1935 – 2024
The English composer Robin Field has died aged 88. He belongs to that fascinating – and still massively underrated – generation of British composers born in the 1920s and 1930s that includes Arthur Butterworth, Doreen Carwithen, John Joubert, Kenneth Leighton, Nicholas Maw, Patrick Gowers and Patric Standford.
All these composers wrote deeply impressive works that were splendidly crafted, attractive and meaningful, qualities that should have guaranteed them a permanent place in the repertoire. Robin Field wrote an incredible 166 pieces of music, all distinguished by impeccable workmanship and a deep spirituality.
Unfortunately, all the fine composers mentioned above were overshadowed by the so-called Manchester School of composers, Harrison Birtwistle, Peter Maxwell Davies and Alexander Goehr. The Manchester School contrived to seize the lion’s share of attention by dismissing any approach to music that did not align itself with continental innovations, such as the work of the Second Viennese School.
They managed to convince themselves (and others) that adopting a style pioneered by Schoenberg, Berg and Webern in the 1920s was the correct modern style for British Composers emerging in the 1950s and 1960s. When you consider for a moment how much of the limelight the Manchester School enjoyed in the late twentieth century, it is remarkable how little of their music is regularly played now.
Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, we can begin to appreciate that many of the most rewarding pieces of music created in the immediate post-war years were being quietly composed away from the radar; these works are now only gradually coming to light. It is wonderful to speculate how many undiscovered gems are waiting for the curious listener to discover. Patience will be needed, however, as the current musical climate is still not ideal for record companies to spend significant sums recording unknown works by neglected composers.
Robin Field was born in Redditch, Worcestershire, in 1935. He studied with a number of distinguished teachers, including Hugh Allen and James Murray Brown. His most famous teacher was, without a doubt, Thomas Pitfield (1903-1999), a fascinating multi-talented figure, who is now deservedly getting far more attention than ever before.
In later years, Field was a member of The Lakeland Composers, a group of composers based in the North of England that has included musicians such as Arthur Butterworth and also me. Through Arthur Butterworth, the group can trace a direct lineage back to Ralph Vaughan Williams (Butterworth’s teacher). Like Arthur Butterworth, Robin Field created a large (perhaps too large?) output of works in all genres.
Looking down his worklist, we can see that it includes a Violin Concerto, a Concerto for Oboe, Strings and Timpani and a Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Guillaume de Machaut. There are numerous exquisite choral works that build on his deep Christian faith, three Piano Sonatas, as well as chamber works devised for a bewildering array of combinations, including a String Trio, a String Quintet and a String Sextet. Most important amongst these chamber works are his eight String Quartets, which collectively form a most imposing achievement. He was also very interested in electro-acoustic music and composed in this medium with remarkable skill and fluency.
His Song Cycles are perhaps even more characteristic. Of these, the most important are his Vaughan Williams-influenced When I was One-and-Twenty (perhaps the most sheerly beautiful song cycle by a British composer in the second half of the Twentieth Century) and his magnificent “A Sudden Revelation”, which sets words by the gifted contemporary poet Kenneth Steven, who was a close friend of the composer.
A brief article like this can never do full justice to such a wonderful and life-enhancing composer as Robin Field. Nor is there a substantial range of commercial recordings available because, unlike his friend and fellow Lakeland Composer Arthur Butterworth, Field was unable to release CD recordings of his music in the 1990s and early 2000s and make the most of the increasing interest in neglected British music at that time. A fine article about Robin Field and his musical career appeared on John France’s excellent blog The Land Of Lost Content; this was on 19 January 2015, and I urge all readers who are curious to find out more about the composer to investigate this without delay. John France rightly points out that it is difficult to evaluate a creative artist when so little of his music is available to be heard. One can only hope that this can be remedied in time.
What should listeners do, if they want to hear the music of Robin Field? At this point, there are a number of pieces on YouTube that can be enjoyed, including some performed by the composer himself. One of the Lakeland Composers, James Hayward, is working on making Field’s scores digitally available, so they can be more readily accessed by interested musicians. It is more than likely that recordings of his music will emerge in the future as, make no mistake, Field was a composer of real stature who created music that is extremely relevant to the concerns of today. The work of Robin Field is melodically rich, rhythmically and harmonically fascinating, and, above all, intensely communicative. I have no doubt that his stature will be increasingly recognised, as listeners get the chance to hear more of his music.
Written by David Jennings
Selected list of compositions by Robin Field:
Orchestral
Violin Concerto
Concerto for Oboe, Strings and Timpani
Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Guillaume de Machaut
Choral
At The Green Tide’s Ending, for counter-tenor, oboe d’amore, harp and mixed chorus
O Magnum Mysterium, for mixed chorus and organ
Voice and Piano
When I was One-and-Twenty (Song Cycle)
A Sudden Revelation (Song Cycle setting words by K Steven)
Chamber
String Quartets 1-8
Solo Piano
Piano Sonatas 1-3
Electro-Acoustic albums
Hebridean Retreat