Joyful Company of Singers

  • Home
  • ABOUT US
  • PERFORMANCES
  • RECORDINGS
  • GALLERY
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT

OUR BLOG

  • Jonathan Harvey – a personal tribute

    jcosco_admin
    Oct 11, 2013
    Elaine Gould, English Choral Music, Faber Music, Jonathan Harvey

    Elaine Gould, an alto with the Joyful Company of Singers, has been Senior New Music Editor at Faber Music since 1987, in which capacity she has edited the complex and varied scores of many composers, including Jonathan Harvey. Recognised as a leader in the field, and a vital source of wit and common sense in JCOS rehearsals when we are wrangling new music, Elaine is author of the notation “bible” Behind Bars.

    Elaine worked with Jonathan Harvey for 25 years and below is the personal tribute she has drafted ahead of our next concert, where we will be performing his pieces I Love the Lord and Forms of Emptiness:

    Jonathan Harvey (1939 – 2012)
    A Personal Tribute

    That I am to fly off soon to celebrate the arrival of Jonathan’s manuscripts in Basel is a measure of the esteem in which his oeuvre is now held and a mark of the international recognition it has gained in recent years. The manuscripts will be housed at the Sacher Foundation Archive, alongside those of Stravinsky, Bartok, Ligeti and many great 20th-century composers, an acquisition that made Jonathan very happy at the end of his life, tragically cut short by Motor Neurone Disease last December.

    Jonathan was one of the most original of British composers, yet also very much European: a musician whose music did travel beyond our own shores, and there’s not so much that does. JCOS’s 1994 recording of Jonathan’s choral works was groundbreaking at the time, not to say an astonishing achievement on a mere 8 rehearsals! A measure of his growing reputation is that since that recording these wonderful choral works have been embraced by many European choirs (mostly professional) who have followed in our path with recordings of their own.

    For us in the choral world, Jonathan has left a legacy of extraordinary and original works. He is a unique composer in creating a body of innovative masterpieces also in the fields of instrumental and electronic music. His pioneering work with electronic music had studios round the world queuing up to invite him to create works and he relished their invitations (especially from those in sunny places).

    Ideas fed from one medium to another and he was always brimming over with ideas for new pieces, pushing at the boundaries of musical thought to create new soundworlds. His eyes would light up, ‘Ah, I have an idea for that!’ he would say in his quiet and modest way, while giving nothing away. He would also borrow from the old and the new: for instance, 17thC madrigal style and 1960s’ aleatoric counterpoint stand side by side in Forms. Imagine my surprise when, in 1998, this disciple of Stockhausen brought into the office his latest orchestral piece, Tranquil Abiding. ‘Jonathan, you’ve written a piece in E flat major!’ His reply was ‘This is my pot boiler – I want to make Faber lots of money.’ And many performances there have been of this lovely work.

    Many living composers of concert music steer well clear of non-professional choirs, yet, as we witnessed on so many occasions, Jonathan would never miss an opportunity to hear us singing his pieces, even while at the same time writing his last big commission, Weltethos, for the Berlin Philharmonic. He loved live performance, and he loved the spirit and commitment of JCOS’s performances.

    Having edited Jonathan’s manuscripts for 25 years, I carefully packed them up for their final journey a few months back, reflecting that in all that time I had never persuaded dear Jonathan of the value of a pencil sharpener. Deciphering his hand became increasingly tricky, yet he knew exactly what he wanted. All of life was in those pieces – what fun we had imitating the animal sounds in Marahi – yet every rhythm and pitch had its place even if it did look somewhat (or extremely) vague on the page. There was never a cross word, even when, as a young editor, I might have been in big trouble when an unrevised set of instrumental parts was discovered at an ensemble’s final rehearsal – while the corrected set sat in our hire library. Jonathan spent the evening before the concert correcting the set by hand rather than make a fuss. How I wished he had!

    Jonathan was a truly remarkable man and a remarkable composer. He was modest about his own achievements, endlessly inquisitive and a man without cynicism. His mission was to evoke the spiritual in everything and he, too, was the rare spirit to many of us.

Categories

  • News (71)
  • Repertoire (4)
  • Videos (10)

Archives

  • May 2022 (2)
  • April 2022 (1)
  • February 2022 (1)
  • January 2022 (1)
  • October 2021 (3)
  • July 2021 (2)
  • May 2021 (1)
  • December 2020 (4)
  • November 2020 (1)
  • October 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (4)
  • June 2020 (3)
  • May 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (1)
  • March 2020 (4)
  • February 2020 (2)
  • January 2020 (1)
  • November 2019 (1)
  • October 2019 (1)
  • September 2019 (1)
  • July 2019 (1)
  • June 2019 (1)
  • May 2019 (3)
  • April 2019 (1)
  • March 2019 (2)
  • February 2019 (2)
  • December 2018 (1)
  • November 2018 (2)
  • August 2018 (1)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (1)
  • April 2018 (3)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • February 2018 (2)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • December 2017 (1)
  • September 2017 (2)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • March 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • November 2016 (1)
  • October 2016 (1)
  • September 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (1)
  • February 2016 (1)
  • January 2016 (1)
  • October 2013 (1)
  • September 2013 (2)
  • July 2013 (1)
© Copyright 2021 Joyful Company of Singers | Website by SMB Solutions | Background photo - Carol Hartfree | Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • RSS Feeds
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT