Special Section: In Memory of Clive Robbins 1927-2011
“The singing will never be done”[1] In memory of Clive Robbins
By Colin Andrew Lee
Singing, the ever-present metaphor for living and transcendence was at the heart of Clive Robbins’s work. His infectious energy for creative exploration through music was, and continues to be, an inspiration for music therapists around the world. His willingness to acknowledge and explore new horizons, support and promote ideas that not only originated from his own work in Nordoff-Robbins (NR), but that also reflected other theoretical trends, made him a true leader and inspirational visionary. Not only did Clive acknowledge the history and clinical validity of his initial partnership with Paul Nordoff, and the importance of their pioneering work, writings and lectures, he also looked to the future and potential of Nordoff-Robbins to influence contemporary clinical practice. His openness and vitality was shared with all those with whom he came into contact. Whether through formal lectures, presentations, workshops, or other professional endeavors, the glow of his knowledge shone and affected all those people whose lives he touched. Informally, Clive’s energy was no less palpable and he was always someone who left one with the feeling that one had communicated and shared something new and important. It was this sense of respect that he afforded everyone that allowed him to be loved by many and respected by all.
My first contact with Clive was during the London Nordoff-Robbins course in 1985. Clive and Carol Robbins travelled from Australia where they were working and living at the time. They taught us full-time for six weeks. They shared case studies, classes in developing musical resources, and supervision for our ongoing sessions. Clive always emphasized the sacredness of our undertaking and the responsibility we took in offering therapy in music[2]. Understanding the balance between improvisational/compositional creativity and therapeutic needs was the beginning of a journey to learn the building blocks of clinical precision that continues in my work to this day[3]. Yet this was also a time of discovering the mystery of music and the sacrosanct space we entered with the children, as well as in every therapeutic encounter we shared. Music became a new and re-invented experience, one that would allow me to continue as a composer/music therapist throughout the program and my ensuing work in palliative care.
Even though Clive did not have formal musical training, he knew music intimately. He knew how music could fulfill human potential with accuracy and foresight. He knew the clinical applications of rhythm, harmony, melody and form. Through the detailed analysis of clinical case studies, especially in the revised version of Creative Music Therapy[4], he provided us with a clinical manual for everyday practice. Admittedly, not everyone can reach the heights of musical precision demonstrated through Paul Nordoff’s musical mastery. What one can learn, however, from this treatise, is the direction and clinical knowing that is available through practice and mastery of musical elements. It shows how one can then influence the direction for working not only with children, but with all client populations and approaches. Clive’s voice and poetic descriptions resound with clarity that makes this text perhaps the single most important music therapy book ever written.
From 1985 and throughout my early career working with adult clients with learning disabilities, Clive and I kept in contact, although our professional association was minimal. We would, however, always maintain correspondence. He encouraged me to adapt freely what I learned from the Nordoff-Robbins training and my newly defined work with adults. We re-established closer contact around 1989 when I began my work with clients living with HIV/AIDS. His interest in adapting the Nordoff-Robbins approach to this new client population was apparent[5].
After I completed my PhD in 1992, I began to consider writing on my experiences from working with one specific client. This work culminated with the publication of Music at the Edge: The music therapy experiences of a musician with AIDS[6]. After I finished the original manuscript, with some trepidation, I decided to approach Clive and ask him if he would write the foreword. I remember posting the book and CD, and then literally holding my breath until I received his response. I had no idea how he would react to my work. His response could not have been more surprising—Clive asked me to fly to New York as soon as possible. I arrived a few days later from England with a stretch limousine waiting for me at the airport to take me to the Nordoff-Robbins Center in Manhattan.
For the next four days, we worked tirelessly on the manuscript. We went through every line of the book, working between the Nordoff Robbins Center and his home. In their apartment, Carol was always there, providing us with beverages, nourishment and kind words of encouragement. Clive would ask me to evaluate and clarify the meaning of every sentence. He helped me re-phrase and re-write sections so that the flow of the book became sharper and more defined. We listened to the musical examples and made further connections between the text, music and written evaluations of the client’s words. I remember Clive challenging me on the interpretations I made, especially in the final chapter. Looking at me intently, he asked if I was certain that I wanted to disclose the intensity of the therapeutic relationship I had with Francis[7] in a published book. He cautioned me that this could prove challenging for me professionally in the future. But he also said that if I truly believed in the work that I had undertaken with Francis, that I should be genuine in relating the narrative of the process. His insights could not have been more accurate, as indeed, there were criticisms that came after the initial publication that caused me considerable anguish. What I remember most vividly was the fact that he supported authenticity and honesty above political correctness. Music at the Edge stands as a testament to Clive’s wisdom, foresight and unwavering support. There are no words to express the gratitude I feel for his belief in the value of Francis’s verbal and musical testimony.
