It
was on the P&O liner Oriana that
I discovered Bruce Montgomery. In fact
it was quite a coincidence, with three
strands coming together at once. Let
me explain. The cruise's first ‘leg’
was the long but relaxing journey from
Southampton to Barcelona. I spent most
of the time eating, reading, swimming
in the Riviera pool and listening to
a carefully chosen play list of ‘classical’
music on my iPod. An apparently annoying
habit I developed was whistling the
‘hornpipe’ as I walked round the promenade
deck. But not just any ‘hornpipe’ –
it was the catchy version used in that
great comedy classic - at least I
think so - Carry on Cruising.
I could talk for hours about this film.
There are so many ‘classic’ lines –
"I’ve been up to the sharp end,
I‘ve been to the blunt end…" "Italy
has nothing to offer me I cannot get
here the (the bar!) – break out the
Chianti …" etc. etc.
Recently, I had been
reading an article about detective novels
in general and so-called ‘locked room’
mysteries in particular. One of the
texts mentioned was a book called The
Moving Toyshop by a writer called
Edmund
Crispin. This was part of my holiday
reading. And last, but not least, I
included a number of classical music
CDs in my listening plan – including
a certain Concertino for String Orchestra.
It was not part of my plan to make connections
– but I did. I soon realised that all
three of the above indulgences were
written or composed by a remarkable,
if somewhat melancholic man called Bruce
Montgomery. So the opportunity to review
this masterly book by David Whittle
was a most welcome, educational and
thoroughly enjoyable opportunity.
I imagine that relatively
few folk will have heard of Bruce Montgomery,
yet there will be hardly a person in
the United Kingdom who is not acquainted
with at least half a dozen of his film
scores. I have already alluded to Carry
on Cruising – add to this Constable,
Nurse, Regardless, Sergeant and
Teacher. I can only presume that
everybody must respond to a least one
of these classic excursions into camp
British comedy. But Montgomery did not
just compose music for the Carry
On films: he provided scores for
the equally enjoyable Doctor
movies starring the redoubtable Dirk
Bogarde and James Robertson Justice.
How often do we look for the composer’s
name in the credits of a film? I guess
rarely.
Bruce Montgomery was
born in Chesham Bois in 1921. He had
a good education both locally and at
St John’s College, Oxford. He studied
modern languages and subsequently filled
the vacant post of organ scholar there
– the incumbent had gone off to fight
Hitler.
Montgomery was inspired
to write his first detective novel after
reading a book by one of the mid-century
doyens of that genre, John Dickson Carr.
He was motivated to write The Case
of the Gilded Fly in an unbelievably
short time, and it was equally speedily
published by Victor Gollancz in 1944.
It was the first foray of the detective/don
Gervase Fen into the criminal complexities
of Oxford. Fen, a professor of English
Language, was to feature in most of
Montgomery’s subsequent crime writings.
The detective novels were all written
using the pseudonym of Edmund Crispin.
It is surprising that
nowhere in this book does Whittle suggest
that Gervase Fen may have had a profound
influence on Colin Dexter and his ‘scholarly
policeman’ Inspector Endeavour Morse.
Concurrently with his
writing, Montgomery was keen to follow
a musical career. His early works were
small scale piano pieces or anthems.
His masterpiece, apparently, is An
Oxford Requiem which was commissioned
by the Oxford Bach Choir to celebrate
the Festival of Britain in 1951. Whittle
quotes the Times reviewer as thinking
that this "is Montgomery’s most
considerable achievement to date; it
confirms the suspicion that he is a
composer with something of real significance
to say." According to Whittle’s
evidence and the contemporary reviews,
a recording of this work may well be
long overdue.
It is obvious from
reading the musical analyses in this
book that Bruce Montgomery was not a
major ‘concert hall’ composer. He had
only some twenty four works published
– most of which was choral or vocal
music. However, two key works stand
out for me – the above mentioned Concertino
(a modest title) and the Overture
to a Fairy Tale. In addition there
are the attractive Scottish Aubade
and the Scottish Lullaby – both
re-workings of film scores. But the
critical thing is that these four works
would be a feather in the cap of any
composer – both great and small. They
are interesting, well wrought and full
of character. In fact, apart from the
film music, they represent virtually
everything that is recorded and easily
available on CD.
When Bruce Montgomery
turned his hand to the lucrative business
of film music, his compositional career
really took off. In total, he provided
the scores for some forty odd films
of greater or lesser importance. Perhaps
his greatest achievement was in producing
both the music and the screenplay for
Raising the Wind – a comical
story about music students. Whittle
tells the tale that Kenneth Williams
and Leslie Phillips were coached on
how to conduct Rossini’s William Tell
Overture. Furthermore Montgomery
himself had a cameo role in this film.
Alas, Montgomery had
a propensity to fail to meet the strict
deadlines that the film producers imposed.
This came to a head when the music for
Carry on Cruising had to be completed
by Eric Rogers.
