Victor Hely-Hutchinson
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Christian Victor Noel Hope Hely-Hutchinson (26 December 1901 – 11 March 1947) was a British composer, conductor, pianist and music administrator. He is best known for the ''
Carol Symphony ''Carol Symphony'' is a collection of four preludes, written by Victor Hely-Hutchinson in 1927. It is based on five Christmas carols, given additional orchestration and counterpoint arrangements. The four movements are written to be played uninter ...
'' and for humorous song-settings.Hurd, Michael
'Hely-Hutchinson, (Christian) Victor (Noel Hope)'
in ''Grove Music Online'', 2001 (subscription needed)


Early life

Hely-Hutchinson was born in
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
,
Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with t ...
(now Cape Town, South Africa). His parents were Sir
Walter Hely-Hutchinson Sir Walter Francis Hely-Hutchinson (22 August 1849 – 23 September 1913) was an Anglo-Irish diplomat and colonial administrator. Background and education Hely-Hutchinson was the second son of Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 4th Earl of Donoughmore. ...
,
Governor of Cape Colony This article lists the governors of British South African colonies, including the colonial prime ministers. It encompasses the period from 1797 to 1910, when present-day South Africa was divided into four British colonies namely: Cape Colony ...
from 1901 to 1910 during and after the
Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...
, and May Hely-Hutchinson. He initially lived in
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, then moved back to South Africa in 1907. He was taught the piano by Dr Thomas Barrow Dowling (1861–1926), the organist of Cape Town cathedral. Victor was a child prodigy, composing many pieces before the age of ten – his parents had a collection of sketches for violin and piano published as ''A Child's Thoughts'' in 1909. In England in 1910, he was taught piano by
Donald Tovey Sir Donald Francis Tovey (17 July 187510 July 1940) was a British musical analyst, musicologist, writer on music, composer, conductor and pianist. He had been best known for his '' Essays in Musical Analysis'' and his editions of works by Bach ...
and was initially educated at
Heatherdown School Heatherdown School, formally called Heatherdown Preparatory School, was an independent preparatory school for boys, near Ascot, in the English county of Berkshire. Set in of grounds, it typically taught between eighty and ninety boys between t ...
, near Ascot in Berkshire. In 1914, his father died. Victor was then educated at
Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
, and then read history at Balliol College, Oxford. Music, however, prevailed and after one year at Oxford he was granted permission to study for a Mus. Bac. at the
Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...
, where he studied conducting under Adrian Boult. In 1922, he returned to Cape Town to teach at the
South African College of Music The South African College of Music, abbreviated as SACM, is a department of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Cape Town. It is located on the University's Lower Campus in Rondebosch, Cape Town. Study opportunities The South African ...
, which was later incorporated into the
University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...
.


Later life

He joined the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
at
Savoy Hill Savoy Place is a large red brick building on the north bank of the River Thames in London. It is on a street called Savoy Place; Savoy Hill and Savoy Street run along the sides of the building up to the Strand. In front is the Victoria Embankmen ...
in 1926, becoming a conductor, pianist, and accompanist. He moved to Hampstead, where his two sons were born. In 1933, he moved once again to
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
to become Midland Regional Director of Music for the BBC, where he formed and conducted the Midland Studio Orchestra. In 1934, he left the BBC to become Professor of Music at the
University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...
, taking over from Sir
Granville Bantock Sir Granville Ransome Bantock (7 August 186816 October 1946) was a British composer of classical music. Biography Granville Ransome Bantock was born in London. His father was an eminent Scottish surgeon.Hadden, J. Cuthbert, 1913, ''Modern Music ...
. In 1938, he saw signs of war, and relocated his family out of Birmingham to a nearby village. During the war he became an ARP warden. He became a D.Mus from Oxford University in 1941. He also joined the university's officer cadet force. In 1944, he returned to the BBC to become overall Director of Music, succeeding
Arthur Bliss Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss (2 August 189127 March 1975) was an English composer and conductor. Bliss's musical training was cut short by the First World War, in which he served with distinction in the army. In the post-war years he qu ...
. He moved to
St John's Wood St John's Wood is a district in the City of Westminster, London, lying 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Traditionally the northern part of the ancient parish and Metropolitan Borough of Marylebone, it extends east to west from ...
. He never purchased a car, always using his bicycle. The winter of 1947 was very long-lasting and to save fuel (which was still rationed), Hely-Hutchinson refused to switch on the radiators in his office. He developed a cold, which became
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
.


