ABSTRACT
It was inevitable that Edmund Rubbra would eventually write a choral symphony, thus fusing the two main strands of his mature creativity. (John Pickard)2
The Literature about Rubbra and Symphony No. 9
Edmund Rubbra (1901-86) left a rather large oeuvre of compositions in many genres which, with few exceptions, exhibit the primary attributes of an eclectic compositional idiom-expressive lyricism through tonal centricity and formal development through contrapuntal or polyphonic means-much influenced by neo-medievalism and modality, two elements reflecting his philosophicalreligious position (that is, Rubbra was a mystic and visionary by nature, a Roman Catholic by conversion). One would think that such a large body of interesting and challenging musical literature, by a composer who was given to explaining it in print, would have its respectively large collection of scholarly criticism. Yet that is not the case, for there have been few comprehensive publications on Rubbra’s music-one encounters a number of periodical essays commenting upon his progress at various stages; the more significant and longer articles deal with all of the symphonies in general or particular symphonies in specific, the most important writers of which are Hugh Ottaway, Elsie Payne, and Harold Truscott-and, in fact, only three book-length treatments.3