On immigrating to North America to teach, first at the University of the Pacific, California, then at Berklee College of Music, Boston, and finally at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada, I always carried with me the core of my Nordoff-Robbins training. Even though there is no formal Nordoff-Robbins course in Canada, both Nancy McMaster[8] and I have incorporated the basic elements of NR in our pedagogy. All of my texts come from NR writings. In developing my own work in Aesthetic Music Therapy (AeMT) and a music-centered curriculum, I have based my own teachings from the theoretical foundations of the Nordoff-Robbins approach. In my own teachings, I have tried to challenge students in a way that I believe Clive would have respected. Music therapy in Canada is still a relatively young profession. It is my hope that one day it may be possible to create a Nordoff-Robbins program that will add to the developing landscape of clinical practice in this vast country.
As a student coming from a compositional background, I was always fascinated by the fact that Paul Nordoff had been a composer before becoming a music therapist. As students, we were all aware that Paul had published art music, but none of us really knew the extent and scope of his output. Through clinical studies, I began to understand his often-symphonic approach to improvising. His sense of compositional creativity was free, yet clinically directed and formed—it inspired me daily and changed my relationship with music. Clive’s passion for exploring Paul’s clinical techniques and relating them to the classic case studies such as Edward, Anna, Logan and Audrey,[9] felt like the unfolding of treasures that never ceased to amaze and inspire us. These studies were often explored over more than one class—all of us would be on the edge of our seats in anticipation of Clive and Carol’s inspirational responses to Paul’s music as the study unfolded. Paul’s techniques of clinical improvisation in this work allowed me to reframe my experiences as a pianist and composer, and then relate them directly to clinical work. In hearing the tapes of Paul’s "Talks on Music"[10] and Clive’s narrative on these historic teachings, the balance between "music as art" and "music as therapy" became ever more clear. To know Schumann as a composer and how Paul related the musical structures of his piano miniatures to therapy was a revelation. The relationship between tones, intervals, harmonic progressions, compositional form and how we embrace these musical elements and offer them to clients is, I believe, the core of Nordoff-Robbins music therapy.
During a visit to New York, I remember asking Clive if there were any available recordings of Paul’s art music. Clive had talked about Paul’s art songs, but to the best of my knowledge, he had never mentioned his orchestral, chamber, or stage works before. To my surprise, Clive showed me a CD that included three of Paul’s orchestral works: "Concerto for Piano and Violin and Orchestra" (1952), "Winter Symphony" (1954) and the orchestral song "Lost Summer" (1949). I had not known of the existence of these pieces and remember trying to contain my excitement as Clive played the CD. From the moment I heard the first musical phrase, my perceptions of Nordoff-Robbins changed forever. The recording was old, but the music jumped out at me. It was lyrical, romantic, and yet full of emotional tension. Even though Paul was clearly a part of the American school, I felt a strong connection to him as a composer who has been influenced by British contemporary music. I heard influences of English lyricism that strongly aligned with my love of Michael Tippett and Benjamin Britten. At that moment, I also understood with absolute clarity the origins of Paul’s move from "art" to "clinical" music making. With this revelation, also came a deeper understanding of Clive’s teachings and interpretations of the work he shared with Paul. I remember sitting next to Clive in his apartment, our heads bowed as we both marveled at the beautiful sounds and sublime orchestral textures and inspirational musical form. Here indeed was music of a master composer.
