I read Tom Service's thoughtful article on Arnold Bax with great interest, and welcome his advocacy for a long-overdue revival of the composer's music at the Proms. However, one biographical aside merits reconsideration.
Reexamining Bax's Health
The statement that Bax "avoided serving in the first world war due to a heart complaint" risks perpetuating the implication that this exemption reflected privilege or convenience. Recent scholarship suggests otherwise. Prof Claire Colebourn has shown that Bax was born with a severe congenital heart defect that significantly limited his physical capacity. This condition was diagnosed by Sir James Mackenzie, widely regarded as the founder of modern cardiology.
Longstanding assumptions about Bax's health have also coloured perceptions of his character. His notably ruddy complexion, often cited as evidence of heavy drinking, is now understood to have been consistent with a malar flush secondary to pulmonary hypertension, a recognised complication of congenital heart disease. Such a condition would, in fact, have rendered him intolerant of more than very small amounts of alcohol.
These medical realities materially alter our understanding of Bax's life and circumstances, including his incapacity for military service. If, as Service hopes, Bax's music is finally to enjoy a resurgence, this would be an opportune moment to revisit his biography with greater clinical and historical accuracy, and to separate outdated conjecture from documented fact.
Dr Khalid Barakat, Postcombe, Oxfordshire
Amateur Orchestras Keep Bax Alive
Having performed the Second Symphony by Arnold Bax with the Northampton Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, I can confirm Peter Davis's description of the "vast, almost cinematic, visual quality in Bax's music." In a pre-concert talk, provided by the Sir Arnold Bax Society, we learned that there were only two performances of Bax symphonies scheduled anywhere in the world this year – one of the Sixth Symphony in Tokyo a few weeks ago and ours in Northampton.
While it would be wonderful to see professional orchestras programming more Bax, this demonstrates the value of the UK's amateur orchestras, which provide opportunities for audiences to hear neglected repertoire as well as the chance for amateur musicians to understand and appreciate these works by learning to play them.
The Northampton Symphony Orchestra performed Bax's First Symphony in March 2024, and we are planning a full cycle of the seven symphonies over the coming years: keep an eye out for details of future performances at www.nso.org.uk
Robin Simpson, Eversholt, Bedfordshire
A Personal Encounter with Bax
The pinnacle of a very short career in the performing arts came when, against stiff competition, I won the 1970 open piano class at our local music festival by playing In a Vodka Shop, an exuberant but fiendishly difficult piece by Arnold Bax. My teacher's choice, and I loved it. The adjudicator got me up on stage afterwards to declare that he'd never heard such a drunken performance, before demanding to know my age. When I told him I was 17, he made some crack about underage drinking not doing my piano playing any harm.
Unfortunately, at the winners' recital a couple of weeks later I played like someone who'd had several too many, despite not touching a drop. Crippled by nerves, I got stuck in a loop of repeated crashing chords before recovering enough – just – to finish, make it off stage and swear that I would never play piano in public again. I rarely drink vodka either – although I still love Arnold Bax.
Mary Crockett Graham, Hale, Greater Manchester
