Composers’ LettersEdited by Jan Fielden In these composers’ letters, as well as in their music, wecan hear the voices of the men themselves. Through their own words expressedsimply on paper and committed to the postal services — whatever they may havebeen like at the time — a portrait of the composer as a human being emerges. Frequently, this shows a different, perhaps unexpected sideto the master of sound and artifice known to us more usually through a series ofsymphonies or concertos. It is impossible to give a rounded portrait of each composerthrough a small selection of correspondence and music such as this; however, itis hoped that the incidents and feelings related in the composers’ letters, coupledwith their own music, will give us a vivid impression and distinctive flavor ofthe man. From the truly fascinating — and huge — library of lettersthat exists from European composers of the past four centuries, several broadthemes emerge. These include creativity, the struggles of earning a living,friendships (particularly with other composers), romance, composers’ place insociety, traveling, and, of course, performances. This collection begins in the eighteenth century with GeorgeFrederic Handel and ends in the mid-twentieth with Benjamin Britten, and it ispossible to detect from the letters how over the centuries the status and roleof the composer has changed. Handel, Bach and Mozart were little more than servantsor tradesmen to minor princes or city and church officials now long forgottenexcept for their, often parsimonious, patronage of their ‘servants’. Fortunately the creativity of these composers survived toleave us the Vespers of 1610, the Mass in B minor and Cosi fan Tutti!Gradually, as the centuries passed by, composers became less dependent and wereable to live, often precariously, on what they earned from their music,unencumbered by a commanding patron. As the practice of subscription concertsand private and public commissions developed, so they became more independent. It is striking, on reading the correspondence of composers,how efficient they had to be — so often their own publicists, agents, andtravel managers. Nowadays the pressure is relieved by agents, though awell-organized, worldly musician is still at an advantage. The community of composers has always been important. Fewpeople like working in a vacuum and it becomes evident through theletters how composers thrive on musical gossip, meeting and playing withother musicians, writing letters, listening to each other’s work.The influence of one composer upon another is important. For example, FrederickDelius and Edvard Grieg inspired and supported each other, Wagner appreciatedhaving Liszt to write to, especially when he was in exile in Switzerland, andProkofiev and Stravinsky, despite their uneasy, competitive relationship, weregood friends, as were Berlioz and Mendelssohn. Then of course there are thelove affairs — Schumann’s, Tchaikovsky’s and Wagner’s, to name a few.Each composer experiences the events and turmoil of his ageand this is reflected in his music. Despite the gradual change in status of composers, thereremains a constancy of themes in their letters. The struggle to get onand do what they wanted and not what was expedient, the struggle to make aliving, the common experience of the hurt inflicted by the critics. Incompiling this collection one is forcibly reminded that though music was theprimary creative medium of these composers, they have also proved to be expressiveletter writers. It is hoped that you too, in listening to these letters andhearing again the music, will gain fresh insight into the lives and times ofthose composers we so admire. Notes by Jan Fielden About the ReadersJeremy Nicholas is an actor, writer, musician andbroadcaster. Apart from his many roles on television he presents his solo stageperformance of Three Men In A Boat, and many radio series including The TingleFactor. He has written The Beginner’s Guide to Opera and an album of songscalled Funny You Should Sing That. Edward de Souza is a familiar figure on the London stagehaving played leading roles in over a dozen West End plays and in severalseasons at Stratford, the Old Vic and the National Theatre. Apart from many TVand film appearances, (including The Thirty-Nine Steps and The Spy Who LovedMe) he has done numerous readings on radio and cassette, and is particularlywell-known to listeners as The Man in Black in ‘Fear on Four’ (BBC Radio). Daniel Philpott trained at LAMDA and after success in theprestigious Carleton Hobbs Award for Radio Drama recorded for BBC Radio 4 andother broadcast work. His theater work includes productions on the Londonfringe.Cassette Information