R. O. Morris (1886-1948)
“The quiet composer behind the great teacher”
Reginald Owen Morris was born in York in 1886 and educated at Harrow, New College Oxford, and the Royal College of Music. Known to colleagues and friends simply as R. O. he became an influential teacher of composition and counterpoint. His pupils included Gerald Finzi, Michael Tippett, Constant Lambert, Edmund Rubbra, Robin Milford, Ruth Gipps, and many others, most who wrote effusively of his ability as a teacher.
Recalling R.O. Morris in an interview for BBC Radio 3 in 1978, Howard Ferguson recalls him as:
...extremely quiet and withdrawn, a man of few words, and those said with something of an effort. The most exciting thing he ever said to me (he had a rather bored, tired voice) was one day after I showed him something, after I'd been with him for some years 'Yes Howard, I like that' and this was such a terrific moment I felt the heavens had opened! He had an extremely clear mind, one felt he was singularly unprejudiced. He seemed to allow his pupils to develop in whatever way they wanted to, and yet he retained a quite firm grasp on their formal side.
Another pupil A.E.F. Dickinson also noted a certain shyness in his manner: "A man of few words, and those said with something of an effort".
A concert, entirely devoted to his music was conducted by Arthur Bliss and Sir Adrian Boult on 14th November I930, but after the age of 50 he appears to have completely abandoned composition, possibly at the time his wife fell ill.
After her death, he seems to have suppressed his works; Edmund Rubbra noted that "even to mention them was latterly the gravest of social indelicacies". The reason for this is unclear, some reviewers note the works were considered by the composer as mere compositional exercises rather than for performance.
Perhaps his greatest legacy, however, is the unseen contribution he made to the diverse contrapuntal style of composers such as Finzi, Rubbra, Holst and Tippett.
He wrote six or so theoretical books
- Contrapuntal Technique in the Sixteenth Century (1922)
- Foundations of Practical Harmony and Counterpoint (1925)
- Preparatory Exercises in Score Reading (1931), with Ferguson
- Figured Harmony at the Keyboard (1931)
- The Structure of Music (1935)
- Introduction to Counterpoint (1944)
- The Oxford Harmony (1946)
Despite most of his time being taken up with tuition RO was also a composer. Unfortunately being of a shy and retiring disposition he was reluctant to promote his own music. As a consequence his compositions have only rarely been performed since his death in 1948.
The surviving scores reveal the composer behind the teacher, music which demonstrates a skill in contrapuntal technique and fresh innovative harmony.
| Work | Date |
|---|---|
| Sinfonia in C major (A Little Symphony) | 1928–1929 |
| Violin Concerto in G minor | 1930 |
| Concerto piccolo — two violins and string orchestra | 1930 |
| Canzoni ricercati — string quartet or string orchestra | 1931 |
| Partita Lidica — suite for cello and orchestra | 1932 |
| Symphony in D minor | First performed 1934 |
| Suite for Small Orchestra | Date uncertain |
| Toccata and Double Fugue in G major — orchestra | Date uncertain |
| Concertino in F major — orchestra | Date uncertain |
Sinfonia in C major (1928–1929)
The Sinfonia in C was originally entitled "A Little Symphony" but R.O subsequently changed it to its present title. The dedication is to Arthur Bliss. It appears to be his first serious foray into writing for orchestra, albeit a reduced orchestra for the time. It's in four movements, the titles of which give an insight into his interest in early music:
2. Andante mosso
3. Tempo di Gavotto, con anima
4. Maestoso assai, quasi lento, con grandezza
In complete contrast is the second main idea, a solo line accompanied very sparsely.
2nd movement
Two main ideas make up this movement as well. The first is heard on the oboe accompanied by gentle waves on the flutes and clarinets.
A solo violin separates the next episode heard on the violas.
And a solo violin ends the movement.
3rd movement
This gavotte hops along in a steady tempo to this theme
A secondary theme counterbalances this, still very much dance like.
Interjections from a solo violin follow and a da capo ends the movement.
4th movement
A short stately introduction by the full orchestra leads to a pizzicato ground bass idea over which the 2nd violins float with a legato melody.
This tune is developed into a sequence of variations. The music becomes more contrapuntally complex and until a return of the opening, this time extended to the end..
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