This composer webpage is in the process of being created. In time we will have further details about the availability of scores and performing material for the majority of works listed here. In the meantime, should you have any particular enquiry about any of the music listed here, then please contact either the publishers whose names are given or Bardic Edition for all other general enquiries.
Largely self taught.
Attended the Guildhall School of Music 1934.
1940's became regular reviewer for Hans Keller's and Donald Mitchell's periodical Music Survey.
Briefly studied at the Royal College of Music from 1943 to 1945. Teachers were Herbert Howells (composition), Angus Morrison (piano) and Frank Probin (horn).
1947 - met Havergal Brian through writing to Reginald Nettel.
Taught piano harmony and composition from 1948 to 1954 at Blackheath Conservatoire in South London. Taught at Sandwich Secondary School , Kent in 1954.
1955 Trio in A minor broadcast on the Third Programme (now Radio Three).
Spent a year at Bretton Hall Teachers' Training College, Yorkshire 1956 - 7 to get a teaching certificate.
1969 Piano Sonatas 7 & 10 broadcast in a recital by John Odgen.
Taught at Huddersfield Polytechnic - became Principal Lecturer in 1970.
Retired in 1979.
CATALOGUE OF WORKS
compiled by Guy Rickards
Release 4.0 (7 February 2000)
CONTE
I
Compiler's Notes
II Catalogue of works by Category
(i)
Orchestral music
(ii)
Chamber music
(iii)
Instrumental music
(a)
Solo violin
(b) Violin & piano
(c)
Violin & viola
(d)
Viola & piano
(e)
Solo cello
(f)
Cello & piano
(g)
Oboe & piano
(h)
Cor anglais & piano
(i)
Solo clarinet
(j)
Clarinet & piano
(k)
French Horn & piano
(l)
Harp
(m)
Solo piano
(n)
Piano duet
(o)
Organ
(iv)
Vocal music
(a)
Solo voice & piano
(b)
Two or more solo voices & piano
(c)
Chorus a cappella
(d)
Chorus & instruments
(v)
Arrangements and completions
(a)
Arrangements
(b)
Cadenzas
(c)
Completions
III
Chronological catalogue of works by year
IV
Chronological listing of works in order of composition
Copyright © Guy Rickards
2000.
(i) The composer's own manuscripts, in the possession of
his widow. These, up to those dating from 1957, are mainly in ink, or
else pencil. From 1957, the scores tend to be in biro (ball-point) or felt-tip,
although some fair-copy scores are in ink from after this date;
(ii) Unfinished autobiography Laughter in the dark (c. 1977);
(iii) The composer's own notes for the Altarus and BMS recordings of
his piano music and the 75th birthday recital programmes (1984-9);
(iv) Five typed worklists:
A: Made in early 1966 by Lawrie Burton from information supplied by the composer. The dating is attested by the presence of the later handwritten additions e.g. of the orchestral Suite in G (1966), Piano Sonatas nos. 12-14 (1967) and the incorrect completion date of Sonata no. 11 as 1966
B: List originally made by the composer c. 1968-9, the most recent work dating from 1967 (with later handwritten additions);
C: Dictionary-style biography with worklist made at some time between 1979 (when Truscott retired) and 1984 (publication of book, The Orchestral Music of Franz Schmidt). This was found filed in the orchestral score of the Symphony in E major, which is omitted from the list, as is the Suite in G major, both being appended later by hand;
D: List made by the composer some time between 1985 (last typed entry) and 1987 (handwritten entry for the completion of the Cello Sonata);
E: Made in 1989
by the present compiler, largely based on D and additional information from the
composer, the British Music Information Centre and Martin Anderso
All titles in Bold type refer to
complete compositions or those having complete movements extant.
II
CATALOGUE OF WORKS BY CATEGORY
(i) Orchestral music
Concerto in B flat major for violin and orchestra
(c. 1934)
Lost
(short score only)
Concerto in F major for piano and orchestra (c.
1934-7)
Lost
(short score only)
Symphony in E flat major (dedicated to Franz Schmidt)
(c. 1936-7) Lost
Symphony in F major (c. 1937-8)
Lost
(possibly originally titled Grasmere
Symphony; title later removed)
Prelude/Overture: Falstaff (from
abandoned opera) (c. 1937-8)
Unfin'd
(2/2/2/2 - 4/2/3/0 - timp. - strings)
Elegy for string orchestra
(Oct. 1943)
Dur: 12'
fp: 17.xii.93, Dublin. National SO of Ireland/Gary Brain (recording)
fpp: 18.xi.94, Tirgu Mures, Romania. Tirgu Mures PO/Gary Brain
Symphony in A minor (ded: Herbert Howells) [Movt
I; 19pp] (1943) Aband'd
(2/2/2/2 - 4/2/3/0 - timp. - strings)
Symphony in E minor ("for Harry Newstone")
[1 movt.; 60pp] (1945-51)
Unfin'd
(2/2/2/2 - 4/2/3/0 - timp. - strings)
Symphony in E major for small
orchestra [3 movts.]
