| Administrative History | Moira Fraser was a former Aberdeen University student |
| Description | Interview with Moira G. Fraser of the University Music Department, 1956-1960
Transcript of tape:
My name is Moira Fraser (nee Clark). I was always known by my nickname as 'Mouse' and I was a student in the Music Department at Aberdeen University from 1956 to 1960 when the only music degree on offer was the MA with Honours in Music.
Willan Swainson gave me my audition when I was in my sixth year at school, so that would have been May or June in 1956 which was his last year as head of department of the Music Department. He was very kind and very encouraging which I found very reassuring because I had been playing in the University Orchestra since I was in 5th year school and Willan Swainson always rather terrified me.
When I went up to University in October in 1956 everything was new. Reg Barratt-Ayres was the new head of department and three new members of staff had been appointed, Raymond Dodd, Paul Doe and Philip Lord. First and second year lectures were all out at Kings but the third and fourth-year music people were all based at Marischal College. The library and study room was a funny little glass cubby-hole off the long passage that runs underneath the Mitchell Hall and the staff had funny little rooms which were at the end of that long corridor or up rickety wooden stairs alongside the Debating Chamber. I can remember that in my first year I was very much in awe of the older students like Eric Gross, Eric Reid (who very sadly died in a car accident), Bobby Howie, and I really hardly came across them. I had to brace myself to go into the library to take out any books or any other material that I was needing.
Nina Davidson was the secretary of the Music Department and she was joined at some point later on by Margaret, whose surname I'm afraid I've forgotten. Nina, of course, was supremely efficient and she really ran the department. She knew everybody and all that they were up to as well. We became friendly later on and one summer she and I went to a music camp near Newbury, Berkshire. She sang in the choir and I played the trumpet in the orchestra. Of course, later on Nina married Henry Havergal who was then, must have been in one of his last years, as Principal of the College of Music in Glasgow.
I'm a little bit vague about my memories of what we had to study in the first and second years. Harmony, counterpoint, history of music certainly and there must have been keyboard harmony as well with individual sessions with members of staff. I don't remember much actual listening to music except on my own account and you also had to be a member of either the Recital Choir or the University Orchestra and, of course, I stayed on and played in the Orchestra. Third and fourth years: harmony, counterpoint - including the dreaded strict counterpoint -, orchestration, history of music, keyboard work, including keyboard harmony and we also had to choose a special period for special study. Then, for my finals in the summer of 1960 I have a strong memory of having six papers to sit plus, of course, a thesis which had been written and submitted earlier on in the summer term I suppose. There was certainly harmony, counterpoint, orchestration, history of music and I think a paper on your special period. And then, after the written papers came the practical examination, practical cum viva which was taken by Reg and an external examiner and my external examiner at the time was Professor Ivor Keys. Inevitably he was known as 'Ivory Keys'.
I was the only student in my third and forth years and again there were staff changes at the beginning of my fourth year. In October 1959 Paul Doe and Philip Lord (Philip of course died shortly afterwards), they left and they were replaced by Ian Kemp who is at the moment professor of music at Manchester University. He is a very dear friend to this day and we do see each other as often as possible. And also James McCoy. Raymond Dodd of course stayed on. There were building changes as well. There was a music library and a study room built where there had previously been a gents loo just at the right hand side of the main door into the Mitchell Hall, and an office and Reg's room were to the left of that main door.
Because I was the only student in my third year I became very friendly with the three girls in their final year. There was Kirsty Adam who was a very, very dear friend, Lena Watkins and Betty something or other, I'm afraid I've forgotten her surname. We used to have lots of fun together. I'm afraid and I'm sure the staff often frowned at the gales of giggles that came from the study room as they were passing by. Then. when I reached fourth year there were no music students at all in the third year so I had the study room to myself. It was really very lonely but I suppose I got a great deal more work done without any distractions.
