, (1903). Of the unpublished works, the
most important are the music to a wordless play "Inconstant Pierrot"
(the _scenario_ by Sidney Dark); a second Suite for strings; a Mass; a
Pianoforte Quartet; two String Quartets; two Violin Sonatas; and a
number of lyrics (including several by Shakespeare and a fine setting
of Browning's "Prospice"). He also wrote the music for two pageants.
During the last year of his life, when his health was beginning to
fail, Wilson worked much at the British {x} Museum on a series of
papers for _The Stage_, dealing with Shakespeare and the host of
composers who have set him to music; here his knowledge and experience,
if not unrivalled, were certainly unsurpassed. Of these articles, five
had appeared up to the time of his death: (1) and (2), Introductory and
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" (October 31 and November 7, 1918); (3) and
(4), "Macbeth" (December 5 and December 27, 1918); (5), "Romeo and
Juliet" (February 6, 1919). The last of the series was published
eleven days before the end came suddenly--for "Chris" died of heart
failure in the early morning of February 17. A few hours before he
fell asleep he was asked to write the music for the forthcoming
production by Miss Doris Keane of this same play of _Romeo and
Juliet_--a pathetic coincidence!
Anyone anxious to form some faint idea of "Chris" Wilson's delightful
personality, his kindness to all, his utter selflessness, his childlike
simplicity of nature, and his humour, should read the two articles on
his experiences as a conductor which he contributed to _The Stage_ in
1917. But it is the humbler members of his orchestras who probably
know more of his goodness of heart than even his most intimate friends;
and it is their testimony he would have valued most highly. It should
be added that he was a widely-read man, and possessed a sound knowledge
of art and of architecture.
A fine tribute to his memory was paid him by his brother Savages--among
whom he had spent so many happy hours--on the Saturday night of the
week in which he died, when Mr George Baker sang his "Come away, Death"
with an effect that will never be forgotten by those who were present.
[1] Another natural result of his stay in Germany was that his interest
in the folk-songs of that country was stimulated; and he edited for
Messrs Boosey the volume of "German Folk-Songs" in their Imperial
Edition, the English versions being by his friend Paul England (1909).
Wilson's accompaniments and harmonies to these are models of what such
things should be; and a notable feature of the collection is that it
contains a large proportion of songs that had never been translated
into English.
{xi}