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| '''Sir Henry Joseph Wood''', ] (3 March 1869{{ndash}}19 August 1944) was an English conductor, best known for his association with London's ] which he conducted for half a century. Founded in 1895, they became known after his death as the "Henry Wood Promenade Concerts" (later renamed the "BBC Proms". He had an enormous influence on musical life in Britain: he improved access immensely, and also raised the standard of orchestral playing and nurtured the taste of the public, introducing them to a vast repertoire of music, encouraging especially compositions by British composers. He was knighted in 1911. | |||
| ==Biography== | |||
| ===Early years=== | |||
| Wood was born in ], London, the only child of Henry Joseph Wood and his wife Martha, ''née'' Morris. Wood senior had been a member of his family's ] business but by the time of his son's birth he had set up business as a jeweller, optician and engineering modeller, much sought-after for his model engines.<ref>Jacobs, p. 4</ref> It was a musical household: Wood senior sang as principal tenor in the choir of ], known as "the musicians' church",{{#tag:ref|According to Wood, his father was urged to become a professional singer by the conductor ] and others.<ref>Wood, p. 17</ref>|group= n}} and also played the cello;<ref>Wood, p. 16</ref> his wife played the piano and sang songs from her native Wales. They encouraged their son's interest in music, buying him a ] piano, on which his mother gave him lessons.<ref>Wood, p. 13</ref> The young Wood also learned to play the violin and viola.<ref name=j6>Jacobs, p. 6</ref> | |||
| ] and ]]] | |||
| Attending services at St Sepulchre, Wood received little religious inspiration but was deeply stirred by the playing of the resident organist, George Cooper, who welcomed the boy into the organ loft and gave him his first lessons on the instrument.<ref>Wood, p. 17 and Jacob, p. 6</ref> Cooper died when Wood was seven, and the boy took further lessons from Cooper's successor, Edwin M. Lott, for whom Wood had much less regard.<ref name=j6/> At the age of ten, through the influence of one of his uncles, Wood made his first paid appearance as an organist at ], being paid half-a-crown.{{#tag:ref|Two shillings and sixpence: in decimal coinage, 12½ pence. In terms of average earnings this equates to more than £65 in current values.<ref name=worth>Williamson, Samuel H., , MeasuringWorth, accessed 16 November 2010</ref>|group= n}} In June 1883, visiting the Fisheries Exhibition at South Kensington with his father, Wood was invited to play the organ in one of the galleries, and made a good enough impression to be engaged to give recitals there over the next three months.<ref>Jacobs, p. 10</ref> | |||
| After taking private lessons from ], Wood entered the ] at the age of seventeen, studying harmony and composition with Prout, organ with Charles Steggall, and piano with Walter Macfarren. It is not clear whether he was a member of ]'s singing class,{{#tag:ref|Wood (p. 29) lists Garcia as among his professors, but Jacobs (p. 13) notes that Wood's name does not appear among the choir lists in which Garcia's pupils all appeared.|group= n}} but it is certain that he became its accompanist and was greatly influenced by Garcia.<ref name=w29>Wood, p. 29</ref> Wood also accompanied the opera class, taught by Garcia's son ].<ref>Jacobs, p. 13</ref> His ambition at the time was to become a teacher of singing (and he gave singing lessons throughout his life), and so he attended the classes of as many singing teachers as he could.<ref name=w29/> | |||
| ===Opera=== | |||
| On leaving the Royal Academy of Music Wood set up as a singing teacher, and was soon very successful, with "more singing pupils than I could comfortably deal with"<ref>Wood, p. 36</ref> at half a guinea an hour.{{#tag:ref|Ten shillings and sixpence: 56½ pence in decimal terms; in 2009 values somewhere between £40 (based on retail prices) and £275 (based on average earnings).<ref name=worth/> Jacobs (p. 19) suggests that Wood may have exaggerated his fee when recalling it in his memoirs.|group= n}} | |||
| ]'s '']''. Wood worked on the English production in 1891]] | |||
