Rebecca Helferich Clarke is a very important figure in early twentieth-century classical music. She was born in Harrow, England, and attended the Royal College of Music In London where she studied composition, violin, and viola. After clashes with her abusive father, she moved out of their house and supported herself by playing the viola in the Queen’s Hall Orchestra, becoming one of the first-ever female orchestral musicians. She came to the United States of America in 1916. Uncomfortable balancing family responsibilities with a musical career, she wrote little and ceased performing after her marriage 1942 , but did continue to make arrangements of her works until her death in 1979 in New York City.
Clarke’s music is often compared for its use of impressionistic textures to works of Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and also in some ways to the music of Ernest Bloch. Her music tends to feature the viola since she was a successful violist. The Two Pieces for Viola and Cello are from 1917, the year after she moved to the US. The first piece, Lullaby, features both strings muted, with each instrument playing multiple notes and even multiple voices at one time, creating the illusion of more than two performers. One special effect to note is the cellist bowing while also plucking with the left hand. The movement is serene yet also lush with the varied textures and pleasant harmony. In the second piece, Grotesque, Clarke completely changes the mood with quick, playful double stops in both instruments in addition to bursts of harmonics interrupting the melodic material.
Midsummer Moon, completed in 1926, is scored for viola and piano. One might mistake the viola for a violin in the opening due to Clarke’s use of the instrument in its high range. This work showcases her beautiful melodic voice, her ear for texture (the sounds of nature expressed through high trills in the viola, as well as the general atmosphere of the work), and well as her rich, beautiful harmony at the end of the work. Clarke’s music is interesting in its fusion of many twentieth century styles. In this work, one can hear the beautiful textures reminiscent of the French impressionistic composers, the melodic influence of the English folk song, and the harmony of twentieth-century composers.
Program Notes are by Kyle Blaha, a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at The Juilliard School and faculty member in the Juilliard Pre-College and Evening Division.