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Robert Lucas Pearsall

January 01, 1970

Robert Lucas Pearsall (14 March 1795 – 5 August 1856) was an English composer mainly of vocal music, including an elaborate setting of "In dulci jubilo" and the richly harmonic part song Lay a garland of 1840, both still often performed today. He spent the last 31 years of his life abroad, at first in Germany, then at a castle he bought in Switzerland.

Robert Lucas Pearsall by Philippa Swinnerton Hughes (née Pearsall)[1]

Biography edit

Pearsall was born at Clifton in Bristol on 14 March 1795 into a wealthy, originally Quaker family. His father, Richard Pearsall (died 1813), was an army officer and an amateur musician. Pearsall was privately educated.[2]

In 1816 Pearsall's mother, Elizabeth (née Lucas), bought the Pearsall family's home at Willsbridge, Gloucestershire (now part of Bristol), from her brother-in-law, Thomas Pearsall. Thomas had been ruined by the failure of the iron mill that had been the family's business since 1712. After the death of his mother in 1837, Pearsall sold Willsbridge House again, but although he would never live there again, he regularly chose to be known in publications as 'Pearsall of Willsbridge'. As for Willsbridge Mill, it was later converted into a flour mill and it stands to this day.[3]

Pearsall married Harriet Eliza Hobday in 1817. She was the daughter of a moderately successful portrait painter, William Armfield Hobday (1771–1831).[2][4]

The couple had four children — two boys (although the first son died in infancy) and two girls — all of them born in Bristol. In their early years of marriage, Pearsall practised as a barrister in Bristol, but in 1825 he took his family to live abroad: first to Mainz, then to Karlsruhe (1830–1842). In 1842, evidently after a long period of strain in their relationship, husband and wife separated. Pearsall used the money from the sale of the house at Willsbridge to buy Wartensee Castle, a ruined medieval keep near Rorschach in Switzerland. After purchasing the castle, he spent several years restoring the keep and building a suite of apartments adjacent to it. He remained there until his death on 5 August 1856, and was buried in the vault of the castle chapel. When the chapel was deconsecrated in 1957, his remains were removed and reinterred in the nearby Roman Catholic church at Wilen-Wartegg.

Composer edit

Pearsall's move abroad brought opportunities to develop his interests as a composer. Although it seems likely that he had some instruction, or at least received advice in composition from the Austrian violinist and composer Joseph Panny, he would still appear to be self-taught when he wrote most of his early attempts. There is little evidence to support a claim made by Hubert Hunt that his early works included the Duetto buffo di due gatti, published under the pseudonym G. Berthold and often attributed to Rossini. Though resident abroad, he kept in touch with his home city of Bristol. Pearsall's last visit to Willsbridge in 1836–1837 coincided with the foundation and earliest meetings of the Bristol Madrigal Society, for which many of the madrigals and part songs he wrote in the period 1836–1841 were composed. The success of his earliest works for the society encouraged him to write others, including "The Hardy Norseman" and "Sir Patrick Spens" (in ten parts), and eight-part settings of "Great God of Love" and "Lay a garland".[2]

Pearsall's setting of the medieval German Christmas carol "In dulci jubilo" (in his original version for eight solo and five chorus parts), is one of his most popular works and still performed frequently at Christmas. A 2008 survey by BBC Music Magazine found Pearsall's setting to be the second most popular choral Christmas carol with British cathedral organists and choirmasters.[5] The carol was originally written as a mixture of Latin and German text, and Pearsall, a scholar of German literature, replaced the German sections with English words to rhyme with the Latin phrases. His original text phrasing reflected the pronunciation of English Vernacular Latin prevalent at the time — thus Pearsall rhymed "O Jesu parvule" with "My Heart is sore for Thee" – but in later versions these phrases have been replaced by "I yearn for Thee alway", reflecting a shift in pronunciation to a more Italianate style of Latin speech.[6][7] Pearsall's arrangement of "In dulci jubilo" was included by Sir David Willcocks and Reginald Jacques in their popular 1961 music-score collection Carols for Choirs.[8]

Pearsall was an amateur composer. Many of his compositions were not published until after his death, and even now, many remain in manuscript. The particle de before his name was propagated by his daughter Philippa.[9]

Pearsall was the author of several articles and letters that contributed to scholarly understanding of early music in the Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions and helped to re-establish plainsong, Renaissance polyphony, and ancient church hymns in German and English-speaking countries.[citation needed] His antiquarian interests, including history, heraldry and genealogy, his rejection of industrialisation, and his search for clarity in musical composition were derived from earlier models and place him firmly in the Romantic movement. He also composed poetry, some of which he used for his madrigals, such as "Why Do the Roses" (1842). In the 1830s, he made accomplished verse translations into English of Schiller's play William Tell in 1829 and Goethe's Faust.[2]