(1948-50) Dur: 33'
(2/2/2/2 - 2/1/1/0 - timp. - strings) (scoring rev. 1990-1)
fp (Movt. III only): 1961, Huddersfield. Huddersfield College O/Malcolm
Binney
fp (Movts. II & III): 12.xi.93, Walzbrych, Poland. Walzbrych SO/Gary Brain
fp (complete): 16-17.xii.93,
Dublin. National SO of Ireland/Gary Brain (recording)
(2/2/2/2 - 4/2/3/0 - timp. -
strings)
Fantasy for string orchestra
[1 movt.] (1960) Dur: 17' (originally titled A window on infinity)
fp: 1961, Huddersfield. Local Education Authority String O/Harold
Truscott
Suite in E minor for string
orchestra [3 movts.] (1961) 3rd. movt unfin'd
(sketch and notes for completion of Movt. III exist)
Symphony in A minor [Movt I; 24pp] (1962-8) Aband'd
(2/2/2/2 - 4/2/3/0 - timp. -
strings)
Suite for winds and double-bass [?
movts.] (1965)
Unfin'd
I Prelude Dur: c. 6'
(2/2/2/2 - 2/2/0/0 - 1
dbl-bass)
Suite in G major [4 movts.] (1966) Dur: 13'
(3 + picc/2/2/2 - 4/3/3/1 -
timp./SD - strings)
fp: 16.xii.93, Dublin. National SO of Ireland/Gary Brain (recording)
Sinfonietta in D flat major [Movt I; 25pp]
(c.1966) Aband'd
(2/2/2/2 - 4/2/3/0 - timp. - strings)
Symphonic Movements/Concerto in variation form [17pp; 3 vars.] (c.1968) Unfin'd
(2/2/2/2 - 4/2/3/0 - timp. -
strings)
Other fragmentary projects
include:-
Symphonies in A minor (1950, sketches only); "no. 2" in F minor
(c. 1954, pencil sketch, may equate to "no. 4" of worklist A); another "no. 2" (no key,
undated, 7pp of draft score + sketches); "no. 3" in C (1951 - lost); A minor (1967-72, 5pp of full
score), C (1967, 5pp of short score); B minor (undated sketch).
Concertos for Piano (F major, 1950; F sharp major, 1970) and Oboe (1968) - sketches only.
Bars 64-125 of untitled orchestral score (associated with Falstaff Prelude score).
Allegro moderato - undated fragment.
Fantasy for string orchestra (1944; attested in a worklist of c. 1968-9; probably the same as Elegy).
Fugue for string orchestra (c. 1946; 18-bar fragment + sketches).
Short piece for orchestra (c. 1932, mentioned in autobiography; title not given, score unlocated).
(ii) Chamber music
Quintet in C minor for piano
and strings [4 movts.] (c. 1929-30)
Dur: ?'
(title page lost; provisionally attributed)
String Quartet "no. 1" in E minon (1943-4)
Lost
String Quartet in B flat (ded:
Herbert Howells) [3 movts] (1943-4)
Dur: ?'
Quintet in C major for piano and strings [Movt I; 24pp) (1945) Unfin'd
String Quartet "no. 2"
in C minor [1 movt.] (1945) Dur: c. 12'
(possibly intended as first movement of a larger work)
Trio in A minor for flute,
violin and viola [4 movts.] (1950)
Dur: 24'
fp: 25.iv.1955, BBC broadcast, London. Geoffrey Gilbert, Jean Pougnet,
Frederick Riddle
fpp: 9.x.1989, British Music Information Centre, London. Ileana
Ruhemann, Pauline Lowbury, Norbert Blume
Trio for 2 oboes and cor
anglais [1 movt.] (1968) Unfin'd
(sketches only of movts. II and III)
Variations on a theme of Schubert
for 6 clarinets [1 movt.] (1974) Dur: 8'
(4 B flat clarinets, 2 B
flat bass clarinets)
Other fragmentary projects include:-
String Quartets in C major (1945, sketches only), G major (undated
fragment) and A (undated, sketches only); Piano Trio (c. 1976, sketches only); Clarinet Quintet in
D minor (c. 1940s fragment); Wind Quintet (undated sketch); Passacaglia and Fugue for horn
and string trio (undated sketch).
