Ruth Gipps

Born: February 20, 1921, Bexhill-on-Sea, England
Died: February 23, 1999, Framfield, Sussex, England

Pan and Apollo for Two Oboes, English Horn and Harp, Op. 78

• Composed: 1992
  
• Premiere: Unknown
  
• Duration: approx. 6 minutes

Ruth Gipps is recognized as one of Britain’s best composers. Her music is playful and romantic in character and a delight to hear. Following the path of Vaughan Williams, Bliss, Walton, Bax and others, her writing prominently displays their influence.

Sadly, she has not yet received the recognition she justly deserves.

The composition Pan and Apollo was written in 1992 and portrays a contest of musical prowess between Apollo and his lyre and Pan and his pipe. The contest was adjudicated by Midas, who pronounced Pan the winner. Angry at the judgment, Apollo expressed his anger by affixing some rather large donkey ears to Midas’ head as punishment.

This piece is a short, but sweet, representation of that contest.

Writing about her Pan and Apollo, Ruth Gipps noted the following:

Pipes v. Lyre: “Midas was the judge of a musical competition between Pan and Apollo, and for deciding against Apollo was punished with ass’s ears which he tried to conceal under his Phrygian cap. He revealed their existence only to his barber, who tried to relieve himself of the intolerable burden of the secret by digging a hole in the earth in a secluded spot, into which he whispered the secret.” (John Pinsent: Greek Mythology)

Of course, the reeds that sprang up kept whispering, “Midas has ass’s ears.”

This story is one of the earliest examples of the argument between wind and string players; we do not know who adjudicated the adjudicator. The music of this short work represents only the competition itself, with both gods in extrovert mood.

—Christopher Philpotts