Adam Von Ahnen Carse (19 May 1878 – 2 November 1958) was an English composer, academic, music writer and editor, remembered today for his studies on the history of instruments and the orchestra, and for his educational music. His collection of around 350 antique wind instruments is now in theHorniman Museum.[1]
Born inNewcastle upon Tyne, Carse received his first musical education inHanover in 1893, and from 1894-1903 was a Macfarren scholar at theRoyal Academy of Music, London where he studied composition withFrederick Corder. He received the 1902 medal from theWorshipful Company of Musicians, handed to the best student of the academy.[2] He was assistant music master at Winchester College between 1909 and 1922, then returning to the Academy as Professor of Harmony and Counterpoint until 1940.[3]
During and after the war Carse concentrated on writing and editing. His books (described inThe Musical Times as "of first rate importance")[4] includeMusical Wind Instruments (1939),The Orchestra in the 18th Century (1940) andThe Orchestra from Beethoven to Berlioz (1948), as well as a biography of the composer, conductor and showmanLouis-Antoine Jullien, who established a concert series that was a forerunner to theHenry Wood Proms.[5] He also specialised in editing early classical symphonies by composers such asCarl Friedrich Abel,Thomas Arne,J C Bach,Gossec andStamitz.[1]
Carse married Verena Muriel Fancourt Mutter, and their son Edward Adam Carse was born in June 1911. In February 1945 Edward was killed in action.[6] Carse dedicated his Fifth Symphony, written in June 1945, to the memory of his son.[7] In 1947 he donated his collection of 350 wind instruments to theHorniman Museum in South London, also in his son's memory: there is a plaque commemorating his gift in the Horniman Music Gallery.[8]
Carse died in 1958 at his home - Winton, Martin's End Lane,Great Missenden,Buckinghamshire - aged eighty.[4][9] His wife Verena died in 1966. Alongside the donated instruments at the Horniman is his personal library, containing research papers, manuscript notes, copies of lectures, correspondence, makers catalogues, sales lists and concert programmes.[10]
According toArthur Eaglefield Hull, Carse had "a pleasant and well finished style of writing, which concerns itself more with sound construction than original or atmospheric effects".[11] Much of the material he wrote and arranged for school orchestras, young string players and pianists is still in use today. Among his educational piano works is the shortMiniature Scherzo, which was chosen as one of ten test pieces for theDaily Express national piano playing competition in 1928, and recorded as a demonstration byWilliam Murdoch.[12]
Early orchestral works included a prelude toByron'sManfred[13] and two symphonic poems:The Death of Tintagiles (1902) andIn a Balcony, (afterBrowning) the latter performed at the Proms on 26 August 1905.[14] There was also a large-scale dramatic cantata settingElizabeth Barrett Browning'sThe Lay of the Brown Rosary, for soloists, choir and orchestra, published in 1902. He wrote five symphonies,[15] the second, in G minor, premiered by the orchestra of theRoyal College of Music in London in November 1908 with the composer conducting,[16] and the third (in F major, composed in 1927) was performed by theBournemouth Municipal Orchestra on 20 April 1932 and broadcast from the Bournemouth Pavilion by the BBC.[17]
His many works for strings included theTwo Sketches, performed at theProms on 4 September 1924,[18][19] and the five movementWinton Suite of 1933, showing the influence of eighteenth century dance suites.[20] Carse also wrote chamber music, including a Violin Sonata published in 1921[21] and theMiniature String Quartet in A minor, published in 1934.[22] The sevenVariations for Strings were composed as late as 1953 and broadcast by the BBC on 10 May 1954.[23] For his compositions Carse occasionally used the name William Kent as an alias, and sometimes Adam Ahn-Carse.[24]
Orchestral and large ensemble
Chamber
Vocal
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