SONGS BY PHILLIP WILCHER - Reviewed by Henry Howell



SONGS BY PHILLIP WILCHER - Reviewed by Henry Howell



	From the prolific pen of Phillip Wilcher we have received a very interesting collection of songs. This is a composer who cares for, and actually feels, the text, and I wish more composers would spend less time in being "clever" and simply honour the intention of the poet they are setting. I must confess that I simply had to start with DOWN BY THE SALLEY GARDENS, the words by William Butler Yeates. My spell checker having decided to correct my spelling of the word "Salley", it should be pointed out that this word refers to a species of willow tree, and is not a girl's name. Legend has it that W.B.Yeates wrote this poem, in a moment of inspiration, on the platform of Aldwych underground station in central London. I am not in a position to verify the veracity of this, but it is a nice, slightly romantic story. What is certain is that anyone who has been interested in Folk songs, will know the tune associated with it, set by many composers, including Herbert Hughes, and a great setting by Benjamin Britten. Indeed, it is very difficult to think of any other tune for these words, but Mr. Wilcher has done just that. How he managed to put aside the usual tune so completely, is something for him to tell us, but this he has very successfully done. Phillip Wilcher, being a composer of his time, sets his poems in the style of the late twentieth century, but without the melodies or harmony jarring on one's ear or other senses. There is nothing to terrify the modern singer in his work. This song, for example, after a single introduction, lilts its gentle way through both verses, serving Yeates's words every bit as well as the well known folk version, and I warmly recommend it. One of my own favourite poets, well-loved by me since I won a verse-speaking contest with one of his poems at the ripe old age of six years and some months, is Walter de la Mare. many distinguished composers share my love of de la Mare, John Ireland among them, and Mr. Wilcher has joined this happy band, with his setting of YOU SLEEP TOO WELL. My accompanist wondered if the introduction to this song might not be a shade too long, at seven and a half bars, but I suggested that this might require a very imaginative approach, much as the singer has to use in the repeated word "drips" in Stanford's A SOFT DAY. Again, the melodic line in this song is neither too easy nor too dofficult, though it has to be said that some pause for thought is required in the dotted crochet triplets. There are a number of these, though, so once one is learned, the rest tend to follow. This is a song for a good musician, but it shows de la Mare's poetry in a rather different light from the usual treatment his work receives. "Old wine in new bottles" is an expression known to me, though coming, as I do, from a family of total abstainers, it does not feature prominently in our conversation. It may very well apply to the setting Phillip Wilcher has written to the words of Goethe. This quintessential German poet is so irretrievably associated with the lieder composers Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, et al that hearing his poetry in a modern setting is not easy to assimilate. Not your usual poem, neatly laid out in stanzas, WINTER LOVE is more of a letter, written to Charlotte Stein. Short, and to the point the words declare his love, and his intention to visit her. Certain of his love for her, as the song progresses, his optimism grows, until his confidence is declared in the fianl bars. This is a stronger song than some of Mr.Wilcher's settings, reflecting the mood of the poem extremely well, and requires a bigger voice, although the range is not extreme. There is no doubt that Phillip Wilcher is a miniaturist's miniaturist, and herein lies the strength of his songs. Much is said very economically, and I am happy to recommend these songs to all recitalists. Henry Howell Review source: Music Teacher Magazine Vol.8 No.3	Other links

		Phillip Wilcher's "What Love Ere Meant" reviewed by Henry Howell

		Phillip Wilcher's "A Winter Night" reviewed by Henry Howell

		Phillip Wilcher's "Do You Believe in Unicorns?" reviewed by Henry Howell

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