Present appreciation edit

The composer Robert Cummings writes, "While Robert Lucas Pearsall wrote instrumental and orchestral music, he is best known for his vocal works, particularly for his madrigals and part songs, which he composed as a means of reviving Renaissance-era styles. He expanded on, rather than copied them, adding structural features from the Classical period to forge a unique pastiche style. This yielded several masterly works, including the madrigals "Great God of Love" and "Lay a Garland"."[10]

References edit

  1. ^ "Robert Lucas Pearsall – replica by Philippa Swinnerton Hughes (née Pearsall)". National Portrait Gallery. from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d Brown, Clive (2004). "Pearsall, Robert Lucas (1795–1856)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/21702. from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ "Willsbridge Mill – a part history". Districtweb.org.uk. Warmley. from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  4. ^ "Hobday, William Armfield (1771–1831)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/13401. from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. ^ "Bleak Midwinter named best carol". BBC News. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  6. ^ "In dulci iubilo (Anon/Pearsall) – from SIGCD386 – Hyperion Records – MP3 and Lossless downloads". www.hyperion-records.co.uk. hyperion. from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  7. ^ Morehen, John (2003). English Choral Practice, 1400-1650. Cambridge University Press. p. 78. ISBN 9780521544085. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  8. ^ Robert Lucas, Pearsall (1961). "15. In Dulci Jubilo". In Jacques, Reginald; Willcocks, David (eds.). Carols for Choirs I. Music Department, Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780193532229.
  9. ^ Philippa Swinnerton Hughes, Geni.com
  10. ^ Cummings, Robert. . AllMusic. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.