The years after ‘Cruising’
marked a decline in Montgomery’s health
and fortunes. Poor health and alcoholism
led to long stays in clinics, little
work and financial insecurity. He spent
the last fifteen years of his life contributing
reviews to the Times, editing collections
of Science Fiction stories and writing
his ninth and last novel, The Glimpses
of the Moon. Bruce Montgomery died
on 15 September 1978.
So the story presented
in these pages is not really one of
rags to riches or vice versa. It is
a survey of a man who struggled with
a number of problems – some of his own
making and others that were just part
of his lot. Montgomery had his moment
of fame in the first four decades of
his life. The last sixteen or so years
seemed to many of his friends to be
a let-down, yet Whittle rightly insists
that it must "not be allowed to
obscure the achievements of his earlier
years."
Montgomery was successful
in four areas: 1) He wrote a deal of
concert music. 2) he was a successful
film music composer. 3) he had a great
reputation as a fiction writer. 4) he
contributed considerably to raising
the status of science fiction. In addition,
he "lived the life of a generous
and amusing dilettante socialite."
He was intimate with many of the key
figures in the literary and musical
world. He was most certainly not a failure.
I read the analysis
of the novel, The Moving Toyshop.
Certainly there was much useful and
helpful information here that increased
my understanding of the book. Yet I
wonder if there are ‘plot spoilers’
lurking around here if I had not already
read the novel. So I have avoided perusing
the detailed studies of the other books
and short stories: I do want
to read these stories and I do not want
to have the plot revealed or even hinted
at. I recall an edition of Hound
of the Baskervilles where the culprit
was actually named and shamed in the
introduction!
The study of the musical
compositions is impressive. The important
works are all treated to two or three
or more pages of close written text.
For example, the fine Concertino
for Strings has five pages of detailed
discussion complete with some nine helpful
musical examples. It is really a model
of writing about a relatively unknown
work and raising the awareness of the
listener. As a matter of fact the Concertino
is an extremely impressive work.
I imagine that David Whittle will join
me in wishing there were many more such
pieces as this in the catalogue.
It is the sort of number
that many have attempted to compose
but few have achieved with such great
success. It is the balance of tradition
with contemporary voice that provides
the abiding interest in this composition.
Although this balance is perfectly acceptable
to listeners, Whittle notices that perhaps
his nodding to a bygone age may have
been the result of laziness. Montgomery
would not work at developing his talents
and broadening his stylistic parameters.
The author discovers
great significance in examining Montgomery’s
relationship with ‘famous men.’ I did
not know for example that he was close
friends with Philip Larkin and Kingsley
Amis. The author reveals that he even
shared Larkin’s interests in ‘gentleman’s
magazines’! These two men did much to
encourage the composer when he was sliding
into the unproductive phase of his career.
Ashgate are making
a vital contribution to British Music.
A brief look at the rear cover of the
present book advertises Alan Bush:
A Source Book, William Walton:
Music & Literature, The Life
and Music of Sir Malcolm Arnold
and a study of Thomas Beecham and the
Music of Frederick Delius. Admittedly
their publications do contain a number
of profoundly scholarly books that would
not appeal to anyone other than a determined
specialist – e.g. Berio Sequenzas:
Essays in Performance, Composition and
Analysis. Yet a study of the catalogue
of this enterprising publisher reveals
a commitment to music that is second
to none. The Source Books that
are published or are forthcoming about
Hoddinott, Bush and Ireland are essential
reference works for all musicologists
– professional and amateur.
The present volume
feels great, although I guess a ‘glossy’
cover may just have improved the ‘first
impression.’ There are a number of excellent
photographs and dozens of musical examples.
In addition Whittle has quoted extensively
from the letters of Larkin, Amis and
other key players in the Montgomery
story. Separate appendices provide considerable
essays on ‘Detective Fiction’ and ‘Film
Music’. Obviously, there is a list of
compositions – both literary and musical
and a brief (necessarily so) discography.
Last but not least there is a helpful
bibliography.
David Whittle has been
involved with music from an early age.
He was Head Chorister at Peterborough
Cathedral and studied music at Nottingham
University. It was in his Ph.D. thesis
that he first explored the life and
music of Bruce Montgomery.
At present, he is Director
of Music at Leicester Grammar School.
Whittle regularly gives organ recitals
and is also interested in performing
‘big band’ music. Yet another facet
of his musical interest is the harp:
he plays with an Irish folk music group
in the school.
The author enjoys British
Music of the 20th century
and also has an interest in an earlier
age in the 16th century which
probably goes with the territory of
spending much time in the organ loft.
He is currently preparing
to write a biography about the author
and politician C.P Snow. Whittle is
interested in detection fiction – he
has contributed to the Oxford Companion
to Crime and Mystery Writing. The
author told me that he is minded to
write a detective story of his own.
Bruce Montgomery/Edmund
Crispin: A Life in Music and Books
is a fine volume. It is extensively
researched and is written in an approachable
style. However, it is a scholarly book
and will have a relatively limited market.
Notwithstanding, this market will reach
out in a number of directions – including
students of film and classical music,
detective fiction, Philip Larkin and
Kingsley Amis.
John France
