Timber and the Spanish Ladies

By Anthony Parsons, Principal Trombone of the BBC Symphony Orchestra

Sir Henry WoodJust as children listen to a favourite fairy story, knowing exactly who has gobbled up baby bear's porridge or why grandma has got such big teeth, then smile contentedly when their expectations are fulfilled, promenaders, and those who have won seats in the ballot, plus the radio and television audiences, anticipate year after year the familiar formula of the Last Night of the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts. The 102nd season ended a few months ago, amid the usual din, flags and banners, community singing and patriotic euphoria, carrying on a tradition which began in the early years of this century.

The first Proms took place in the Queen's Hall (nowadays the site of the BBC Publications bookshop in Regent Street) and continued there until 1941 when it was destroyed by enemy action. Henry Wood and the Queen's Hall Orchestra performed an eight week season, which, in the words of Robert Newman, manager of the Queen's Hall and originator of the whole idea, would "train the public by easy stages. Popular at first, gradually raising the standard until I have created a public for classical and modern music."

Twenty-four items were played in the first programme, including a cornet solo, Schubert's Serenade, which Wood did not want, but Newman insisted upon because of its drawing power! For the first five seasons, cornet solos were regularly featured.

The Proms were instantly successful with the keen, but not widely knowledgeable musical public. Orchestral concerts were rare in those days, and the opportunity to hear an entire season for one guinea (the price of a promming season ticket) was a winning scheme that to this day allows music lovers to hear great music cheaply.

Gradually the novelty solos and grand operatic fantasias were replaced by more substantial works. Richard Strauss and Jean Sibelius attended performances of their own works, praising the quality of the orchestra and its conductor highly.

Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D received its first performance at a Prom on 22nd October 1901. Wood wrote in his memoirs: "The people simply rose and yelled. It had to be given a double encore before the audience would allow the concert to continue." Several years passed before the march acquired the Land of Hope and Glory verses which Elgar so disapproved of, but that spontaneous reaction marks the first British music night of the Proms.

21st October 1905 was the centenary of Nelson's victory in the Battle of Trafalgar. Wood decided to put together what he called "a real popular climax" and conceived the Fantasia on British Sea Songs to spotlight the principal players of his orchestra. Naval bugle calls in their proper order are followed by a trumpet/trombone duet, The Anchor's Weighed (usually omitted in performances these days), a euphonium solo, The Saucy Arethusa, Tom Bowling played by the solo cello, and The Sailor's Hornpipe played on the solo violin, which marks the point at which the promenaders can contain themselves no longer.

Wood wrote of it: "They stamp their feet in time to the hornpipe - that is until I whip up the orchestra in a fierce accelerando which leaves behind all those whose stamping technique is not of the very first quality. I like to win by two bars if possible, but sometimes have to be content with a bar and a half. It is good fun, and I enjoy it as much as they."

So the hysteria apparently has the official blessing. While the conductor is trying to restore order, the quartet of trombones is preparing to play, in total contrast, Farewell and Adieu, Ye Spanish Ladies, reproduced here from the original score in "Timber's" own hand.

Farewell and Adieu, Ye Spanish Ladies
Farewell and Adieu, ye Spanish Ladies (midi)

Henry Wood's scores and orchestral parts are very colourful owing to his method of marking all of them himself in red and blue pencil; a necessity forced on him by perpetual lack of rehearsal time. Nine hours rehearsal for six concerts a week was quite normal. This photocopy gives a poor impression of the actual page, which also has pen and pencil markings, but it show several trains of thought about the quartet.

The tempo has been slowed down, and his first version appears to mute the pea-shooter and G tone. Perhaps he revised this because the audience was even noisier then and nothing could be heard. Maybe he decided that this was a tone quality not to be missed. Who knows? Anyway, in living memory the ladies have always been serenaded as sonorously as possible. There is a note in another hand indicating possible doubling on 4 horns and tuba, but no self-respecting trombone section will stand for that.

Both score and parts are written in bass clef, although the 1st trombone part is very high and the overall dynamics soft. The alto trombone indication does not appear in the trombone parts, which probably accounts for the usual use of three tenors over the years. But considering the choice of key and the gentle flow of the melody, "Timber" figured the alto was right for this job.

BBC Symphony Orchestra
"The Spanish Ladies" (mpeg - 848k)
Performance by the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the 1994 Last Night of the Proms

Try it yourself. But don't forget that the temperature is in the nineties, the television lights are blinding, the mikes and cameras are inches away, in theory everyone in the world can see and hear you, and the video will be on sale in a couple of weeks. And you only get one go, of course.

When all that is over, there is a pyrotechnical cadenza for clarinet, leading to Home, Sweet Home on the oboe and harp, accompanied by much weeping and wailing and dropping of pennies. The horns, then flutes, play See, the Conquering Hero Comes, and the whole Albert Hall, including the organ, erupts into four verses of Rule Britannia. Wood liked that too. "When it comes to the singing of Rule Britannia we reach a climax that only Britons can reach, and I realise I can be nowhere in the world but in my native England."

Stirring stuff, hopelessly outdated and sentimental now. But in 1905 the Royal Navy did still secure our shores, Victoria's long reign was only just over, the Empire was intact, the world - and London - smaller, the horse only just being overtaken by the motor car and railway train, and the wonders and horrors of the 20th century still to come.

Sir Henry's (he was knighted in 1911) autobiography, My Life in Music (1938), expresses fond feelings for the Last Night: "The ritual ... is now established and the young promenader is determined not to take the music too seriously. Even so, he listens as intently as ever to the first part of the programme ... And how they have listened all these forty odd years! How still have they stood! How they have loved their Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Wagner! More than I ever hoped they would in my wildest dreams."

The centenary year has recently passed - surely Sir Henry's dream come true. And the musical fairy tale of the Proms, with its own cast of goblins, ogres, beauties and heroes, still satisfies expectations and brings smiles of contentment.

We are grateful to the Royal Academy of Music for permission to use the photocopy of Sir Henry Wood's score. Ed.

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