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The Works of Amon Rowley

The 21 Works of Amon Rowley
1. Lost In A German City (1930)
2. Invitation To Spend A Weekend Away (1935-37)
3. The Fete of Fire & Drums (1939)
4. Incidental Music for Fete of Fire & Drums (1939)
5. The Woodcut Variations (1942)
6. Breadcrusts (1945)
7. Untitled (a.k.a.: 7JS MU 9x3) (1949)
8. Untitled (a.k.a.: 7JS MU 7x1 & 8x2) (1949)
9. Yellow Music (1950)
10. The Game of Chess (1955)
11. Sabazius (1960)
12. N'Hush or The Archon Suite for Electronic Instruments (1962)
13. Untitled, unsigned, printed score (1965)
14 Speculum Persona (1970)
15. Assignations (1974)
16. The Madeline Songs (1975)
17. The Emma Virginia Alderman Opera in One Act (1978)
18. Addendum To Songs For Ad Veritatem (1979)
19. Ad Veritatem (Tone Poem & Song) (1980)
20. Acts of Defiance for String Quartet (1,2,3,4,5) (no date)
21. Deep Blue Sea (no date)

 

Excerpt from an article by Werner Truckbytten (Dutch music critic) on Rowley:

Amon Rowley has been the subject of much curiosity and misinformation during the past few years. Few biographical facts are available, as a result of the scrupulous attention allotted to the concealment of such details of his life, cautiously guarded by the great man himself, whose efforts at preventing a high-profile were very successful. One might say he was the “Garbo” of the avant-garde music world.
His birth-date* is variously recorded as 1909, 1911, 1913, and 1917. The report of his death in 1980, as a victim of drowning near a small island off western Bali, has never been actually proven, for the body of the deceased was never located.
Adding to these difficulties of documentation, is the loss of all of Rowley’s legal papers and known personal papers in a fire which destroyed everything at his home on the English coast near Middleton-on-Sea. Oddly, the fire occurred while Rowley was away on his fatal trip to Indonesia.
Not-withstanding all of these problems, there are examples of existing letters, notes, and ephemera, and a complete diary from the years 1936-41, in the archives of the T.R.I. London*, and from time to time some new item of Rowleyabilia will surface.
One truth can be stated without compunction however, and that is Amon Rowley’s undisputed genius as a Maestro. His works are undoubtedly among the most prized jewels in the crown of contemporary modernist music. In the following papers I seek to ensconce Rowley in his rightful historical place among the great composers and to clarify his unique vision which deserves more comprehensive public attention.
*Rowley was born at sea aboard the MS. Ivernia. His father was a British naval officer and ships physician, Caruthers Rowley. His mother, Madeline Duran-Arneau Rowley was an accomplished concert pianist. In a letter (posted from New York City, 1909) to her sister, Sylvie Arneau, she gives Amon Rowley's date of birth as March 12.
*T.R.I. Institute London, 22 Petersham Place, Kensington

Terrence Bainbridge in 1947.

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Interview with Terrence Bainbridge by Kay Riverbend (English Arts Affiliates Society) for VIEWPOINT 1982

K.R.: Can you tell us something about the T.R.I. (Trash Research Institute)? How you
founded it, why, and what T.R.I. means?

T.B.: Well yes. The T.R.I. was born out of my association with the "Weltschmerz" group, a sort of club, begun by Mr. Tanner Mott in 1947, I think it was. We were perhaps seven or eight fellows, of mixed interests; a journalist, a painter, a few musicians, all very dynamic chaps. We would meet at restaurants, pubs, sometimes at one another’s homes and discuss world events, art, or whatever captivated our attentions that day. Sometimes we gave parties, or dinners. It was all very civilized really.
Anyway, we came up with the idea, that we should keep records of our discussed topics and somebody, I forget who, dubbed our attempts as forays into the “trash-research institute”. I always got a chuckle of our little joke, despite the fact there were actually profound implications inherent in that jest. After-all, some of the most
exciting ideas and discoveries have been considered nothing more than refuse, intellectual or actual, by portions of the population in any given era.So some years later, after the "Weltschmerz" group has disbanded, I decided to use
that title for my then private library and archive, and finally when I started the institute as a bonafide philanthropic trust, T.R.I. became the official appellation.

