Composers

Monday, February 16th., London.

Schmitt for lunch. Arrived half an hour late. Drank a lot of stout, and thoroughly enjoyed eating and drinking. Clearly a man of appetite. Upstairs in sitting room he objected to having a small table by his side for coffee, as it morally prevented him from getting up and walking about at will. I fancy this was an affectation, but composers can be rather odd characters.

Hertford House, The Wallace Collection

We took him and Rickards, who also came for lunch, to the Wallace Collection. I noted a fine "Music Lesson" of Steen, and a small picture of Leopold Robert. We left Schmitt and his Baedeker in the street to find his  way to Russell Square alone. Then all of us to South Place Institute for concert. Quartet of Ravel and Quintet of Schmitt.

 

A Full Day

Friday, October 19th., Cadogan Square, London.

I wrote 1,000 words of a short story before noon. I then walked two miles and then drove to the Garrick Club. where du Maurier lunched with me. He practically wanted me to re-write Acts 2 and 3 of "The Return Journey". I told him I couldn't but gave him leave to fool around with the play.


Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier (26 March 1873 – 11 April 1934) was an English actor and manager. He was the son of the writer George du Maurier and brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. In 1902, he married the actress Muriel Beaumont with whom he had three daughters: writers Angela du Maurier (1904–2002) and Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989), and painter Jeanne du Maurier (1911–1996). His popularity lay in his subtle and naturalistic acting: a "delicately realistic style of acting that sought to suggest rather than to state the deeper emotions". His Times obituary said of his career: "His parentage assured him of engagements in the best of company to begin with; but it was his own talent that took advantage of them."

We reached the Ravel concert at the Aeolian Hall 20 minutes late and Ravel himself came into the vestibule. We talked a bit. I hadn't seen him since he came to visit us at Comarques in December 1913, so, of course, it was his first meeting with Dorothy. I wonder what he thinks about my change of circumstances? The concert was extremely satisfactory. It seemed to me to be all good music.

An impressive book

Saturday, June 4th., Villa des Nefliers, Fontainebleau.

Ravel and his mother came for tea yesterday; only both of them preferred water to tea.

Yesterday I finished "A Man of Property". A really distinguished, passionate, truly romantic universal book. Many small faults, but the only large fault is that the end is not an end. The situation between Soames Forsythe and Irene his wife is not resolved. But it is an impressive book, no mistake.

This morning I finished second chapter of last part of "Clayhanger".

Additionally for June 4th., see 'Life and death'

I had an article in the Daily News on Saturday entitled "Where are the Dead?" It amounted to a sort of response to, an article the previous day by E. A. Knox, formerly Bishop of Manchester, who propounded a conventional Christian view of the 'afterlife'. I of course expressed little interest in congregations of spirits. Believing, as I do, that matter and spirit are inseparable, two sides of the same coin, I conclude that dissolution of material organisation means dissolution of spiritual. It seems to me that any normally intelligent person, not unduly constrained by social convention, can see at a glance that ideas of resurrection and 'eternal life' are laughable. The stories of organised religion would not deceive a sensible ten year old child were they not wrapped up in an envelope of  ritual, tradition and mumbo-jumbo.