The autobiography attests the existence of two string quartets as well as
a piano quartet in D minor composed before 1930. No traces remain, unless the last is really the Quintet
in C minor.
Other fragmentary projects include:-
A quickly discarded Violin Sonata "no. 3" in B minor (1950,
3pp, pencil score), various sonatas for flute and piano, clarinet and piano (1967-71, sketches); a Sonata in B
flat major for French Horn unaccompanied (c. 1943-5?, fragment of Movt. I); Sonata for 4 horns
(undated, 25 bars); Duet for French Horn and Harp (undated sketch).
(m) Solo piano
Moderato [1 movt.; 8pp] (undated)
Dur: c. 5'
Un poco allegretto, quasi andante [1
movt.] (1940s) Dur: c. 3'
Prelude/Overture: Falstaff
(arr. from abandoned opera) (c. 1937-8)
Unfin'd
Sonata in A major [4
movts.] (1941)
Dur: ?'
Sonata in B flat major [4
movts.] (1941-2)
Dur: ?'
Sonata in F major [3/4?
movts.] (1942) Dur: ?'
(+ fragment of Movt. IV; may have been deliberately abandoned to leave
Sonata in 3 movts.)
Sonatina no. 1 in A minor [4
movts.] (1942-3) Dur: ?'
6 Pieces* (1943)
Dur: ?' (Prelude in F minor; I Molto
maestoso in B flat minor; II Lento;
Fugue in G
[incomplete]; III Prelude: Poco allegretto
giacondamente; IV Prelude: Molto allegro)
fp: 1946, Guildhall School of Music, London. Harold Truscott
Sonata no. 1 in D flat major [4
movts.] (1945) Dur: 28'
fp: 1947, Guildhall School of Music, London. Harold Truscott
(Exploratory Concert Soc.)
Sonata no. 2 in C major [5
movts.] (1945-7) Dur: 52'
fp:March 1948,St Martin's School of Art,London. Harold Truscott
(Exploratory Concert Soc)
Sonata no. 3 in G sharp minor [3
movts.] (1947-8)
Dur: 21'
fp: September 1981, St. John's, Clerkenwell, London. Peter Jacobs
(recording)
Sonata no. 4 in E flat major [4
movts.] (1948-9) Dur: 26'
fp: 24.x.1989, British Music Information Centre, London. Donna Amato
Suite (originally no. 1) in B minor** [4
movts.] (1948-9) Destroyed
(expanded into Sonata no. 6 of 1955-6)
Symphony in E major (arr. of
orchestral score) [3 movts.] (1949-50) Dur: 33'
Suite no. 1 (originally no. 2):
12 Bagatelles [12
movts.] (1949) Dur: 14'
fp: February 1954, BBC broadcast, London. Harold Truscott
Sonata no. 5 in B minor: i m
Nicolai Medtner [4 movts.] (1951-5) Dur: 25'
fp: September 1981, St. John's, Clerkenwell, London. Peter Jacobs
(recording)
Sonata no. 6 in E major [4
movts.] (1955-6)
Dur: 41'
(expanded from original "Suite no. 1" of 1949)
fp: September 1984, St. John's, Clerkenwell, London. Peter Jacobs
(recording)
fp: 30.viii.1969, BBC broadcast. John Ogdon
fpp: September 1981, Royal College of Music, London. Peter Jacobs
fp: September 1982, St. John's, Clerkenwell, London. Peter Jacobs
(recording)
fpp: 9.x.1989, British Music Information Centre, London. Peter Jacobs
fp: September 1982, St. John's, Clerkenwell, London. Peter Jacobs
(recording)
fpp: 9.x.1989, British Music Information Centre, London. Peter Jacobs
Sonata no. 8 in E minor [4
movts.] (1958-60) Dur: 35'
fp: 24.x.1989, British Music Information Centre, London. Donna Amato
Sonata no. 9 in E minor [4
movts.] (1960) Dur: 22'
fp: September 1983, St. John's, Clerkenwell, London. Peter Jacobs
(recording)
Sonata no. 10 in E minor [4
movts.] (1962) Dur: 14'
fp: 30.viii.1969, BBC broadcast. John Ogdon
Suite no. 2: 20 Short Pieces [20
movts.] (1962) Dur: 10'
Sonata for the left hand [2/3
movts.] (1963) Unfin'd
(sketches for movt. III)
Sonata no. 11 in A minor [2
movts.] (1950-64) Dur: 10'
fpp: September 1981, Royal College of Music, London. Peter Jacobs
Suite in G major (arr. of
orchestral score)*** [4 movts.] (arr. 1966?) Dur: 13'
20 Variations and Fugue on an
original theme in B minor (1967) Dur: 17'
Sonata no. 12 in C major [4
movts.] (1967) Dur: 11'
fp: September 1982, St. John's, Clerkenwell, London. Peter Jacobs
(recording)
Sonata no. 13 in A minor/C sharp
minor/E major [3 movts.] (1967)
Dur: 10'
fp: September 1983, St. John's, Clerkenwell, London. Peter Jacobs
(recording)
Sonata no. 14 in G major [3
movts.] (1967) Dur: 18'
(Sonatas 12-14 originally composed as a set of 3 Sonatinas)
Sonatina [I] no. 2 in G minor [4
movts.] (1968) Dur: ?'