K.R.: I see. Thanks for the clarifications. It’s true that you were friends with the late Amon Rowley. Could you talk a little about your association with him?

T.B.: Ah…Amon…yes. I was very distressed when I learned of his death two years ago.
He was perhaps one of the most intriguing men Ive ever known.
In fact, it was largely due to my friendship with him that I started the T.R.I. and began a serious vocation in the world of trust-bestowals. I had been Rowley’s patron since I first met him as a young man in 1930, I think it was.
He had applied for a grant from the Ledbetter Foundation, of which I was director. He had just completed his very first work, “Lost In A German City” and was very energetic about making a name for himself. I think he was friends with Alfred Hitchcock, who inspired him and that it was “Hitch” that pushed him toward the Ledbetter Foundation.
Well, alas, I was the only man on the committee who ascertained Rowley’s genius and his proposals were denied.
I did, however, give him a cheque and later helped him find more suitable “digs” in the city and kept a close eye on him from then on.
He never quite recovered from his initial rejection however and became more and more reclusive as the years went on. He made brief appearances, now and then, and later,sometimes even came to the "Weltschmerz" gatherings, or an occasional gala, but those forays became rarer and rarer.

K.R. : Did Rowley have any serious romantic attachments?

T.B.: He was very private. But I do think so, yes, most certainly. I know he was deeply smitten with Eulaylia McGurrie, the soprano. But she was married and eventually their relationship was too strained to continue. There were others, but I was not privy to the details.

K.R. Who were Rowley’s parents?

T.B.: Rowley’s father was a naval officer and a physician. I believe he served with Cunard for most of his career. Amon was not terribly fond of him, perhaps because he did not see enough of him. He dearly loved his mother however. She was the virtuoso pianist, Madeline Duran-Arneau. It’s clear that Amon inherited his gifts for music from her.
For awhile the family lived briefly in Goa, I think it was. I believe Amon even studied yoga and the Upanishads with a guru in his early teen years. He did make reference from time to time to this man, but I cannot recall his name right now.
Later, Madame Duran-Arneau moved back to her family home in Provence with her sister and brother’s family, taking Amon with her. She later moved to a small village, Decazeville, where she died.
Amon was sent to the finest schools as a young man. He showed signs of enormous musical aptitude early on and no expense was spared in fostering these talents. He was always somewhere…Paris, Rome, London, even New York. But his life took a decisive turn after his first failure, as I mentioned.

K.R.: Was Rowley very productive, even if not successful?

T.B.: He was a flurry of inspiration. He was always working. He kept meticulous notes and had far-flung ideas. Alas many of these writings have disappeared. I don’t know where. I have managed to salvage some of his writings, a few letters, fragments of notebooks, some ephemera, a few recordings, and I do possess thirteen original scores.
But Rowley grew increasingly suspicious of leaving anything just lying about. He began to transfer some of his papers to his own home in Middleton-On-Sea and I had become so busy with other projects that I could not keep as watchful an eye on him as in the past.

K.R.: What a fascinating character.

T.B.: Yes indeed.

K.R.: What does the T.R.I. do now?

T.B.: The T.R.I. has become a repository of many invaluable resources, mainly concerning 20th century music. We have an amazing library and archive. We have sound studios, and a conservatory. I initiated our recording label and since then have sponsored many talented young musicians and composers. Some of the most au-current and cutting edge works are now available from T.R.I. as well as music from decades previous. We are very proud of T.R.I.

K.R.: Finally, could you tell me how you made your obviously resourceful fortune?

T.B.: Ah! No, I am sorry dear lady. Some secrets are not be revealed.

* T.R.I. is no longer the official name - now simply known as The Amon Rowley Foundation

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About The Foundation

The Amon Rowley Foundation (formerly the T.R.I. London) is dedicated to the music and memory of English composer Amon Rowley. This Blog will include items of interest regarding the great man, links to other sites which contain Rowley references, postings from the archives of the foundation and other source materials.
Thank You for visiting,
Cherry Gollogoly (Blog Director)

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