My professional life would never be the same again and my relationship with Clive grew deeper over the years. With Clive’s encouragement, collecting and archiving Paul’s art music for me became a passion. He was always gentle in his responses to my often long and excited ramblings through email. The process of acquiring Paul’s art music took much investigation. Finding copies of the scores, for instance, of his ballet "Every Soul is a Circus" (1939), which Martha Graham commissioned, took detailed detective work and years to acquire. Attaining further works such as the "Piano Quintet" (1936) was a similar journey of perseverance and fortitude. Each time a new score would arrive, I would experience a huge adrenalin rush. Uncovering his music that had not been heard or played by anyone for many years felt overwhelming and would often bring me to tears. As I played slowly through his scores, I began to understand Paul’s life as a composer and his creative process. Each piece would also help me place in greater context his work as a clinical musician and improviser. Clive sent me all the original copies of the scores that Paul had bequeathed him, which contained mostly his piano music and songs. Now, years later, I have the largest archive of Paul’s art music in existence. This collection is a product of my collaborative work with Clive and a testament to his belief in the importance of Paul’s art music.
The more I heard and played through Paul’s music, the more I began to realize that Paul Nordoff was potentially a great lost American art composer. Even though I was aware that his relationship with composition had become strained before starting his work in music therapy[11], the music I discovered was of the highest quality. Clive and I believed that Paul’s music was akin to his contemporaries of Samuel Barber, William Schuman, and Ned Rorem, in stature and substance. Clive and I often spoke about how Paul’s music deserved to be professionally recorded and on the concert platform[12]. A dream that I hope one day I can bring to fruition.
The following extracts are from correspondences with Clive that occurred from 2008 to 2010.
On beginning our initial uncovering of Paul’s music:
As you see, with regards to Paul as a creative music therapist, playing and singing his songs are only one step away from doing the same process as a composer – in the moment with a living model for inspiration. Same energy, love, resourcefulness, expressive freedom, presence of being. (October 18th 2008)
Paul’s part of American music needs to be known. Our work feels like releasing a prisoner, unjustly hidden and denied of their noble cultural rights. (Nov 14th, 2008)
On the fact that we were now near to having a substantial collection of his scores and future recordings:
What marvelous news! Congratulations. It seems like a great, dream – greater and more wonderful than we had envisaged – is on the way to becoming true. I am so radiantly happy about what we are doing with and for Paul’s music. Please ramble on, any hour of the night or day! Your writing about his music and stature of the therapist is as lyrical and clear and as strong as his music is. Thank-you for sharing your thoughts – and so eloquently, I have waited a long time to hear such thoughts. (Nov 18th, 2008)
On “Lost Summer for mezzo-soprano and orchestra” (S.T. Warner) (1949):
But what exquisite writing there is in Lost Summer, and Nan Merriman’s performance is masterful, and her capacity for "dramatic expression" so magnificently matches the orchestral playing and the first rate work of Robert Whitney, the conductor. The piece should be a concert staple. They all should be. (Nov 18th, 2008)
Clive’s response to my ongoing ramblings:
I read all you write about Paul and the Pandora’s box of music you have opened with great interest and admiration and wonder. It is very special to be sitting on the sidelines, so to speak, as you follow your unique adventure into Paul’s music. Maybe he represents a new order of composer, one whose creative poise or stance is inherently orientated toward a distinct contemporary intimacy. (May 10th, 2009)
On Clive’s visit to Delores Cascarino[13]:
I took a bus ride to Norristown, PA on Monday and spent a very full four hours with Delores Cascarino. She had prepared a list of all the music she has of Paul’s and had it ready for me to take[14]. It was an emotional visit full of memories and updatings and untold stories – and a meal including Romeo’s Italian style pasta. Dolores, Now 70, continues to enshrine Romeo’s life, and with is their attachment to Paul and his music.
I have attached scans of her list and marked what I believe we are adding to the archive. You will see some exciting additions. I’m under the weather at the moment but I’ll try and get it all off to you next week. If we can get a scan of the “The Sea Change” [15] off to the Sylvia Townsend Warner society,[16] I think there will be fireworks and riotous dancing in the streets of Dorchester. (July 29th, 2009).
A final quote on Clive’s response to Paul’s genius:
Your enthusiasm inspires and supports me. I still daily live in the creative energy and freedom of Paul’s work. How innovative can you get! The musical life that pours through his compositions and improvisations. The clinical aptitude of his presence, playing, composing and singing. The extra musical personal approach that has immediate presence in his musicing. The versatility and immediacy of his approach. It all still amazes me, but more, fills me with a heady blend of joy, awe, wonder and affirmation. (Dec 26th, 2010)
The time spent with Clive on this project for me has been one of awe, wonder and affirmation. Awe in the knowing of Paul Nordoff’s compositional gifts, wonder in the possible connection between his art and clinical music, and affirmation from Clive and his total support of this project. That I will no longer receive his supportive and inspiring messages saddens me greatly.
