Robert Ernest Bryson

Robert Ernest Bryson (30 March 1867 – 16 April 1942) was a Scottish composer and organist who spent most of his life in Birkenhead, England, working as a cotton merchant in Liverpool. He was the founder-chairman and later President of the Rodewald Concert Society in Liverpool.

Early life and education

Robert Ernest Bryson (known as a composer more often as just Ernest Bryson), was born in Milton, Glasgow, Scotland on 30 March 1867 and died 16 April 1942 in St Briavels, Gloucestershire. He was the only son of Robert Bryson (1831–1886), a cotton merchant, and Margaret Bryson (née Young, 1839–1936), and was brought to Tranmere, Birkenhead (then part of Cheshire, England) at an early age. He had three sisters. Bryson was educated at Birkenhead School (1877–81).

He purchased Yew Tree Cottage at St Briavels, Gloucestershire, in 1907The Lydney Observer, 8 May 1942. as a country residence and was registered there as a voter from 1910. He, and his three sisters all died there unmarried, along with their widowed mother.

Career

Bryson joined his father's firm of Bryson, Cooper & Co, cotton brokers, of Liverpool as an apprentice at the age of 17. He became a partner on his father's death.

Bryson studied music with W. H. Hunt, a local music teacher, along with Hunt's nephews, Frederic and Ernest Austin who both became composers. He was organist of Christ Church, Birkenhead and St Saviour Church, Oxton and spent most of his spare time in composition.

His earliest known composition was ''Allegro Moderato in D minor'' for organ, which was published by Reeves in 1889. His Symphony No 1 was performed in Liverpool by the Liverpool Orchestral Society under Bantock in 1908 and published by Breitkopf & Härtel. There were further performances in Bournemouth under James Lyon (1872–1949) in February 1912. and in Manchester by the Hallé Orchestra His Symphony No 2 appears to be lost, although it was performed in Manchester on 1 January 1928 by the Hallé Orchestra under Sir Hamilton Harty and broadcast. It was also awarded a prize by the Carnegie Music Trust. Both symphonies were reviewed in detail by Leigh Henry.

As part of the Musical League Festival, Bryson's ''Idylls of a Summer's Day'' was performed in 1909. His next big success was ''Voices'', a study for orchestra premièred by Sir Henry Wood at the Promenade Concert, London on 15 September 1910. Next came ''The Stranger'' for Baritone, chorus & small orchestra, which was premièred by the Liverpool Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra in 1917. His part-song ''Drum-taps'' was reviewed as a new publication in 1918. His ''Fanfare for an Adventure'' was published in 1921 as a piano version.

Bryson's opera ''The Leper's Flute'' with libretto by Ian Colvin premièred in Glasgow on 15 October 1926 by the British National Opera Company and subsequently toured to Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool and London. Also that year Bryson's song cycle ''The Unfading Garden'' was introduced by Hugh Campbell at the Grotriau Hall. A song cycle, ''A Last Harvest'' was played at the Reid Concert at the University of Edinburgh on 19 November 1927. The Radio Times shows that on 27 August 1937 Bryson's ''The Field of Boliauns'' was broadcast; performed by the BBC Orchestra conducted by Clarence Raybould with Parry Jones (tenor).
Bryson claimed he had been the confidant of William J. Ridley in the design of the organ at Liverpool Cathedral. Ridley was an amateur organist and an enthusiastic member of the organ committee, who was determined that the organ at Liverpool Cathedral would be the biggest and best organ in the World. Ridley was credited with the inception of the project.

Ridley left a legacy to Bryson which he used to found an organ fund to replace the little antiquated organ at St Briavels, Gloucestershire, where he was organist in his retirement.Sheraton, Jean, ''A Country Church Organ and Robert Ernest Bryson'', pp. 22–23, Gloucester Cathedral News, April 2016. He is commemorated by a plaque on the organ.

After his retirement to St. Briavels in 1924, Bryson was invited to become the President of the Rodewald Concert Society. He accepted only after Elgar had declined the honour.

