Ernest John Austin (31 December 1874 – 24 July 1947) was an English composer, music arranger and editor. Although little-remembered today (he does not even have an entry in the comprehensive ''

New Grove ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theor ...

'' dictionary), Austin's orchestral music enjoyed some success in its own time, including performances at the

Henry Wood Sir Henry Joseph Wood (3 March 186919 August 1944) was an English conductor best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the The Proms, Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introd ...

Promenade Concerts The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

and on BBC Radio during the 1920s. He was a prolific composer of

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

s, covering a wide spectrum of mood, from serious

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

an settings to

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

s of both sentimental and robust natures. He found some success writing piano pieces and unison songs for children. He also made piano transcriptions of the work of other composers, a particularly common practice of the time.

Life and works

He was born Ernest John Austin in Poplar, London (now in the borough of

Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough covering much of the traditional East End. It was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Poplar, and Bethnal Green. 'Tower Hamlets' was originally ...

), the son of Elizabeth and William Austin, a shirt tailor. Ernest Austin was the younger brother of baritone and composer Frederic Austin (1872–1951). He first worked for the Board of Trade and then pursued a career in business. Largely self-taught, by 1902 he had composed a piano sextet (first performed in 1910) and by the age of about 30 he had turned to music as a career. He worked as a copy-editor and reviser for the London music publisher Robert Elkin (Elkin & Co.), where he edited some of Cyril Scott's piano works for publication. According to Austin, Scott's manuscripts were not always legible, and "the published result was occasionally his personal 'best guess' as to the intentions of the composer." He gave a concert of his own works in November 1908 in

Wallington, London Wallington is a town in the London Borough of Sutton, in South London, England. It is south south-west of Charing Cross. Before the Municipal Borough of Beddington and Wallington merged into the London Borough of Sutton in Greater London in 196 ...

, including two Piano Trios (No. 2, Op.15, and No. 4), his brother Frederic Austin singing some songs along with Miss Grainger-Kerr (also a proponent of Cyril Scott's vocal works); a Piano Trio was also performed in November 1909. Austin was described as being "well known as an apostle of modernism"The term was used in the same sense as a description of

Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

's first string quartet (also published in 1909) as "the extreme development of modernism". Source: in a review of his ''Songs From The Highway'', also published in 1909: "In his case the tendency manifests itself in the form of indefinite tonality and rhythm. 'Love's Tragedy', for instance, ..is practically unbarred, and the accentuation is left to the discrimination of the singer, with whom it is to be hoped the accompanist will be in sympathy." He had a passable baritone voice, and performed

Norman O'Neill Norman Houston O'Neill (14 March 1875 – 3 March 1934) was an English composer and conductor of Irish background who specialised largely in works for the theatre. Life O'Neill was born at 16 Young Street in Kensington, London, the youngest so ...

's setting of Keat's ''La Belle Sans Merci'' for baritone and orchestra at the

Queen's Hall The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. Fro ...

on 27 January 1910. Another concert devoted to his own piano works and songs was given at St. James's Hall, London in November 1910; the solo pianist was Ernest Lees, the singers were Cecily Gleeson-White, Miss Grainger-Kerr, William Higley (who sang the title role in ''

The Flying Dutchman The ''Flying Dutchman'' ( nl, De Vliegende Hollander) is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the seven seas forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dut ...

'' at the Proms in 1905) and Frederic Austin, accompanied by Harold Brooke (professional pianist and editor at Novello & Co. who worked with

Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

on the publication of his Piano Quintet). A considerable proportion of his output consisted of short piano pieces and unison songs suitable for children, and in an advertisement for his music in 1916 it was thought that "more than doubtful whether he has a rival among modern British composers who specialise in educational music." The orchestral suite ''Stella-Mary Dances'' was written in memory of his oldest daughter who died in 1917, aged 12. They were played (along with his ''Vicar of Bray'' variations) on BBC Radio on 15 November 1929; the broadcast was followed by a concert of music from ''

The Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satiri ...

'' by his brother Frederic, who also conducted. One of his best-known works is ''

The Pilgrim's Progress ''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christianity, Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and a prog ...

'', a 12-section

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc. ...

tone poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ''T ...

setting for a solo organ of the work by

John Bunyan John Bunyan (; baptised 30 November 162831 August 1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress,'' which also became an influential literary model. In addition ...

