Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1998. Vol. 2. Eger Journal of English Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 26)

Studies - Jan Smaczny: The stuff of life' - aspects of folksong in the fabric of art music in the British Isles

recorded,'

1 and is still occasionally performed, it has never approached in popularity Dvorák's model. In part this may be accounted for by the difference between genius and talent, but, perhaps also, the very limited local dimension represented by themes with a clear significance only in Ireland and the relative lack of assimilation of the melodies, means that to an extent the work is not only founded on, but trapped by its locality. To make use of native material while transcending its reference and reaching a broader audience is a much more complex process. 5 Dvorák's advice to English and American composers may not have been the starting point for succeeding generations in the British Isles, but their activities indicate that they had come to conclusions which were remarkably close to his recommendations. In England, the activities of Vaughan Williams at the turn of the century as a folksong collector (over a period of nine years he collected folksongs in Norfolk, Hereford, Surrey and Sussex) soon produced all manner of creative fruit. An interesting aspect of the creative fertilisation of folksong is that it found its way into Vaughan Williams edition of the English Hymnal (published 1906), thus introducing a new generation of Church of England worshippers to at least a small part of their heritage of traditional melodies. Of course, the most profound effect was on Vaughan Williams' own music. While fashions have changed concerning the reception of his work, no-one can deny his central role in English music in the twentieth century. He influenced at least two generations of composers and even reactions against his style and ethos by, for instance, Benjamin Britten, are to an extent conditioned by his colossal achievement. For composers like Vaughan Williams, a crucial creative issue was the identity of English music. For much of the nineteenth century, taste in Britain among audiences and composers was largely based on an appreciation of German music, with the work of Mendelssohn, Brahms and Wagner comprising a key corpus which was modestly extended by the music of such 'exotics' as Gounod, Dvorák and Tchaikovsky. Vaughan Williams' recognition of this frankly stultifying state of affairs led to an attempt to escape the German-orientated English tradition, epitomised in many ways by his teacher, the Anglo-Irish composer, Charles Villiers Stanford, by studying with the French composer Maurice Ravel during three months in 1908. He 1

5 A modern recording by the Ulster Orchestra conducted by Bryden Thomson is available on the Chandos lable (CHAN 8314). 39