(titled 'I' presumably as first of a set; only a 1-page fragment of
Sonatina 'II' exists)
Sonata no. 15 in B minor [3
movts.] (1976-81) Dur: 11'
fp: September 1983, St. John's, Clerkenwell, London. Peter Jacobs
(recording)
fpp: 9.x.1989, British Music Information Centre, London. Peter Jacobs
Sonata no. 16 in E flat major [3
movts.] (1981-) Unfin'd
Sonata no. 17 in G minor [4
movts.] (1982) Dur: 5'
fp: September 1984, St. John's, Clerkenwell, London. Peter Jacobs
(recording)
fpp: 9.x.1989, British Music Information Centre, London. Peter Jacobs
Sonata no. 18 in A flat major [4
movts.] (1982-)
Aband'd
5 Preludes* (19??) Dur: ?
Fugue in E flat minor (late?) Dur: ?'
* Worklist B lists "Four Pieces, 1943"; Lawrie Burton confirmed
that 4 Preludes so performed in 1946.
Given the date of the premiere, this must relate to four of the ‘6 Pieces’,
the score of which matches others of this time in calligraphy, paper and ink.
That of the ‘5 Preludes’ is later and in biro, pointing to a date no earlier
han the late 1950s.
**Worklist A lists a Suite in B minor (1948) as being partly incorporated into Sonata no. 2 in C from the previous year. The derivation of Sonata no. 6 from a Suite of 1948 or 1949 is confirmed by the composer's writings.
***Worklist A lists a Suite no. 2 in G major (1956), nowhere else attested. If the date is incorrect, the work in question may be the composer's own arrangement of his orchestral Suite in G (1966).
****Worklist D has a handwritten emendation to Sonata no. 16: “was completed, but now part being rewritten”. No completed original has come to light, only a copy of the unfinished revision.
Other undated and fragmentary pieces include:-
Allegro molto (1970s?); Moderato; Sonata in E flat (1948-9, worked on in 1966 - sketches); Sonata in E minor (1949, 4 movts., unfin'd - lost); several false starts at Sonata no. 15 from 1967; a Sonata "no. 16" in A (1968, sketches only, unrelated to later no. 16).
Autobiography attests composition of five piano pieces - Truscott's very first works - at the age of 12 (1926-7) followed by an unsuccessful attempt at a piano concerto which became a single-movement piano piece. During the 1930s, the composer claims in the autobiography to have composed several piano sonatas in the style of Beethoven of which those of 1941-2 are the only ones not to have been destroyed.