| Wood also worked as a ]. According to his memoirs, he worked in that capacity for ] during the rehearsals for the first production of '']'' in 1888.<ref>Wood, p. 39</ref> His biographer ] doubts this, and discounts exchanges Wood purported to have had with ] about the score.<ref>Jacobs, p. 14</ref> Jacobs describes Wood's memoirs as "vivacious in style but factually misleading".<ref name=grove>Jacobs, Arthur, ''Grove Music Online'', Oxford Music Online, accessed 17 October 2010 {{subscription}}</ref> However, it is certain that Wood was répétiteur at the ] for the productions of Sullivan's grand opera '']'' in late 1890 and early 1891 and ]'s '']'' in 1891-2.<ref name=mop/> He also worked for Carte at the ] as assistant to ] on '']'' in 1891.<ref name=mop>"Mr. Henry J. Wood", ''Musical Opinion & Music Trade Review'', March 1899, pp. 389-90</ref> He remained devoted to Sullivan's music, and later insisted on programming it when it was out of fashion in musical circles.<ref>Jacob, p. 329</ref> During this period, Wood had several compositions of his own performed, including an oratorio, ''St. Dorothea'' (1889), a light opera, ''Daisy'' (1890), and a one-act comic opera, ''Returning the Compliment'' (1890).'<ref name=mop/> | |||
| Wood recorded his first professional appearance as a conductor at a choral concert in December 1887. Such ''ad hoc'' engagements were commonplace for organists, and were far removed from the revered status given to British composer-conductors such as Sullivan, ] and ], or the rising generation of German star conductors led by ] and ].<ref>Jacobs, pp. 3 and 17</ref> His first sustained work as a conductor was as musical director of a small touring opera ensemble, the Arthur Rouseby English Touring Opera, to which he was appointed in 1889. The company was inadequate, with an orchestra of only six players, augmented by local recruits at each tour venue. Wood eventually secured his release from his contract,<ref>Wood, pp 53–6 and Jacobs, pp. 19–20</ref> and after a brief return to teaching he secured a better appointment as conductor for the ] in 1891, followed by a similar engagement for former Carl Rosa singers who had set up a company of their own.<ref>Wood, pp. 58–60 and Jacobs, pp. 21–2</ref> When Signor Lago, formerly impresario of the Imperial Opera Company of St. Petersburg, was looking for a second conductor to work with ] for a proposed London season, Garcia recommended Wood.<ref>Wood, p. 59</ref> The season opened at the newly rebuilt ] in October 1892 with Wood conducting the British premiere of ]'s '']''.<ref>Jacobs, p. 24</ref> Wood won excellent reviews, but the work was not popular with the public, and the season was cut short when Lago disappeared, leaving the company unpaid. <ref>Jacobs, p. 26</ref> Before that debacle, Wood had also conducted performances of '']'' and rehearsed '']'' and '']''.<ref name=mop/> After the collapse of the Olympic opera season Wood returned once more to his singing tuition. He conducted only once more in the opera house during the rest of this career.<ref>Jacobs, p. 27</ref> | |||
| ===Promenade concerts=== | |||
| ], London. During ], it is placed in front of the organ at the ].]] | |||
| In 1893 Wood's career moved into the concert hall, and remained there for the rest of his life. ], manager of the newly-opened ], proposed holding a series of ] and invited Wood to conduct them.<ref name=j30>Jacobs, p. 30</ref> The term promenade concert referred to concerts where the audience could walk about as they listened (French ''se promener'' = to walk). There had been promenade concerts in London since 1838, under conductors from ] to Arthur Sullivan. Newman's aim for his promenade concerts was to offer low-price admission and educate the musical taste of the public who were not used to listening to serious classical music unless it was presented in small doses with plenty of other popular items in between. Wood shared Newman's ideals. Dr George Cathcart, a wealthy ] specialist, offered to sponsor the project on two conditions: that Wood should take charge of every concert, and that the pitch of the orchestral instruments should be lowered to ] (A=435Hz). Concert pitch in England was nearly a ] higher than that used on the continent, and Cathcart regarded it as damaging for singers' voices.<ref>Jacobs, p. 34</ref> On 10 August 1895 the first of the Queen's Hall Promenade Concerts took place. The singer ], who was in the audience, recalled: | |||
