Lord Berners (1882-1950) was a prominent aesthete of the 20th century. He was a British aristocratic, composer, author and a diplomat. He was also a painter. His best known work is the ballet The Triumph of Neptune commissioned by Diaghilev.
Early Life of Lord Berners
Sir Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson or Lord Berners was born on September 18, 1883, in Arley Park, Bridgenorth, Shropshire. He studied music in Dresden and Vienna but later, in his late 20s, he widely travelled, and pursued career as a diplomat in 1909 to 1920, primarily in Rome, where he was honorary attaché before inheriting his title. Interestingly, he was self-taught in this field. It was in Rome that he met prominent composers including Stravinsky and Casella, who provided him with some musical advice and lessons.
The Eccentric Baron
In 1919 Lord Berners succeeded to the barony as 14th Baron Berners. He was sometimes referred to as the eccentric English gentleman, notorious for doing odd things like dyeing pigeons in vibrant colours. The Berners family descended from Sir John Bourchier, a grandson of King Edward III.
The Writer
As author, Lord Berners' early works were written under the name Gerald Tyrwhitt. Sir Berners had great talent for satire and parody in his works, which he used with humour, sometimes irony, and with reinforced glittering colours.
Lord Berners' autobiography, First Childhood (1934) and A Distant Prospect (1945) are both highly recommended. He wrote the novel Far from the Madding War (1941).
The Composer
Lord Berners' music is rewarding. His piano music has the influence of Eric Satie, particularly the latter’s satirical wit, for instance, Little Funeral Marches (commemorating a statesman, an aunt and a canary), 3 Orchestral Pieces, and Fantaisie Espagnole for orchestra. His earlier works were chiefly songs and piano pieces, close to the French group of composers ‘Les Six.’
Later, he wrote ballets including his best known The Triumph of Neptune which is commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev, Luna Park, and A Wedding Bouquet, which has choral parts to words by influential American writer Gertrude Stein, and Les Sirenes.
Lord Berners also composed music for film scores, for instance, Nicholas Nickleby, in 1946.
Lord Berner's Musical Works:
- Little Funeral Marches, 1916
- 3 Orchestral Pieces, 1918
- Fantaisie Espagnole for Orchestra, 1918-1919
- The Triumph of Neptune, ballet, 1926
- Luna Park, ballet, 1930
- A Wedding Bouquet, ballet, 1936
- Cupid and Psyche, ballet, 1938
- Les Sirenes, ballet, 1946
Sources:
The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, edited by Stanley Sadie, MacMillan (1994)
Oxford Dictionary of Music, 2nd Edition, edited by Michael Kennedy, OUP (1994)
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