Harry Williamson studying his father's manuscripts and checking his own draft composition.
University archives inspire ‘precious music’
The University of Exeter’s collection of original literary papers by Henry Williamson, author of Tarka the Otter, will feature in a film made by Williamson’s composer son, Harry.
Henry Williamson’s timeless 1927 tale has inspired his son to compose and perform a symphonic musical tribute to land that also inspired his father, simply called Tarka.
Harry is visiting the UK to make two short films, one to accompany the live performance of the music, the other with the working title The making of Tarka. This is a short documentary detailing the creation of the music from inception in 1974 through the orchestral scoring, first recording, commercial release in 1989, and eventual rescoring and World Premiere live performance in Melbourne in February 2010. The Melbourne concerts are entitled Precious Music, Precious Water and serve as a launch for the appropriately titled Watermark Australia publication Our Water Mark.
Harry Williamson visited the University of Exeter on 8 September to film images for the The making of Tarka. The University holds the original, 500-page manuscript for Tarka the Otter, which Harry viewed and read from on his filming trip.
Henry Williamson claimed that he re-wrote the story (or parts of it) seventeen times and the drafts for Tarka the Otter run to nearly 550 pages of manuscript and typescript, together with book plans and publisher’s proofs. The University collection also holds many of Williamson’s other literary papers.
Dr Christine Faunch, Acting Head of Archives and Special Collections, comments “We were delighted to welcome Harry to the University to view his father’s papers. This is a particularly precious collection, as Henry Williamson presented the first part of it himself to the University in 1965. This provided the impetus for other writers to follow suit. Now the University of Exeter holds the largest collection in the country of 20th century literary papers relating to the south west region. We are also hoping to obtain Henry Williamson’s personal archive in the near future to complete the ‘writer’s life’, so this visit is very timely”
Harry Williamson now lives in Australia and has released more than 20 albums including Tarka with former Genesis guitarist, Anthony Phillips. He says: “My father’s magical descriptions of the natural world have opened the eyes of so many to the beauty of England’s West Country. I hope our music continues to inspire future generations of people, around the globe.”
Anne Williamson, executor for the estate and author of Henry Williamson: Tarka and the Last Romantic is a firm supporter of the work of Special Collections in making the papers available for research and learning. She adds “Up until now, the personal part of Henry’s archive has remained in the care of his literary estate and has not been accessible to the public at large. However, I am actively and urgently preparing it for the University as soon as possible, so that all the material will be in one place and can be accessed by all bona fide researchers. Gathering such material together in one place makes it all so much more valuable, and the sum is certainly greater than the individual parts, however important any single part might be.”
The archive is open and available for research at Special Collections, University of Exeter. Tel 01392 263879, email libspc@exeter.ac.uk.
Date: 14 September 2009