| <blockquote> | |||
| Just before 8 o'clock I saw Henry Wood take up his position behind the curtain at the end of the platform – watch in hand. Punctually, on the stroke of eight, he walked quickly to the rostrum, buttonhole and all, and began the National Anthem. … A few moments for the audience to settle down, then the '']'' Overture, and the first concert of the new Promenades had begun. | |||
| </blockquote> | |||
| It is particularly significant that he should have chosen an ] by ] to open the first programme. Prejudice against British musicians was very strong. Nineteenth century England had been labelled by the Germans ''Das Land ohne Musik'' (“The Land without Music”) and not without a certain amount of justification. Henry Wood was to alter all that. In particular, it was thought that no British conductor would be capable of conducting Wagner. Wood was to prove otherwise. In fact, for many years the programming of the promenade concerts followed a particular pattern according to the day of the week, with Monday nights being Wagner nights and Friday being dedicated to Beethoven. Wood also bravely introduced British audiences to many noteworthy European composers, especially ] and composers of the ]. In 1912 he conducted ]'s ] (“Stick to it, gentlemen” he urged the orchestra at rehearsal, “This is nothing to what you'll have to play in 25 years' time”). | |||
| Wood remained in sole charge of the Proms (with one or two exceptions) until 1941 when he shared the conducting with ] and, in the following season, with Sir ] as well. During Wood's time the Proms were a central feature of British musical life and he gained the ] of "Timber" from the Promenaders. He brought about many innovations. He fought continuously for improved pay for musicians, and introduced women into the orchestra in 1911. In 1904, after a rehearsal in which he was faced with a sea of entirely unfamiliar faces in his own orchestra, he at one stroke abolished the ] in which players had been free to send in a deputy whenever they wished. Forty players resigned en bloc and formed their own orchestra: the ]. | |||
| ===Other musical activities=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Wood's fame lies mainly with the promenade concerts, but he was active in many areas of musical life. He conducted many concerts in London and the provinces, and appeared regularly at choral festivals in ] and ]. He conducted many amateur groups, and was very generous with the time he gave to the students' orchestra at the RAM. He was meticulous and thorough in his preparation, and built up a large library of scores which were carefully marked up in coloured pencil. His famous medley '']'', prepared for the 1905 centenary celebrations of the ], is well known for its frequent appearances at the ], though in fact this has often been arranged further by others.<ref> from the 1950s ] is often credited as arranger; also in 2002 and 2003, it was performed "with additional Songs arranged by ], Stephen Jackson (chorusmaster of the ]) and ]", ; in 2004 "with additional Songs arranged by Stephen Jackson", ; and in 2005, 2006 and 2007 with "extra Songs arranged by ]", see . All information from th ''BBC Proms Archive''</ref> | |||
| His orchestrations of other composers' works drew frequent criticisms, so when in 1929 he made an orchestral transcription of ]'s '']'', he presented it as a transcription by a Russian composer called ]. Klenovsky was a real person, a recently deceased young musician friend of ]'s, and Wood thought a foreign name would secure a more favourable reception than his own. It was a great success. Only several years later did he confess to the little joke.<ref>{{cite journal |year= |date=17 September 1934 |title=Names make news |journal=Time |volume= XXIV |issue= 12 |pages= |id= |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,747971-2,00.html |accessdate=2007-07-28}}</ref> The work was nonetheless published in 1934 as ''"Bach-Klenovsky, Organ Toccata and Fugue in D minor, for Orchestra (orchestrated by Sir Henry J. Wood)"''.<ref>Grove V, Vol.4, "Klenovsky, Paul"</ref> | |||