; it takes about 2¾ hours to perform. There is a text which explains what is happening at each stage of the music which can be read by a

narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...

, and in the 12th movement, there are optional parts for

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

(SSATTB), bells, and a solo

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

. It was revived in November 1988 at St. Michael's,

Cornhill, London Cornhill (formerly also Cornhil) is a ward and street in the City of London, the historic nucleus and financial centre of modern London. The street runs between Bank Junction and Leadenhall Street. The hill from which it takes its name is one ...

, by organist Kevin Bowyer, who continues to perform it on occasion. The song ''Farewell'' by

Havergal Brian Havergal Brian (born William Brian; 29 January 187628 November 1972) was an English composer. He is best known for having composed 32 symphonies (an unusually high total for a 20th-century composer), most of them late in his life. His best-known ...

from his Op. 6 (Three Songs for contralto or baritone) - his first surviving work, from 1902 - was dedicated to Austin, as was ''Battle Song'', from ''6 Characteristic Songs'', Op. 22, by

Joseph Holbrooke Joseph Charles Holbrooke (5 July 18785 August 1958) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. Life Early years Joseph Holbrooke was born Joseph Charles Holbrook in Croydon, Surrey. His father, also named Joseph, was a music hall music ...

Thoughts on music for children

From a letter by Austin to ''The Musical Times'' in 1918 about the music for the Associated Board exams: "I close with an appeal to teachers. The future of English music rests with your pupils. These children are being trained for the ultimate purposes of deriving personal delight from the art and giving it to others. If the music they study gives them no pleasure, if they miss intimacy with the composer's idea—then it is so much wasted time. If you demand, as you have a right to demand, the right kind of music for them, you will get it. Publishers are in business to supply what you most need, but your needs must be known to them. Children have a good deal of latent romance and poetic insight, and music can bring this out and develop it with magical swiftness. By feeding every poetic tendency, often very personal and original, you will be building up, in each of them, a love for beauty which will never leave them. That would be great work, for what else is this life-quest in which we are all engaged? Do we get a fraction of the delight in living that we feel we are justly entitled to? Those of us who live on, bearing the inevitable blows of sorrow,His 12 year-old daughter Stella Mary had died the previous year. can turn to music and other forms of Beauty and find in them the secret compensations of the Creator. Our children have the same road to travel, and they also must be prepared."

Family

He was married twice, firstly to Stella Reeve Muskett (b. 1874—d. Wallington, April or May 1925), with whom he had two daughters, Stella Mary (died 30 May 1917, aged 12; his orchestral suite ''Stella-Mary Dances'', Op.58, was composed in her memory): and Margaret (1912-?). He married secondly Nell (maiden name unknown), died 12 April 1934.

Selected works

Orchestra

*''March for a Pageant'' (1910) *''

Variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individua ...

on The Vicar of Bray'', Op.35, for string orchestra (FP

the Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

1910, also conducted by Austin at a Prom on 9 October 1913) Also arraranged for solo piano *''Stella-Mary Dances'', Op.58,

orchestral suite A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/ concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...

(1918, played at the Proms) *''Sweet Night'', for flute, clarinet, cornet, and string orchestra *SymphonyAlthough Ernest Austin is mentioned in passing (in various books and internet sites) as having written a symphony, there seem to be few (if any) contemporary reviews or reports of a performance of such a work. There may be some confusion with the Symphony in E Minor by his brother Frederic Austin; or with ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', sometimes described as a symphonic poem for organ; or with an arrangement for piano of another work such as Schubert's 8th Symphony, arr.

Landon Ronald Sir Landon Ronald (born Landon Ronald Russell) (7 June 1873 – 14 August 1938) was an English conductor, composer, pianist, teacher and administrator. In his early career he gained work as an accompanist and '' répétiteur'', but struggle ...

and Ernest Austin.

Chamber

*Sextet for two violins, cello, clarinet, horn and piano (1902) *5

Piano Trio A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music. The term can also refer to a group of m ...

s for violin, cello and piano (with optional parts for flute and

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

) ** Trio No. 2 ''In Field and Forest'', Op.15, (c1908) ** Trio No. 4, Op.26, (1909) ** Trio No. 5, ''Folk Tune Fantasy'', Op.65 *Music-poem for violin and piano, Op.29 *Lyric Sonata, Op.70, for

and

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

(1925)

Organ

*''The Pilgrim's Progress'', Op.41; 12-movement narrative tone poem in 4 parts, with optional choir (SSATTB), bells, solo violin and narrator (1912–1920).

