The John Ireland Companion (review)

John Ireland (1879-1962) was a British composer known primarily for a handful of works, such as The Island Spell for solo piano, two violin sonatas, and the song Sea Fever. This companion, edited by Lewis Foreman, is the most substantial and comprehensive book on Ireland to date. Previous publications on Ireland include an excellent Catalogue, Discography and Bibliography by Stewart Craggs, two biographies, and a collection of letters between Ireland and fellow composer Alan Bush. Fiona Richards's book, The Music of John Ireland, is partially biographical, but its primary focus is on the expressive and extramusical qualities of his music. According to Foreman, the existing biographies by Muriel Searle and John Longmire are problematic due to "the absence of documentation of Ireland's early and middle years, and the strong suspicion that . . . Norah Kirby [Ireland's caregiver in his final years] . . . had sanitized the archive, suppressing letters and documents of which she did not approve" (p. xxiii). Foreman is not alone in his suspicions; Freda Swain states in chapter 9 (written in 1981) that she mistrusted the existing biographies, and in chapter 4 Fiona Richards makes it clear that large amounts of text were deleted from Ireland's manuscripts, some by a hand other than Ireland's. Because of this flawed record, Foreman elected to assemble a compilation of resources rather than write a biography based on conjecture. Several of the previously published books on Ireland are excellent but none approach the scope covered in The John Ireland Companion.

Many of the essays in this companion are newly written or previously unpublished, while others are published elsewhere but not easily obtained. The essays vary widely in their intended audience and purpose, and are useful for a variety of purposes, including seeking information for interpretation in performance, conducting biographical research, or writing program notes. Foreman mentions that he included chapters that are "basically intended as straightforward introductions to the music for the music lover" (p. xxiv). Such chapters further serve to contextualize the music and will be useful for undergraduate research.

Foreman notes his awareness of an inherent weakness in this volume: some anecdotes and stories are repeated many times in different essays. While the volume is not particularly intended to be read from cover to cover, certainly there are those who will elect to do so, and they will grow weary of certain anecdotes, such as the account of Charles Villiers Stanford's proclaiming Ireland's music to be "all Brahms and water," sometimes including "and more water than Brahms" (for example, pp. 56, 172, 330, 400, 415, and track 1 of the compact disc). Despite this minor annoyance, the writers' perspectives are different enough that each adds some individual contribution.

The chapters of The John Ireland Companion are grouped into five parts. Part 1, "The Man, His Circle and His Times," covers biographical details and anecdotes regarding the composer, with contributions written by researchers and Ireland's acquaintances. Some chapters are biographical narratives, such as chapter 4 by Fiona Richards, which fearlessly digs into details about Ireland's life and relationships about which other authors tend to equivocate. Other chapters focus on recollections of Ireland's personality and anecdotes. Not all who knew Ireland had the same impressions regarding his character; some recalled him as kind and gentlemanly while others remembered him as abrasive and unpleasant (compare, for example, the recollections of Charles Markes in chap. 6 with those in chap. 9 by Freda Swain). The interview with pianist Alan Rowlands, one of the last remaining people who knew Ireland well, stands out among these essays of recollections in describing Ireland's personal relationships, his feelings toward his contemporaries, and his preferences for interpretation of his works. Other chapters in this section focus on influential factors in Ireland's music and career, including the BBC and author Arthur Machen. Also included in this section is a chapter not about Ireland at all, but rather focusing on the John...