Momento Mori!

A slightly melancholy day today as you will infer from my title.  It began when, following a miraculous night without rain and a sunny morning, I finally had the chance cut my area of grass in the Churchyard.  A combination of idleness and bad weather meant that I had failed to cut it for three weeks and it was nearly "as high as an elephant's eye".  I managed half of it before, yes, you guessed it, the rains came.  Working round the gravestones invariably reminds me of the dictum above, loosely - remember your mortality!  What is startling to modern eyes is the number of children who died young in olden days.  Today, it is rare for a child to succumb once it has passed through the first six months, but in the 19th c. they died in droves at all ages. Particularly poignant is a gravestone with three children listed aged around 3, 5 and 7.

Then, later this afternoon a friend told me that The Times was carrying an obituary on Vernon 'Tod' Handley, the conductor.  I only met him a few times, back in the early '60s, but he was one of those ebullient, charming, witty characters you never forget.  He had recently been appointed musical director for the Guildford orchestra which was semi-amateur when he took over but fully professional when he finished with it.  My girlfriend of the time (later to become the little 'Memsahib') shared a flat with another girl and 'Tod', an exceedingly smooth man with the ladies (as his subsequent 3 wives would attest, I dare say) was a fairly frequent visitor!  At that time I was a squaddie over in Aldershot, a short train ride away, and I used to sneak off from barracks when I could to spend the night in the girls' flat.  Then, as now, I couldn't tell the difference between a crotchet and a quaver, but I used to listen to 'Tod's' hilarious stories of the behind the scenes activities in a professional orchestra.  Those tales of his have proved invaluable in stopping me from ever becoming too pompous about classical music.  We lost track of him but followed his career from a distance.  I often wondered why he didn't make it to the very top of his profession.  I suspect, for I cannot know, that two factors might have held him back.  First, he was devoted to 20th c. English music.  I can remember him one night enthusing at length over the chance he had to conduct some Bax, one of his favourites.  The problem is that, Vaughan Williams and Delius apart, late English music has never seemed to quite make it in the popularity charts.  His other drawback, from a career enhancement point of view, was that he became a protegee of Sir Edward Boult.  I remember 'Tod' expressing his enormous affection and admiration for this stickler of a man.  He told me that Boult would never allow himself the indulgence, as he saw it, of wild, extravagant gestures in his conducting technique.  He taught 'Tod' that precision was essential and arm movement should be clear but minimal but, of course, audiences love a conducter who shows his exuberence by the use of grand gestures, conducting the house rather than the orchestra.  I suppose Bernstein is the best example.  Boult, and 'Tod' Handley, were just too English for that sort of thing.  Anyway, I was reminded of a vivid and entertaining companion I 'knew' for a few short months some 45 years ago.

Whilst searching The Times obituary page for 'Tod's' name, I spotted a link to men and women who had served during WW2 in SOE.  They were enormous heroes and heroines to me as a young boy, particularly when I read books like "The White Rabbit", the story of Wing Cdr. Yeo-Thomas.  (If you have young sons, or young grandsons, buy them that book and let them read of real heroism!)  Anyway, just at random, and as a personal memorial to them and their comrades, here are just a few with the link to their obituaries.  Just pick one or two and browse through the brief stories of their lives - remarkable men and women, all of them, and I salute their memory:

Ian Woolf  Roger Leney  Pearl Witherington  Anthony Brooks  Lise Villameur  Glyn Loosmore     

 

Comments

[Laban]

Ever heard EJ Moeran ? His Sinfonietta, 1st and only symphony, and Cello Concerto are worth a listen. Irish-flavoured RVW.

[David Duff]

I'll look him out but in the meantime - RVW?

[David Duff]

"RVW?"

I've just finished cutting some more grass in the churchyard and about halfway through the penny dropped - Ralph Vaughan Williams. Duh! (It's the gin, you know!)

[anne]

Hey - I have daughters and granddaughters who also can read about heroism! I've come to like stopping here so no sexism, please!

[David Duff]

Anne, "mea culpa, mea maxima culpa" but in slight mitigation I did include two ladies in my R.I.P. list above. Also, by amazing coincidence, I was in my local library for few minutes today and spotted a book, whose title escapes me, but which was a history of the women who served in SOE during WWII. I had a quick skim and noticed that one of them was American. If I can track down the book I will let you know. And, of course, I don't believe for a second that you have grand daughters!