Bax to the future: reviving Sir Arnold’s music and rescuing his reputation | Letters
Readers respond to Tom Service’s tribute to Sir Arnold Bax and letters about the composerI read Tom Service’s thoughtful article on Arnold Bax with great interest, and welcome his advocacy...
By Guardian Staff · The Guardian Opinion
Readers respond to Tom Service’s tribute to Sir Arnold Bax and letters about the composer I read Tom Service’s thoughtful article on Arnold Bax with great interest, and welcome his advocacy for a long‑overdue revival of the composer’s music at the Proms ( It’s unfashionable, wild and wilful – why Bax’s music deserves a comeback, 22 April ). However, one biographical aside merits reconsideration. The statement that Bax “avoided serving in the first world war due to a heart complaint” risks perpetuating the implication – however unintended – that this exemption reflected privilege or convenience. Recent scholarship suggests otherwise. Prof Claire Colebourn has shown that Bax was born with a severe congenital heart defect that significantly limited his physical capacity. This condition was diagnosed by Sir James Mackenzie, widely regarded as the founder of modern cardiology. Continue reading...