Piano

* Sonata No.1, Op.1 (privately printed) * Sonata No.2, Op.31 *12 Simple Sonatinas on national themes, 2 Books, Op.38 (c1911) * Folk Tune Studies in variation form (First Book), Op.42 - Primary Grade (English Fingering)There was a movement against the German system of fingering (and all things German) during the First World War. * Suites: 4 ''English Pastorals'', Op.43 (1915); ''To Music'' (7 movements); ''Under Blue Skies''; 6 ''Dream Themes'' (Op. 74); around 25 ''Tone Stanzas'' (1908–1924) *2 books of Preludes, Op.56 *''Indian Pipe Dance'' (1921) *14 Sonatinas for children, on English

folk-song Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has be ...

s *''Through the Eyes of Youth'' *''Diversions'': eight pieces for piano (1928) *''Four Pastorals'', Op. 71 *''Moods and Melodies'': Seven easy pieces, Op.72 *''Dream Themes'', Book 1, Op.74 *''Piano Pieces'', Op.81 *''The Garden of Music'', (editor), a series of grade pieces by various composers *Transcriptions of songs by Edward Elgar for solo piano, ''Sevillana'', ''Mot d'Amour'', ''Like to the damask rose'', ''Queen Mary's song'', ''A song of Autumn'' (1926) *Transcription for piano of the ''Minuet'' from Elgar's incidental music to a play about Beau Brummell, by Bertram P. Matthews (1928)

Songs

;Collections and song-cycles *''Songs of Love and Nature'', Op.2. *''A Sheaf of Songs'', Op.6 (1907) (5) (inc. ''Two Songs of Rest'', words by Austin) *''Songs from the Highway'', Op.16 (1909) *''Songs from the Ravel'', Op.30 (1907) (Words for Musical Setting.) A Book of Prose-Lyrics from Life and Nature. * ''Six Silly Songs for Sensible Children'' (1924) ("Words and music by Ernest Austin's friend Ernest Bryson, and by Ernest Bryson's friend Ernest Austin") ;Individual songs ''Aspiration''; ''Fountain Song''; ''I Made Thee Mine''; ''The Infinite Voice''; ''Life''; ''Sigh No More Ladies'' (also arr. violin or cello, and piano); ''April Wears a Smiling Face''; ''Tony the Turtle''; ''Cradle Song''; ''Sea Dogs''; ''Sleep Little Rose''; ''Sweet Night''; ''The Woodland Tailor''; ''A Song of Folly''; ''Thoughts'' (vocal setting of

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...

, op.39 no.15)

Choral

*With organ: '' Communion service in G'' (1912) *With orchestra: **''Gelert'', Op.11, dramatic legend (1908); **''Hymn of Apollo'' (words by

Percy Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achie ...

) (fp 1917, by the Leeds Choral Union cond. by Dr.

Henry Coward Sir Henry Coward (26 November 184910 June 1944) was a British conductor and composer. Born in Liverpool to parents in the entertainment industry, Coward took an apprenticeship to a cutler in Sheffield. Educating himself, he became a teacher an ...

), repeated the next year Also given by the Glasgow Choral and Orchestral Union in the autumn of 1919 under

, and again in 1922 **''Ode to a Grecian Urn'' (Shelley) *8-part chorus: ''Hymn to the night'' (words by

Henry Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...

) (performed in Leeds, 12 March 1919) *Female voices: ''The Dream Maker''; ''Shed No Tear'' (SSAA) *Male voices: ''Home on the Range'' ( cowboy song) *

Unison In music, unison is two or more musical parts that sound either the same pitch or pitches separated by intervals of one or more octaves, usually at the same time. ''Rhythmic unison'' is another term for homorhythm. Definition Unison or per ...

songs for children, inc. Op.3 and Op. 69

Books

*''The Story of Music Printing'' (1913) *''The Fairyland of Music'' (1922); subtitled 'A fairy story with music'.

References

Notes Sources * Philip L. Scowcroft: ''British Light Music Composers'' (

{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Ernest English Romantic composers 20th-century classical composers Composers for pipe organ English classical composers 1874 births 1947 deaths People from Poplar, London English male classical composers 20th-century English composers 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century British musicians 19th-century British male musicians