Clive’s singing has now come to an end. The resounding testament he left music therapy, however, will always be immediate and present. His voice will remain and continue to be contemporary, through his writings, teachings and testimonies. Clive showed me the sacred space of therapy in music and the importance and nuance of every tone and musical phrase we offer our clients. His eloquent expression of the joy of music making in therapy poured out of every part of his physical presence. His clarity of thinking and insights into the process of creative music therapy have been fundamental to my own developing work.
It is difficult to adequately express my gratitude for Clive’s guidance and unwavering support in my life. I feel honored to have known him as a colleague and as a friend. As fellow British men born in the Midlands, we shared a distinct sense of ironic humor that was difficult to elucidate, but always a fun place to visit, if only for a while.[17] Clive was a man that rejoiced in the treasures of living. His passion for music and the children in therapy was infectious. A simple thank-you seems inadequate, but I hope is enough to end my thoughts and impressions of this “man among men.”
Notes
[1] The title for this paper is taken from the poem by Siegfried Sassoon: “Everyone Sang”, Collected Poems 1908 -1956 (London: Faber and Faber, 1961).
[2] Therapy in Music for Handicapped Children by Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins, (London: Victor Gollancz, 1971).
[3] I would like to acknowledge here the concept taught by Sybil Beresford-Pierce of learning and practicing improvisational musical tools (musical resources) in developing clinical musicianship. She shared her belief that a music therapist was only as component as the musical tools they had in their tool-bag.
[4] Creative Music Therapy was first published in 1977. The newly revised and extended addition (Barcelona Publishers, 2007), is a text all music therapists should know. In my teaching at Wilfrid Laurier University it is my constant companion and "Bible" of music therapy texts.
[5] HIV/AIDS at this time was a pandemic. There was an acute sense of urgency as young people faced the immediacy of an early death and the persecution that also often followed. Adapting the Nordoff-Robbins approach to this new area of work was a pioneering development.
[6] Music at the Edge: The music therapy experiences of a musician with AIDS (Routledge, 1996).
[7] Francis, the name of the client described in Music at the Edge.
[8] Nancy McMaster, a fellow Canadian music therapist and teacher also trained in the Nordoff-Robbins approach also using their approach in her teachings at Capilano College.
[9] Creative Music Therapy.
[10] “Talks on Music,” were a series of recorded lectures by Paul Nordoff in 1974, that were used as a basis for teaching. We would listen to extracts Paul’s teachings and then take them into practical exercises in class. This combination of the tapes and taking the elements practically into our own work was inspiring. These talks were later published under the title, Healing Heritage: Paul Nordoff Exploring the Tonal Language of Music (Barcelona Publishers, 1998).
[11] A Journey into Creative Music Therapy by Clive Robbins (Barcelona Publishers, 2005).
[12] There are two ongoing projects in promoting Paul Nordoff’ art music: the first a CD of songs, and the second a book in the Nordoff-Robbins Monograph Series (Barcelona Publishers) comparing his compositional process with his clinical improvisations.
[13] Romeo Cascarino was a composition student of Paul Nordoff. They became great friends and Paul dedicated many of his compositions to Romeo. For further information please see: http://www.kcstudio.com/cascarino2.html Composer Romeo Cascarino. A Conversation with Bruce Duffie.
[14] After receiving these scores Clive sent them directly to me to add to the archive. One particular exciting addition to our collection was a hand written score of the "Winter Symphony."
[15] The Sea Change. Opera in Two Acts, Book by Sylvia Townsend Warner. The only surviving score is a copy with piano reduction.
[16] Sylvia Townsend Warner was a close friend of Paul’s. Many of their correspondences can be found in the book: Letters: Sylvia Townsend Warner Edited by William Maxwell (Viking Press, 1982).
[17] I remember fondly on a visit to New York, Carol had sent us both out to buy ice cream. After much banter and laughter in the store and looking through all the flavors, we decided that were unable to make a sensible single choice. Clive said: “I know we will buy the lot!” And so we did, taking back about 12 cartons of different flavored ice creams. I also remember Carol didn’t look too impressed on our return!
