William Hurlstone

William Yeates Hurlstone (7 January, 1876 – 30 May, 1906) was an English composer who studied piano and composition at the Royal College of Music, after gaining a scholarship. His composition teacher, Charles Villiers Stanford, considered Hurlstone, among the many brilliant students whom he taught, to have been his most talented. In 1906, he returned to the college as Professor of Counterpoint, only to die later that year of bronchial asthma.

The greater bulk of his oeuvre consists of works for chamber ensembles. Although of very high quality, unfortunately, none achieved any great fame. Among the better known are the Phantasie for String Quartet in a minor, which won first prize in the inaugural Cobbett Chamber Music Competition, the Piano Quartet in e minor Op.43, The Piano Trio in G Major, dating from 1905, the Trio in g minor for clarinet, bassoon and piano, and the Four Characteristic Pieces for clarinet and piano. Additionally, he composed four instrumental sonatas: for piano solo (in f minor), [Hardy, L. "The British Piano Sonata: 1870 - 1945," page 39. Boydell & Brewer, 2001.] for violin and piano, for cello and piano and for bassoon and piano respectively. There is also a Quintet in g minor for flute, clarinet, horn, bassoon and piano. His orchestral works include "Variations on a Swedish Air", "Variations on a Hungarian Air", "Variations on an Original Theme", a "Magic Mirror Suite" (based on the fairy tale of Snow White), and a Piano Concerto in D Major.

William Hurlstone is one of the 'might have been' great composers of the early 20th century, despite having left a legacy of many chamber works.

Editions of his Music

*"Four Characteristic Pieces" - (Bb) Clarinet and Piano - [http://www.juneemerson.co.uk/ Emerson Edition (Ref: E97)]
*"Quintet in g minor" - Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn and Piano (ed. Jonathan Kershaw 1998) - [http://www.juneemerson.co.uk/ Emerson Edition (Ref: E324)]
*"Scherzo (missing movement from Trio in g minor)" - Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano (ed. Richard Moore) - [http://www.juneemerson.co.uk/ Emerson Edition (Ref: E404)]
*"Trio in G Major for Violin, Violoncello & Piano" Published by Edition Silvertrust in 2008, Catalogue No. ES 2008-90
*"Trio in g minor (new complete edition 2006)" - Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano - publisher [http://www.juneemerson.co.uk/ Emerson Edition (Ref: E488)] Edition E488 (2006) replaces the original Edition E62 (1982) which was found to contain many inaccuracies [Richard J. Moore 'The Trio in G Minor for Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano by William Yeates Hurlstone, a Critical Reassessment', [http://www.musicweb-international.com/Hurlstone/Hurlstone%20Trio%20Paper1.html] ]
*"Sonata in F" - Bassoon and Piano - [http://www.juneemerson.co.uk/ Emerson Edition (Ref: E75)]

Recordings

* Hurlstone: Chamber Works (Dutton Vocalion) CDLX7128 (2003)
* William Hurlstone: Orchestral Works (Lyrita) SRCD208 (orig. 1993 - reissued 2006)
**"features variation sets on an original theme and a Hungarian air, as well as the Magic Mirror suite"
* William Hurlstone: Piano Concerto, Variations on a Swedish Air, Piano Quartet, Piano Trio (Lyrita) SRCD2286 (orig. 1979, 1984 - reissued 2007)
* (The) English Romantics - Works for Clarinet, Bassoon & Piano (Clarinet Classics) CC0023 (1998)
**"features Trio for Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano (1998 edition NOT the 2006 edition) and the Four Characteristic Pieces"
* Goossens, Hurlstone and Turnbull: Violin Sonatas (Somm Recordings) SOMMCD031 (2003)
* Romantic Cello (Dutton Vocalion) CDLX7102 (1999)
**"features Sonata for Cello and Piano"

ources

* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6522038 Find A Grave]

External links

* [http://www.musicweb-international.com/Hurlstone/Hurlstone%20Trio%20Paper1.html An article with a biography, as well as a detailed discussion of the Trio in g minor for Clarinet, Bassoon & Piano]
* [http://www.editionsilvertrust.com/hurlstone-piano-trio.htm Hurlstone Piano Trio in G Major-sound-bites and discussion of work]

References

cite book
last = Hardy
first = Lisa
title = The British Piano Sonata, 1870 - 1945
publisher = Boydell & Brewer
date = 2001
pages =
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=SIK1vk2c6A0C
isbn = 0851158226