Christopher Baxter - Piano
Published in 1923, these are perhaps my favourite of all Carroll's pieces (Mermaid's Lullaby is especially touching) and a vast range of character and mood is explored. As was typical, Carroll preceded each of the 12 pieces with an evocative title and a short extract of poetry to stimulate the imagination. Carroll himself said "a piece should always mean something to the player, and something to the listener; but the "something" which it means is never quite the same to different people."
1 - The Coral Tree ("For there we lightly trip around The coral tree, And quickly beat the pearly ground, All merrily." - Symington)
2 - From Sea-Green Caves ("The water sprites will wield their arms And dash around, with roar and rave, And vain are the woodland spirits' charms, They are the imps that role the waves." - Drake)
3 - The Noon Sirens ("We hear, in each cool sparry cave, Plaint melody Sung by the mermaids of the wave, Aeolianly." - Symington)
4 - The Echo Nymph ("I float on the breath of a minstrel's lute, Or the wandering sounds of a distant flute, Linger I over the tones that swell From the pink-veined chords of an ocean shell." - L.E.L.)
5 - A Sea-born Knight ("He mounted his steed of the water clear, And sat on his saddle of sea-weed sere; He held his bridle of strings of pearl, Dug out of the depths where the sea-snakes curl." - Mackay)
6 - Mermaid's Lullaby (Children dear, was it yesterday We heard the sweet bells over the bay? In the caverns where we lay, Through the surf and through the swell, The far-off sound of a silver bell?" - Arnold)
7 - Sea Hunting ("Shrill and clear their horns re-echo; Then anon, from all around, In the depth of the dim waters Little mocking laughters sound." - Heine)
8 - Naiad's Rest Call (Green hills of slippery seaweed, wet and high Where green-haired mermaids love full length to lie, Their faces in the wet weed buried deep Till, by their gambols tired, they fall asleep." - Marston)
9 - Halls of Delight ("This lofty cave's a gorgeous palace gate Where some Sea-Genius holds royal state." - Noel)
10 - The Passing of Una ("Under Scaba's shore, Where the wild winds sigh and the breakers roar, They dug her a grave by the water clear, Among the seaweed, salt and sere." - Mackay)
11 - A Starlight Frolic ("I love the Sun - I love the moon - So fair to see; I love the little twinkling stars, And they love me." - Symington)
12 - The Sweet Hush of Dawn ("But they must go, the time draws on, And those white-favour'd horses wait; They rise, but linger; it is late; Farewell, we kiss, and they are gone." - Tennyson)
Like many pianists, I first encountered the music of Walter Carroll the ABRSM grade syllabi, and was instantly captivated by the perfect balance between refined craftsmanship and imagination. Carroll was renowned in his lifetime for his commitment to the training of music teachers, being quick to realise that being a virtuoso performer did not automatically make for having the ability to teach effectively. Much of his musical activity was devoted to training musicians in the art of teaching. The many suites of piano pieces were all composed as teaching material in response to what Carroll felt was a lack of inspired material for children, and a vast range of expressive and technical devices are explored, along with beautiful melodic and harmonic invention. As a teacher, I never tire of exploring these pieces with my students, and as an ABRSM examiner, I'm delighted to hear these pieces presented by piano students across the globe.
