Arthur Butterworth (1923-2014)

[salymap]

Yes. Afraid I mixed tnem up

Thanks to FF, Tony, etc for their interesting posts.

[Pabmusic]

That was George Butterworth (d.1916) no relation...

Absolutely.

But (for the lawyers among you - Caliban, for instance) George, not Arthur, was of the family of Butterworth's legal publishers).

[Andrew Slater]

Lewis Foreman has written an obituary for The Independent; there's another by Paul Conway on musicweb international. There are also many articles on the music on the Land of Lost Content blog.

[french frank]

Thanks for the links, Andrew.

[EdgeleyRob]

Yes,thanks from me too Andrew.

[Andrew Slater]

There's a local obituary in the Craven Herald.

[Once Was 4]

I too got one of my first paid dates from Arthur Butterworth in the Halifax Symphony Orchestra - but at the other end of the horn section on 4th; Dvorak's 7th (D minor) Symphony I remember. They were on tour in foreign climes (Clitheroe in Lancashire) and the regular 4th horn obviously did not like to travel abroad!

In late Summer 2013 Arthur put together an orchestra to perform Elgar's 1st Symphony in Skipton Christchurch. Again, I was lucky to play 4th horn for that; he talked about setting up the group as a permanent orchestra and wanted to do Sibelius 6. Sadly he had a heart attack shortly after and I believe that the Elgar turned out to be his last concert. He cut the rehearsal the previous day short as he had to drive to Birmingham for some reason (at the age of 90).

My experiences of Arthur went much further back to my schooldays in the early/mid 60s. At that time the West Riding Education Authority, under the inspired leadership of Sir Alec Clegg, employed an orchestra of about 35 players to tour schools giving educational concerts. Arthur alternated as conductor with the composer and horn player Wilfred Heaton (who became my first horn teacher). They came to Salts Grammar School several times.

Now both are gone (as are most of the players of the West Riding Orchestra - many of whom had come from major professional orchestras to finish their careers - also 'cleaning up' on the various shows and free-lance gigs available in the area).

They leave a huge legacy behind them.

RIP

This is rather 'spooky'... in 1964 when I was a student at the old RMCM ( the predecessor of the Royal Northern College of Music) I had a horn lesson in which my teacher suggested that I should get hold of ( i.e. BUY) Arthur Butterworth's 'Romance' for horn ( singular not plural as another MBoarder has suggested) and strings.

During that very same week I had a phone call from Mr Butterworth himself, inviting me to play 1st horn with the Halifax Symphony Orchestra ( West Yorkshire not Nova Scotia!) in a concert conducted by AB himself, the programme including the 6th Symphony of Sibelius and the Hindemith 'Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Weber'.
This was my very first 'paid' engagement as a 'first horn'!

Arthur was very kind and encouraging to me in the rehearsal / concert and personally gave me the fee in cash after the concert
( the then M.U. 'principal' fee of £5).

Two days before the concert I had passed my driving test, and the very next day I had bought my very first car, an old Morris Oxford ( 'pre-Farrina) for £50, which I proudly drove over the moors from Manchester to Halifax.
After the concert the weather 'turned nasty' and the fog was very thick, down on the moors.
I was terrified and phoned home ( from an old 'red telephone box' of course) to ask my Dad's advice...he was very 'blunt and Northern', saying :" you got yourself there OK, now just get yourself into that car and bl**dy well drive home!"
Of course I did indeed 'get home' that night, and to this day I always think of Arthur Butterworth when I either hear ( or play) Sibelius' 6th Symphony or the Hindemith Symphonic Metamorphosis.

A few years ago I was sent - for review- his 'Sonata for Saxhorn and Piano' ( Tenor horn with an 'ossia' for French horn) and I was happy to report that it is a little masterpiece of its kind, its harmonic language a lot more advanced than that of his two acknowledged 'heros' , Vaughan Williams and Sibelius.
RIP Arthur Butterworth