ABSTRACT
Hamish MacCunn continued teaching and conducting, though he abandoned both by the end of 1915 as his health failed. In his compositions, he reverted to the daring harmonies of Diarmid, Scottish themes, and smaller genres composing some of his best works. He held his last academic and final teaching post in 1912 at the Guildhall School of Music, succeeding Coleridge-Taylor. Henry Hamilton's 1912 English adaptation of Karl von Balkony and R. Bodanski's German stage work Autumn Manoeuvres featured two choruses by MacCunn, though he did not conduct any of the performances. While MacCunn's time in the realm of popular music ended, he remained on the podium in opera houses through 1915. Around this time, the Edinburgh Town Council also approached MacCunn about conducting the opening concerts of the city's new concert hall, Usher Hall, on 28 February 1914. In November 1912, the London Missionary Society commissioned MacCunn to write a cantata commemorating the centenary of Livingstone's birth.