(n) Piano
duet
Prelude, March, Variations and Finale [4
movts.] (1968-9) Unfin'd
Prelude and March complete; Variations incomplete
Other undated and fragmentary
pieces include:-
Rondo "Hommage a Schubert" (1940s?, 3pp); Sonata (undated,
2pp); Duet in F (1978, 1p)
(o)
Organ
Toccata in A minor
[1 movt.] (1956) Dur: 10'
fp: June 1965, Town Hall, Huddersfield. David Ingate
Trio-Sonata in E flat major [1
movt.] (1972) Dur: 5'
(intended as the first of six; no trace of nos. 2-6 survives)
Other undated and fragmentary
pieces include:-
Sonata in C major (undated sketch; variously dated as 1955 and 1960 in
worklists)
(b) Two or more solo voices & piano
Song: 'How beautiful is the night' for soprano, alto, tenor, bass and pian [Southey]
(undated) Unfin'
(c)
Chorus a cappella
Mass in C major for 10-part
chorus (SSSSAATTBB) [? movts.] (c. 1957-8) Unfin'd
I
Kyrie Dur: 6'
(very fragmentary sketches only for succeeding movements)
Two choruses [anon.] (1957) Unfin'd
I Love ditty [text c. 1300] Dur: 2'
II Hymn on the Passion [text c. 1530] Partially lost
Two Songs (SATB)
(1963) Dur: 4'
I Matins, or Morning Prayer [Herrick]
II Ode on the Birth of our Saviour [Herrick]
Two Songs (SSA) (1963) Dur: 3'
I Song to a serenader in February [Praed]
II To Music, to becalm his fever [Herrick]
Mass in A minor for 6-part
chorus (SSATBB) [? movts.] (1963-4)
Unfin'd
I Kyrie Dur: 1'
II Sanctus Lost
(Sanctus attested by Worklist B; no traces of any other movements; cf
Benedictus)
Benedictus (SATB) [anon.]
(1964?) Dur: 1'
(possibly linked to Mass in A minor)
(d) Chorus & instruments
"The Making of Viola" for bass, chorus and small orchestra (1940s) Unfin'd
"Once In Royal David's
City": 6 variations [3 vars.] (1950) Unfin'd for boys' chorus, solo violin,
wind quintet and string orchestra
Poems by Francis Thompson for
SATB chorus and piano (c. 1952?) Dur:
9'
I Insentience
II July Fugitive
III 'When music's fading's faded'
Mass in F sharp major for
unison voices and organ [5 movts.] (1955)
Unfin'd; Dur: 7'
I Kyrie
II Sanctus
III Benedictus
IV Agnus Dei
3 Sonnets For Pictures for soprano, alti and piano
[D G Rosetti] (c. 1964)
Unfin'd
I Mary's Girlhood (original version) Dur:
4'
I Mary's Girlhood ("New version") Dur: 3'
(very fragmentary sketches only for succeeding songs)
(v) Arrangements and completions
Only completed items are listed in this section; Truscott attempted arrangements of many works over a wide
span of time, most of which are in a fragmentary state. Datings for these items are largely conjectural so their
presentation is here in alphabetical order of composer.
(a) Arrangements
Contrapunctus XIV from "The Art of Fugue" by J. S. Bach, completed Sir Donald F. Tovey,
arr. for 2 pianos
Symphony no. 3 in C major "Sinfonie Capricieuse" by Franz Berwald, for solo piano
Double Fugue in E flat by Havergal Brian, arr. for organ
String Quartet in E major, Op. 58, by Robert Fuchs, arr. for solo piano
Fantaisie for viola, string orch. & 2 clarinets by Johann N. Hummel, arr for viola & piano (1973)
Adagio from Symphony no. 4 in C major by Franz Schmidt, arr. for solo piano (1963)
Fugue in E minor for 2 pianos, Op. 152, by Franz Schubert, arr. for solo piano
Symphony no. 1 in E minor by Jean Sibelius: 1st. movement, arr. for solo piano
Piano Quintet in C major by Sir
Donald Tovey: 2nd. movement - Rondo Intermezzo,
String Quartet no. 3 in G major, Op. 34, by Robert Volkmann, arr. for solo piano
String Quartet no. 4 in F major, Op. 35, by Robert Volkmann, arr. for solo piano
String Quartet no. 5 in F minor, Op. 37, by Robert Volkmann, arr. for solo piano
String Quartet no. 6 in E flat major, Op. 43, by Robert Volkmann, arr. for solo piano
(b) Cadenzas
for Piano Concerto no. 12 in A
major, K. 414, by W. A. Mozart: movements I & III
for Flute Concerto in D major, K. 313, by W. A. Mozart: movements I & III
(c) Completions
Fuga (unvollendet) for klavier by J. S. Bach (for solo piano)
Overture from "Estrella di Soria" by Franz Berwald, completed & arr. for solo piano (?1961)
Piano Sonatas by Franz Schubert, completed:
E major (1815) - 1st movement (1950s)
F sharp major (1817) - Allegro (1950s)
G major (1818) - Adagio (1950s)
C major (1818), D. 613 - 1st movement (1950s)
F minor (1818), D. 625 - 1st movement (1950s)
C sharp minor (1819), D. 655 - 1st movement (1950s)
C major (1825), D. 840 - Menuetto e Finale 1958
Klavierstuck (Phantaisie) in C
major, D. 605, by Franz Schubert
Allegretto in C minor (prob. 1827), by Franz Schubert
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