Obscure Music Monday: Bantock's Pibroch

Sir Granville Ransome Bantock (Aug. 7, 1868 - Oct. 16, 1946) was a British composer and conductor, born in London. His parents hoped he would enter the Indian Civil Service, but poor health would prevent him from that. He turned to chemical engineering, but around 20 years old, he started looking at musical manuscripts. His first teacher was at Trinity College of Music, and in 1888 he entered the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Frederick Corder.

Bantock's conducting took him around the world, and he was known at times for devoting an entire concert to one composer. He was professor at the University of Birmingham (succeeding Sir Edward Elgar) from 1908 - 1934, and elected Chairman of the Corporation of Trinity College of Music in London. He was knighted in 1930.

Bantock had a significant output, and wrote for a variety of genres, including chamber music such as Pibroch, for cello and harp (or piano). Pibroch is an art music genre stemming from the Scottish Highlands. Some pibrochs are laments, for those who have passed, and Bantock's piece is a rendition of MacIntosh's Lament, written after the death of Lachlan, the 14th laird of MacIntosh, in the 1500s. The harp part isn't showcased like the cello part is; it's very much an accompaniment, and a very beautiful one at that. The cello part is rich, stunning, and incredibly emotional. It certainly has technical challenges to it, but more than anything, the main challenge is musical, and conveying that deep sense of grief, so exquisitely.