A Remembrance of Michael Kennedy (1926 - 2014)

[ Note: I've spent the last several days listening to CDs and writing reviews of Vaughan Williams symphony cycles. I'll continue to do so here, but pause today to mention that dusting off the old recordings and reading the liner notes has reminded me of the importance of Michael Kennedy. You see, inevitably, even the most casual listener of Vaughan Williams will encounter the writing or thought of Michael Kennedy. Michael was the composer's friend and chosen musicologist. His analysis will always carry a bit more weight than anyone else's, just as Sir Adrian Boult's interpretations of the symphonies will always have pride of place. The reason is simple: both men were close to the composer himself, and best knew his ideas and opinions. Like anyone who has published research on Vaughan Williams, I've relied on Michael's work, even where I had any disagreements. Back in 2006,  certain disagreements came to the fore when we presented clashing understandings of the role of religion and religious symbolism in the composer's works at a symposium in Midhurst, Sussex. Regardless of our disagreements, meeting him was a high point of the weekend for me (along with meeting Dr. James Day, RVW's first biographer, and other luminaries such as Stephen Connock and Diana McVeagh - it was a lot of fun for a young RVW scholar).  

When Michael passed away in 2014, I wasn't active in scholarship (having turned most of my attentions to a performing career), but wrote this tribute to him on Facebook. Readers of the blog might want to know what it was like to meet, and debate, the man chosen by RVW to analyze his works for posterity. -E.S. ]

 RIP Michael Kennedy (1926-2014)

Michael Kennedy was a musicologist and critic who wrote for decades at the UK Telegraph. A personal friend of Ralph Vaughan Williams, he was asked by the great composer himself to write the definitive book on his music. After RVW's death, he produced a text which has remained the standard for all subsequent scholarship.

I had the honor of debating him in 2006, at a joint symposium of the RVW and Elgar Societies in Midhurst. I distinctly remember that for the first day and a half of the symposium he refused to speak to me or acknowledge my existence. When his presentation came around, however, he unloaded on my theories of religious symbolism in RVW's work such that no one could doubt his both marking and despising my earlier articles.

After that presentation I walked up to him, shook his hand, and thanked him for letting me off the hook by calling me out by name. He was very happy at my reaction--I think he enjoyed meeting a younger man who could take a punch. The next morning, I unloaded on his theories with equal strength, while showing him the respect he'd earned for a lifetime of service to music. After my presentation, both he and his wife thanked me for treating him so well, even in disagreement. He then encouraged me to write a book on Vaughan Williams's operas, and remained a supportive colleague after that meeting, however much he saw things differently.

Michael was a scholar from an earlier age--an age when people could disagree with full blooded passion, but still respect and even encourage their opponent. He was a gentleman, and the trusted friend of one of the finest composers who ever lived. I will miss his brand of toughness, honesty, and sense of fair play. I can only hope that in this current society dominated by ad hominem attacks and character assassination, men and women like Michael Kennedy will still find a place, and eventually hold sway.

Here is a picture of the two of us after my presentation in '06. Rest in Peace, Michael. I hope you have found the Celestial City we spoke of that weekend.

Eric Seddon and  Michael Kennedy, Midhurst, UK, 2006 (photo by Joyce Kennedy)