16/04/2025
If you came to the wonderful David Owen-Norris Concert in Stockbridge on 7th March you might be interest to read this Concert review kindly provided by Janice Williams.
Stockbridge Music
A Square Piano in St Peter’s
Concert goers who filled St Peter’s Church on Friday evening, 7th March, were in for a treat. The renowned Patron of Stockbridge Music, David Owen Norris (pianist, composer, academic and broadcaster), came along with his 1781 square piano and entertained us with stories and anecdotes whilst educating us on the invention in the early 18th century of the keyboard instrument that gave the pianist some control over the volume with the use of levers - hence: piano = quiet, and forte = loud. And so the pianoforte was born.
David’s opening piece on this enchanting instrument was the Sonata in C minor by Johann Christian Bach (son of Johann Sebastian). The music that followed was by a young Mozart, who had arrived with his family in London in 1764, and who, during that summer, aged 8, composed the lovely three “Pieces from the London Sketchbook”, which sound perfect on the square piano. David continued with Mozart’s Sonata in G minor.
Into the mix, our accomplished and entertaining pianist also skilfully wove the musical talent and enthusiasm of Jane Austen, whose birthday 250 years ago we celebrate this year. David’s title of the programme was “Yes, yes, we WILL have a Pianoforte”, a quote from Jane to her sister Cassandra in 1808, telling her that she would buy one as good as she could get for 30 guineas. Jane practised the pianoforte every day before breakfast and she took lessons from the assistant organist at Wi******er Cathedral. In her novel “Emma”, Jane Fairfax receives a square piano from an anonymous donor, who is later revealed to be her secret fiancé, Frank Churchill. Later in the programme, David played for us a Sonata in E flat. It is unknown who wrote it, but the musical manuscript is in Jane Austen’s very own hand, the finale is preceded by a portrait of a young lady, and the question is still unanswered: could Jane have written the charming piece of music?
After the interval, during which the audience enjoyed their drinks in the Town Hall and our esteemed guest assiduously tuned his square piano (it seems to need a lot of tuning), he played a Rondo by Gustav Holst’s great-grandfather, Matthew Holst. He followed that by “Robin Adair”, A Favourite Irish Melody with Variations for the Pianoforte by George Kiallmark (1781–1835). This is the only piece of music actually named in Jane Austen’s novels.
The concert finished with another of Mozart’s sonatas, this one, unusually for Mozart, being in A minor. It was composed in 1778 after the sudden death of his mother whilst she had been accompanying Wolfgang Amadeus on a tour. The music seems to match his anguish, and apparently even the manuscript for this sonata appeared to be a bit more scrawled than his usual work.
The audience in St Peter’s gave David Owen Norris a massive round of applause, well deserved, at the end of this entertaining, illuminating and enchanting concert. Stockbridge Music are lucky to have him as Patron, and we in turn are incredibly blessed that Stockbridge Music, under Paul Wing’s superb direction, regularly attracts people from far and wide to come and enjoy such a broad range of concerts in St Peter’s Church, Stockbridge.
– Janet Williams