External links edit

 
Wikisource has original works by or about:
Robert Lucas de Pearsall

January 01, 1970
robert, lucas, pearsall, march, 1795, august, 1856, english, composer, mainly, vocal, music, including, elaborate, setting, dulci, jubilo, richly, harmonic, part, song, garland, 1840, both, still, often, performed, today, spent, last, years, life, abroad, firs. Robert Lucas Pearsall 14 March 1795 5 August 1856 was an English composer mainly of vocal music including an elaborate setting of In dulci jubilo and the richly harmonic part song Lay a garland of 1840 both still often performed today He spent the last 31 years of his life abroad at first in Germany then at a castle he bought in Switzerland Robert Lucas Pearsall by Philippa Swinnerton Hughes nee Pearsall 1 Contents 1 Biography 2 Composer 3 Present appreciation 4 References 5 External linksBiography editPearsall was born at Clifton in Bristol on 14 March 1795 into a wealthy originally Quaker family His father Richard Pearsall died 1813 was an army officer and an amateur musician Pearsall was privately educated 2 In 1816 Pearsall s mother Elizabeth nee Lucas bought the Pearsall family s home at Willsbridge Gloucestershire now part of Bristol from her brother in law Thomas Pearsall Thomas had been ruined by the failure of the iron mill that had been the family s business since 1712 After the death of his mother in 1837 Pearsall sold Willsbridge House again but although he would never live there again he regularly chose to be known in publications as Pearsall of Willsbridge As for Willsbridge Mill it was later converted into a flour mill and it stands to this day 3 Pearsall married Harriet Eliza Hobday in 1817 She was the daughter of a moderately successful portrait painter William Armfield Hobday 1771 1831 2 4 The couple had four children two boys although the first son died in infancy and two girls all of them born in Bristol In their early years of marriage Pearsall practised as a barrister in Bristol but in 1825 he took his family to live abroad first to Mainz then to Karlsruhe 1830 1842 In 1842 evidently after a long period of strain in their relationship husband and wife separated Pearsall used the money from the sale of the house at Willsbridge to buy Wartensee Castle a ruined medieval keep near Rorschach in Switzerland After purchasing the castle he spent several years restoring the keep and building a suite of apartments adjacent to it He remained there until his death on 5 August 1856 and was buried in the vault of the castle chapel When the chapel was deconsecrated in 1957 his remains were removed and reinterred in the nearby Roman Catholic church at Wilen Wartegg Composer editPearsall s move abroad brought opportunities to develop his interests as a composer Although it seems likely that he had some instruction or at least received advice in composition from the Austrian violinist and composer Joseph Panny he would still appear to be self taught when he wrote most of his early attempts There is little evidence to support a claim made by Hubert Hunt that his early works included the Duetto buffo di due gatti published under the pseudonym G Berthold and often attributed to Rossini Though resident abroad he kept in touch with his home city of Bristol Pearsall s last visit to Willsbridge in 1836 1837 coincided with the foundation and earliest meetings of the Bristol Madrigal Society for which many of the madrigals and part songs he wrote in the period 1836 1841 were composed The success of his earliest works for the society encouraged him to write others including The Hardy Norseman and Sir Patrick Spens in ten parts and eight part settings of Great God of Love and Lay a garland 2 Pearsall s setting of the medieval German Christmas carol In dulci jubilo in his original version for eight solo and five chorus parts is one of his most popular works and still performed frequently at Christmas A 2008 survey by BBC Music Magazine found Pearsall s setting to be the second most popular choral Christmas carol with British cathedral organists and choirmasters 5 The carol was originally written as a mixture of Latin and German text and Pearsall a scholar of German literature replaced the German sections with English words to rhyme with the Latin phrases His original text phrasing reflected the pronunciation of English Vernacular Latin prevalent at the time thus Pearsall rhymed O Jesu parvule with My Heart is sore for Thee but in later versions these phrases have been replaced by I yearn for Thee alway reflecting a shift in pronunciation to a more Italianate style of Latin speech 6 7 Pearsall s arrangement of In dulci jubilo was included by Sir David Willcocks and Reginald Jacques in their popular 1961 music score collection Carols for Choirs 8 Pearsall was an amateur composer Many of his compositions were not published until after his death and even now many remain in manuscript The particle de before his name was propagated by his daughter Philippa 9 Pearsall was the author of several articles and letters that contributed to scholarly understanding of early music in the Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions and helped to re establish plainsong Renaissance polyphony and ancient church hymns in German and English speaking countries citation needed His antiquarian interests including history heraldry and genealogy his rejection of industrialisation and his search for clarity in musical composition were derived from earlier models and place him firmly in the Romantic movement He also composed poetry some of which he used for his madrigals such as Why Do the Roses 1842 In the 1830s he made accomplished verse translations into English of Schiller s play William Tell in 1829 and Goethe s Faust 2 Present appreciation editThe composer Robert Cummings writes While Robert Lucas Pearsall wrote instrumental and orchestral music he is best known for his vocal works particularly for his madrigals and part songs which he composed as a means of reviving Renaissance era styles He expanded on rather than copied them adding structural features from the Classical period to forge a unique pastiche style This yielded several masterly works including the madrigals Great God of Love and Lay a Garland 10 References edit Robert Lucas Pearsall replica by Philippa Swinnerton Hughes nee Pearsall National Portrait Gallery Archived from the original on 15 December 2018 Retrieved 15 December 2018 a b c d Brown Clive 2004 Pearsall Robert Lucas 1795 1856 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press doi 10 1093 ref odnb 21702 Archived from the original on 15 December 2018 Retrieved 15 December 2018 Subscription or UK public library membership required Willsbridge Mill a part history Districtweb org uk Warmley Archived from the original on 15 December 2018 Retrieved 15 December 2018 Hobday William Armfield 1771 1831 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online ed Oxford University Press 2004 doi 10 1093 ref odnb 13401 Archived from the original on 15 December 2018 Retrieved 15 December 2018 Subscription or UK public library membership required Bleak Midwinter named best carol BBC News 27 November 2008 Retrieved 15 December 2018 In dulci iubilo Anon Pearsall from SIGCD386 Hyperion Records MP3 and Lossless downloads www hyperion records co uk hyperion Archived from the original on 15 December 2018 Retrieved 15 December 2018 Morehen John 2003 English Choral Practice 1400 1650 Cambridge University Press p 78 ISBN 9780521544085 Retrieved 15 December 2018 Robert Lucas Pearsall 1961 15 In Dulci Jubilo In Jacques Reginald Willcocks David eds Carols for Choirs I Music Department Oxford University Press ISBN 9780193532229 Philippa Swinnerton Hughes Geni com Cummings Robert Robert Lucas Pearsall AllMusic Archived from the original on 15 December 2018 Retrieved 15 December 2018 External links edit nbsp Wikisource has original works by or about Robert Lucas de Pearsall Free scores by Robert Lucas Pearsall in the Choral Public Domain Library ChoralWiki Free scores by Robert Lucas Pearsall at the International Music Score Library Project IMSLP Works by or about Robert Lucas Pearsall at Internet Archive Works by Robert Lucas Pearsall at LibriVox public domain audiobooks nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Robert Lucas Pearsall amp oldid 1212239128, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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