| In 1938 he presented a jubilee concert in the ]. ] was the soloist, and for the occasion ] wrote his '']'' for orchestra and sixteen soloists. | |||
| A number of honours were bestowed on him: ] by the ] in 1911, he was awarded the gold medal of the ] in 1921 and was made a ] in 1944. | |||
| Wood tended to overwork himself, and the strain began to tell in his later years. He died on 19 August 1944 at ] in ], just over a week after the fiftieth anniversary concert of the Proms, which he had been too ill even to listen to on the radio. | |||
| The ] ] composed a poem of six verses in his honour, entitled "Sir Henry Wood" but often referred to by its first line "Where does the uttered music go?". This was set to music as an anthem for mixed choir by Sir ] which received its first performance on 26 April 1946 at St. Sepulchre's Church, Holborn, London, on the occasion of a ceremony unveiling a memorial stained-glass window in Sir Henry Wood's honour. | |||
| He is remembered today in the name of the ''Henry Wood Hall'', the deconsecrated ] Church in ], which was converted to a rehearsal and recording venue in 1975. His bust stands upstage centre in the Royal Albert Hall during the whole of each Prom season, and is decorated by a ] on the Last Night of the Proms. | |||
| ==Premières== | |||
| ] | |||
| In ]'s 1994 biography ''Henry Wood'', the list of premières conducted by Wood extends to eighteen pages.<ref>Jacobs, pp. 442-461</ref> | |||
| World premières included: | |||
| *]: Piano Concerto | |||
| *]: ''A Song Before Sunrise''; '']''; and the ''Idyll''. | |||
| *]: '']'' Suite No. 1; ''Sospiri'' and the 4th and 5th ] | |||
| *]: ''Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1''; '']''; '']'' | |||
| Wood's UK premières included: | |||
| *]: ''Dance Suite'' | |||
| *]: ''Joyeuse Marche'' | |||
| *]: '']'' | |||
| *]: '']''; '']'' | |||
| *]: ''Le Chausseur Maudit'' | |||
| *]: ''Le Bal de Béatrice d'Este'' | |||
| *]: ''Kammermusik'' 2 and 5 | |||
| *]: ]; '']''; ] | |||
| *]: ''Dances from Galanta'' | |||
| *]: Symphonies Nos. ], ], ] and ]; ] and '']'' | |||
| *]: ]; ] | |||
| *]: ]<ref></ref> | |||
| *]: '']''; '']''; '']''; ] | |||
| *]: '']''; '']''; Symphony No. 2 | |||
| *]: '']'' | |||
| *]: Konzertstück for four horns and orchestra | |||
| *]: ]; Symphonies Nos. ] and ] | |||
| *]: Symphonies Nos. ], ], and ]; ]; ]; '']'' | |||
| *]: '']'' | |||
| *]: '']'' (suite) | |||
| *]: '']''; ''Manfred''; '']'' (suite) | |||
| *]: Passacaglia | |||
| ==Notes and references== | |||
| ;Notes | |||
| {{Reflist|group=n|colwidth=24em}} | |||
| ;References | |||
| {{Reflist|colwidth=25em}} | |||
| ==Bibliography== | |||
| *{{cite book | last=Cox | first=David | title=The Henry Wood Proms | location=London | publisher=BBC | year=1980 | isbn=0563176970}} | |||
| *{{cite book | last=Jacobs | first=Arthur | title=Henry J. Wood: maker of the Proms | location=London | publisher=Methuen | year=1994 | isbn=0413693406}} | |||
| *{{cite book | last=Orga | first=Ates | title=The Proms | location=Newton Abbot, London | publisher=David & Charles | year=1974 | isbn=0715366799}} | |||
| *{{cite book | last=Wood | first=Henry J | title=My Life of Music | location=London | publisher=Gollancz | year=1938 | oclc=30533927}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{Commons category|Henry Joseph Wood}} | |||
| * at www.bbc.co.uk | |||
| * at www.cph.rcm.ac.uk | |||
| * | |||
| {{RLPO conductors}} | |||
| {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. --> | |||
| | NAME = Wood, Henry J. | |||
| | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | |||
| | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | |||
| | DATE OF BIRTH = 1869 | |||
| | PLACE OF BIRTH = | |||
| | DATE OF DEATH = 1944 | |||
| | PLACE OF DEATH = | |||
| }} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Henry J.}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 10:21, 18 August 2022
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