Music making at that time in the University. I had been a member of the University Orchestra from about my fifth year at school onwards up until about 1974. In the Orchestra were instrumental teachers who taught in Aberdeen and the surrounding area, University staff and just a sprinkling of undergraduates, there didn't seem to be very many undergraduates. We had two big concerts a year, late November or early December and just before the Easter vacation and, of course, we often joined forces with the Recital Choir for big choral pieces. Reg was the main conductor of the orchestra which of course was very difficult for him as he found it very difficult to follow the score because of his poor sight. Then when Ian Kemp came to the department he started off the concert 'Music for a Summer Evening which I think must have happened in May. It usually consisted of small chamber-type works. I can remember especially a performance of A Soldier's Tale by Stravinsky and there was a Kurt Weill evening. They were always very interesting, the programmes, interesting and rather unusual the programmes that were chosen for those 'Music for a Summer Evening' concerts.
Reg was musical director of the Student Show. Rehearsals were all Easter vacation, of course, and then performances all through Charities Week, the first week of the summer term. When Philip Lord came, he became Musical Director of the show and I can remember wonderful music that he wrote for it including the Goodnight Song which I think has become a tradition. I think I took part in three shows, one of which was April Showers with very clever people in that show like Doug Kynoch, Derek Brechin, Gwyneth ?.
Reg also seemed to take the Student Singers mainly. We performed mainly madrigals and motets and we used to have trips out and about to sing at various concerts. I can remember a trip to Edinburgh with the student singers to sing at a church at the bottom of the Royal Mile and especially I can remember a performance of the Byrd's Ave verum which was absolutely beautiful and is still one of my very favourite motets. Reg must have been very busy because I can remember he got up a group of singers, myself included, to take part in a television series at Grampian and later on there were trips to Manchester for another television series and we sang a real mixture of music. There were Scots songs and I do remember Reg's own brilliant close harmony arrangements of classic popular songs. Deep Purple sticks in my mind as being particularly successful.
Reg also organised and directed a Scottish contingent of musicians to take part in international youth festivals of culture which were held during the summer vacations in various places. In the summer of 1960 one was held in Grenoble in France and we performed Faurés Requiem. The organist came from Glasgow University and the choir was mainly from Aberdeen University. It was terrific fun and very good music making as well. After I graduated I can remember taking part in the Festival of Culture in Paris. We were based at Monterre in a student's halls of residence there, that was in the summer of 1966 and we performed motets in various Paris churches, again very, very high standards of music making and of course very, very good fun. I think the 1966 festival must have been the last one of that kind. It was always sponsored by Coca Cola so perhaps it got a bit too expensive.
Also I can remember opera performances. Reg again was the leading light of that and I can remember playing in the Magic Flute and Don Giovanni. The performances took place in the hall of the Student's Union and the soloists were good amateur singers of the area like Ron Morrison, James Kelman, Nina Davidson - secretary - and Margaret Waters. I can also remember, occasionally, not regularly, being a member of the Chapel Choir singing at carol concerts of course, carol services and I do remember being roped in to make up a choir for weddings which presumably were on Saturdays.
Reg Barratt-Ayres, of course, really deserves a book all to himself. He was all for students and their interests and I suspect he often had great clashes with authority and bureaucracy on behalf of student interests. He could be infuriating by being late for a lecture or forgetting lectures altogether, but when he was in form he was absolutely brilliant. I can remember a tutorial with him and we were discussing Mozart and we both became totally enthused and fired up about this and we started pulling out scores and records and listening to stuff and sheet music and playing Mozart, and it's really thanks to that tutorial that I adore Mozart now. I'm ashamed to say I'd been a bit indifferent to him beforehand.
I have to say in conclusion that this has really been a very sad business for me recording my memories of the music department seeing that it is going to close, I can hardly think of that happening, it is such a sad business. I have nothing but happy, happy memories of student life and of course of the music department which was such an important part of my student life. Would it be possible at all to arrange a reunion? I've forgotten so much and have lost touch with people as well and it really would be tremendous fun to meet up with people again.
End of tape
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