Benjamin Dale

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Benjamin James Dale (b. London 17 July 1885; d. London 30 July 1943) was an English composer and educationalist. He showed remarkable compositional talent in his early years, but this promise was never really fulfilled.

One of Dale’s earliest works, an overture Horatius inspired by Macaulay, was composed when he was only 14. He was studying under F. Corder at the Royal Academy of Music. His first published work was a Piano Sonata in D minor. Dating from 1902 this remains the work for which he is best remembered. The style shows the Romantic influence of Liszt and Schumann as well as the Russian school of Balakirev. It consists of a first movement in sonata form followed by a set of variations which form the slow movement, scherzo and finale. Dale wrote several works for the violist Lionel Tertis. The Suite for viola and piano dates from 1906. The last two movements were later orchestrated and were frequently performed by Tertis. The was followed in 1911 by a Fantasy for Viola and Piano and the Introduction and Andante for six violas written for Tertis’s pupils. The following year Henry Wood conducted his Concert Piece for organ and orchestra at the proms with Kiddle at the organ.[1]

Dale had the misfortune to be in Germany when World War I broke out. He was interned for the duration of the war in Ruhleben near Berlin. The prisoners kept themselves busy with many social activities including musical ones. There were several musicians there, including the Canadian Ernest MacMillan who was later to become the conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. MacMillan gave lectures on each of the nine symphonies of Beethoven which were followed by a performance of the symphony in piano duet arrangement played by MacMillan and Dale.

After the war his health had become rather poor. He travelled round the world, examining in Australia and New Zealand for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. He started composing again and became professor of harmony and later Warden at the Royal Academy of Music. His compositions include a Violin sonata (1921-22) , an anthem A Song of Praise (1923) and a Christmas hymn Before the Paling of the Stars. He worked for the BBC’s Music Advisory Panel. His last major work was the orchestral The Flowing Tide (1943) which has a strong element of Debussyian Impressionism combined with Romanticism.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Henry Wood: My Life of Music pub Gollancz
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