Death

He died on 11 March 1947 at the premature age of 45. His wife Marjorie died in 1988.
Astra Desmond Astra Desmond (10 April 1893 – 16 August 1973) was a British contralto of the early and middle twentieth century. Biography Early years Astra Desmond was born Gwendoline Mary Thomson (she would later modify the spelling of her first nam ...
sang at his memorial service.


Works

Although mostly forgotten now, Hely-Hutchinson's orchestral music enjoyed some popularity during his lifetime, including the ''Overture to a Pantomime'', and the substantial ''Variations, Intermezzo and Finale'', (described by the composer as a set of symphonic variations) premiered at 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 ...
in 1927. ''The Young Idea'', a lighter, jazz-influenced rhapsody for piano and orchestra, was also played at the Proms in 1930 and was recorded in 2008 with the
BBC Concert Orchestra The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British concert orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five BBC orchestras which is not a full-scale sym ...
and
David Owen Norris David Owen Norris, (born 1953) is a British pianist, composer, academic, and broadcaster. Early life Norris was born in 1953 in Long Buckby in Northamptonshire, England, later attending Daventry Grammar School. He took lessons locally from c ...
as soloist. A Symphony for small orchestra, using music reworked from some of his film scores, was heard posthumously at the Proms in 1947. By far his best known work is the ''
Carol Symphony ''Carol Symphony'' is a collection of four preludes, written by Victor Hely-Hutchinson in 1927. It is based on five Christmas carols, given additional orchestration and counterpoint arrangements. The four movements are written to be played uninter ...
'' written in 1927. The four movements - really chorale preludes rather than symphonic movements - are based on the traditional English
Christmas carols Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
: *
O Come, All Ye Faithful "O Come, All Ye Faithful" (originally written in Latin as "") is a Christmas carol that has been attributed to various authors, including John Francis Wade (1711–1786), John Reading (1645–1692), King John IV of Portugal (1604–1656), and a ...
*
God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" is an English traditional Christmas carol. It is in the Roxburghe Collection (iii. 452), and is listed as no. 394 in the Roud Folk Song Index. It is also known as "Tidings of Comfort and Joy", and by other varia ...
* The Coventry Carol and
The First Nowell "The First Nowell", also known as "The First Noel (or Noël)", is a traditional English Christmas carol with Cornish origins, most likely from the early modern period, although possibly earlier.Here We Come A-wassailing ''Here We Come A-wassailing'' (or ''Here We Come A-Caroling''), also known as ''Here We Come A-Christmasing,'' ''Wassail Song'' and by many other names, is a traditional English Christmas carol and New Year song, typically sung whilst wassailing, ...
The third movement was used for the title music of the 1943 Children's Hour and 1984 BBC children's television adaptation of
John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels ''The Midnight Folk'' and ...
's ''
The Box of Delights ''The Box of Delights'' is a children's fantasy novel by John Masefield. It is a sequel to ''The Midnight Folk'', and was first published in 1935. Also known as "When The Wolves Were Running" Plot Kay Harker is returning from boarding school ...
'', in particular the variation on the theme of ''
The First Nowell "The First Nowell", also known as "The First Noel (or Noël)", is a traditional English Christmas carol with Cornish origins, most likely from the early modern period, although possibly earlier.Old Mother Hubbard "Old Mother Hubbard" is an English-language nursery rhyme, first given an extended printing in 1805, although the exact origin of the rhyme is disputed. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19334. After a notable nursery success, it was eventu ...
" is arranged in the manner of Handel. His song setting of Edward Lear's "
The Owl and the Pussycat "The Owl and the Pussy-cat" is a nonsense poem by Edward Lear, first published in 1870 in the American magazine '' Our Young Folks: an Illustrated Magazine for Boys and Girls'' and again the following year in Lear's own book ''Nonsense Songs, S ...
" was notably recorded in 1955 by
Elton Hayes Elton Hayes (16 February 1915 – 23 September 2001) was a British actor and guitarist. Life and career Elton Hayes was born in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, England. Both his parents were actors and he made his first stage appearance aged nin ...
and featured regularly on the BBC's ''
Children's Favourites ''Junior Choice'' is a BBC Radio programme originally broadcast from 1967 until 1982 with Christmas specials from 2007 until 2015 and again since 2017. Originally broadcast on the BBC Light Programme on Saturday mornings from 9.10 to 9.55 (later, ...
'' radio show.


