Reviews: Smyth Complete Piano Works

Dame Ethel Smyth (1858–1944) was born at a time when female composers were a rarity and the idea of women being professional musicians was socially unacceptable – so much so that Smyth went on hunger strike to persuade her father to allow her to study music! She went on to make her mark as composer, conductor, writer and activist. A trailblazer for women's music, she also became involved with the suffragettes for whom she wrote ‘The March of the Women’. With her indomitable spirit, she fought against stereotypical ideas of what was then considered ‘feminine’ (graceful, melodic, small-scale) and ‘masculine’ (vigorous, large-scale, richly orchestrated) in music. Throughout her life she continued to insist on performances and publication of her music and to be considered on an equal playing field.

Smyth studied in Germany, first with Carl Reinecke in Leipzig and then with Heinrich von Herzogenberg, who introduced her to Clara Schumann, Brahms, Dvo˝ák, Grieg and Tchaikovsky, all of whose influences can be detected in her music. She was a master of large forms, composing six operas, of which The Wreckers (1906) is perhaps the most well-known, plus orchestral and choral music, chamber music and songs.

All the piano music was composed during her Leipzig years (1877–85), which she described as the happiest of her life. It represents a mixture of student exercises and more developed compositions which are richly romantic in style. Hers is an original musical mind – an abundance of powerful ideas, with engaging melodies and vigorous rhythms, are imaginatively treated in music that often implies orchestral thinking.

New single volume

The Complete Piano Works, made available in print in 2022, replaces two earlier volumes now available only digitally through Nkoda, the sheet-music subscription service. The collection, edited by Liana Gavrila-Serbescu, the Romanian pianist, musicologist and champion of women composers, helps bring to our attention music that was previously unpublished and unknown.

The volume opens with three sonatas, the first of which presents lively ideas within predominantly classical textures. Of its four movements, the third, a funeral march, and the fourth, a rondo that exhibits her typically vigorous style, stand out. The second sonata, inspired by Smyth's infatuation with Marie Geistinger, a German actress, is engagingly romantic with ear-catching melodic ideas, wide registers and full textures. The third sonata contains only two movements: the first having a country dance feel, while the second recalls the style of a Beethovenian scherzo.

A series of shorter pieces follows: Klavierstück in E is in the style of a Song Without Words and Aus der Jugendzeit!! E.v.H. is a short, passionate declaration of love to Smyth's teacher's wife, Elisabeth von Herzogenberg. The Vier Tänze, two minuets and two sarabandes, present a romantic take on Baroque dance forms and seem more artistically mature than the Suite that follows. Here, the Gavotte and Bourrée have some interest, but the Minuet is oddly in 6/8 and I found the Gigue awkward and unconvincing.

The three Kanons in Gegenbewegung (inversion) and the pieces that follow demonstrate Smyth's skill in counterpoint but nonetheless come across to some extent as student exercises. However, the first Kanon, entitled ‘Nocturne’ and evoking a suitably dark atmosphere, stands out as a possible repertoire piece.

The gem of the collection is the Variations in D flat major on an Original Theme, which is full of variety, drama and excitement. As the preface points out, the variations owe a debt to Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms in their use of texture, cross-rhythms and chromaticism, but Smyth makes these features her own in an inventive and expressive style that commands attention – for instance in the fourth variation, dedicated to her mare Phyllis, which catches the imagination with its galloping rhythms. The final return to the opening theme, which interestingly combines 3/4 and 6/8 time-signatures, brings the set to a satisfying close.

Practicalities

I enjoyed playing through this volume, which is clearly presented and edited, and has an informative preface. However, more fingering might have been useful and I would have liked the table of revisions at the end translated from the German.

The pieces pose a number of pianistic challenges including stretches, leaps, hand-crossing and occasional awkward moments, which put them at intermediate to advanced level, although the Suite could be managed by Grade 5 students, and Vier Tänze, Klavierstück in E and Aus der Jugendzeit!! by those at around Grade 6.

At approximately £40, this volume is not cheap, but if that isn't a barrier, I would be happy to explore these pieces with more advanced students, and would single out the second sonata, the first Kanon and the Variations for particular attention.

The edition makes a welcome and substantial contribution to the availability of music by women composers.