Peace and Happiness (for my 67 Birthday)

Arthur Murray Goodhart (July 1866 – 1941) was born in Wimbledon, Surrey, England in 1866, and was educated at Eton College and then King's College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the Pitt Club. He was a pupil of Sir Joseph Barnby, Dr. George M. Garrett, Dr Charles W. Pearce, C. Forsyth, and Frank Bridge. He Taught classics at Eton School, and was a housemaster there.

As a composer, he wrote orchestral, organ, and piano pieces, songs, carols, military band music.

As a performer he was said to have "flair and a light hand."

"Peace and Happiness (Andante Tranquillo in D Major) is a very unusual piece, with an usual reason for my uploading at this time.

It is dedicated: "In affectionate memory of The Rt. Hon. Lord Avebury, P.C., F.R.S." and was published by The Opus Music Co. ca. 1913.

It is a sweet and lovely piece, and I suppose you could call it a "novelty" work, largely because of the title and the "imitative" parts on the last page.

The work seems to depict the mood of peace, but even here, some darker disturbances arise, which hopefully we can overcome. Once these are passed, not only peace can return, but there may even be outbursts of joy, before the final curfew call summons us home, and back to God. That curfew is here depicted by "The Note of the soft toned bell of the Clock at Kingsgate Castle." (where Lord Avebury resided), and also by the final "quasi Corni" figurations in the final measures.

The Clock was placed in the Courtyard shortly before Lord Avebury's (Sir John Lubbock) death on May 28, 1913.

I dedicate these performances to our member "voxcoelistis" with deep and sincere friendship! THANK YOU, Michael, for all the devotion and kindness that you have shown to me!

For complete information about the dedicatee, and the reasons that make this piece so special, see the First Comment.

Photos of Goodhart, Lubbock, Eton Chapel, Kingsgate Castle, as well as a scan of the title page of the score, signed by Goodhart, are attached below.