Songs

With texts by
William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...
The LiederNet Archive - Christian Victor Hely-Hutchinson
accessed 10 December 2020 *''Five Songs of Innocence'' *#Piping down the valleys wild *# The Lamb *#
Infant Joy "Infant Joy" is a poem written by the English poet William Blake. It was first published as part of his collection ''Songs of Innocence'' in 1789 and is the counterpart to "Infant Sorrow", which was published at a later date in '' Songs of Experi ...
*#
Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...
*# The Little Boy Lost *''The Echoing Green and Other Songs'' *# The Echoing Green *#
The Shepherd ''The Shepherd'' is a 1975 novella by British writer Frederick Forsyth. Plot ''The Shepherd'' relates the story of a De Havilland Vampire pilot, going home on Christmas Eve 1957, whose aircraft suffers a complete electrical failure en route f ...
*#
Laughing Song "Laughing Song" is a poem published in 1789 by the English poet William Blake. This poem is one of nineteen in Blake's collection ''Songs of Innocence''. Analysis of the poem "Laughing Song" is a lyric poem, written in three stanzas of four-b ...
*#
Holy Thursday Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday (also known as Great and Holy Thursday, Holy and Great Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, among other names) is the day during Holy Week that commemorates the Washing of the ...
*# The Blossom *#
A Cradle Song "A Cradle Song" is a poem written by William Blake in 1789, as part of his book ''Songs of Innocence''. Structure The 32-line poem is divided into 8 stanzas of 4 lines each. Each stanza follows an "AABB" rhyme scheme. “A Cradle Song” f ...
With texts by Edward Lear *''Three Nonsense Songs''Paterson's Publications Ltd. (1927) *#
The Owl and the Pussy-cat "The Owl and the Pussy-cat" is a nonsense poem by Edward Lear, first published in 1870 in the American magazine '' Our Young Folks: an Illustrated Magazine for Boys and Girls'' and again the following year in Lear's own book ''Nonsense Songs, ...
*#The Table and the Chair *#The Duck and the Kangaroo With texts by Harry Graham *''Twenty-one songs from "Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes"'' (1945)Edward Arnold & Co. (1945) *''More Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes'' (1946) With texts by
Walter de la Mare Walter John de la Mare (; 25 April 1873 – 22 June 1956) was an English poet, short story writer, and novelist. He is probably best remembered for his works for children, for his poem "The Listeners", and for a highly acclaimed selection of ...
*''Three Songs from "Peacock Pie"'' **The cupboard **The window **The little old Cupid *''Song of a Soldier'' (1933)


Orchestral

* ''Three Fugal Fancies'', for strings (1925) * ''Carol Symphony'' (1927) * ''Variations, Intermezzo and Finale'' for orchestra (1927) * ''The Young Idea'': Rhapsody for piano and orchestra (1930) * ''Overture to a Pantomime'' (1938)''Radio Times'' Issue 796
1 January 1939, p 18 ''genome.ch.bbc.co.uk'', accessed 10 December 2020 * ''Symphony for Small Orchestra'' (1942) * ''Solemn Prelude'', in G * ''South African Suite''


Dramatic

* ''Hearts are Trumps (Operetta)'' (1932) * ''The Unveiling'' (Nativity play) (1932) * Much incidental music for plays, theatre and radio


Chamber

* Piano Quintet * Piano Sonata * String Quartet * Viola Sonata * Violin Sonata


Bibliography

* Jürgen Schaarwächter, ''Two Centuries of British Symphonism: From the beginnings to 1945. A preliminary survey'', Vol. I, pp. 564–565, Georg Olms Verlag, Hildesheim-Zurich-New York, 2015.
Artist Biography by Bruce Eder
''Allmusic.com'' * Mark Connelly, ''Christmas: A History'', I. B. Tauris, London New York, 2012. * Benjamin Britten, Letters from a Life Vol 1: 1923-39, Edited by Donald Mitchell.


References


External links


MusicWeb biography


* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hely-Hutchinson, Victor Academics of the University of Birmingham People educated at Eton College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Alumni of the Royal College of Music 1901 births 1947 deaths Academic staff of the University of Cape Town Deaths from pneumonia in England Musicians from Cape Town People educated at Heatherdown School South African composers South African male composers 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century English composers
Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
20th-century British male musicians British composers British conductors (music) British pianists BBC Orchestras BBC music executives