Compositions

Operas

*Opera ''The Leper's Flute'' (Goodwin & Tab, 1925)

Orchestral

*''Fantasia-Overture'' (1894)
*''Idylls of a Summer's Day'' (1909)
*''Voices'', a study for orchestra (1910)
*Symphony No 1 in D (Breitkopf & Härtel, 1909)
*Symphony No 2 in C (1928)
*''Vaila'', fantasy for string orchestra (Breitkopf & Härtel, 1909)

Cantatas and Oratorios

*''The Stranger'' for Baritone, chorus & small orchestra (Stainer & Bell, 1917)
*''The Field of Boliauns'' for tenor and orchestra (1937)

Songs

*''A Last Harvest'', a song cycle for voice and orchestra
*''Nae sae bad as it micht hae been'' for one or two baritones (Larway, 1927)
*''So, the Year's done with'' (Oxford University Press, 1927)
*''A song of long ago'' (Weekes & Co, 1890)
*''The Unfading Garden'' (1926)
*''What the People Tell Old Büsen'' (Stainer & Bell, 1911)

Part Songs

*''Drum-taps'', seven part songs for chorus with side-drum (J Curwen & Sons, 1918)
*''Grey'', Canzonetta for female voices (Stainer & Bell, 1914)
*''Simple as a Daisy'' for male voices (Curwen, 1930)
*''Six Silly Songs for sensible children'', (with Ernest Austin), (J. H. Larway, 1916)
*''The Angler'' (J Curwen & Sons, 1925)
*''The Silent Town'' for female voices (1914)

Church music

*''The Unison Chant Choir-Book'', a collection of original chants designed to encourage congregational singing (with Arthur Wormald Pollitt, Henry Frowde 1909)
*''Most Glorious Lord of Life'', Anthem (London 1912)

Chamber music

*String Quartet No 1
*String Quartet No 2
*''Adagio cantabile'', trio for violin, pianoforte and harmonium or American organ (1895?) (Donajowski, 1916)

Organ

*Allegro Deciso in D (1895)
*Allegro Grazioso ( Schott, 1922)
*Allegro Moderato in D min (Reeves) 1889)
*Fantasia-Overture in D (Donajowski, 1894)
*Introduction & Symphonic Finale (Larway, 1910)
*''Invocation'' (Mayhew)
*''Pæan'' (J. Williams}, 1940)
*Prelude & Fugue in D (Donajowski, 1893)
*Processional Fantasia in C (Donajowski, 1893)
*''P†n'' for organ ic(1940)
*Rhapsody (J. Williams}, 1935)
*Sequence of 7 Miniatures ( Schott, 1922)IMSLP
*Six Church Preludes ( Novello, 1892)
*Six Pieces Op. 26 (Donajowski, 1895)
*Sonata in C min (Forsyth)
*Two Miniatures ( Schott & Co. 1922)

Piano

*''Through the Little Meadows'' Dedicated to and first performed by Frederick Brandon
*''Fanfare for an Adventure'' arr. for piano (1921),
*''Remembrance'', A melody for pianoforte (J. H. Larway), 1926)

Sources

#Bryson, (Robert) Ernest, Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 1954 and earlier editions
#A ''Dictionary of Modern Music and Musicians'', Ed. Eaglefield-Hull, Dent 1924.
Bryson, Ernest British Library catalogues Ernest Bryson Scottish Composers Organ Biography
(Requires a subscription for composer details)
Bryson, Ernest IMSLPRodewald Concert Society archives

References

External links

British Library catalogue

Organ Biography
Biographicalical Dictionary of Organists, Composers for Organ and Organ Builders

IMSLP Petrucci Music Library

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryson, Robert Ernest
1867 births
1942 deaths
Scottish composers
Scottish organists
British male organists
People educated at Birkenhead School
Musicians from Glasgow
Musicians from Birkenhead
People from St Briavels