During
World War II, she worked as a school teacher. She was music mistress at The Hall School,
Wincanton, Somerset in 1942, and at St Monica's School,
Clacton-on-Sea from 1943 until 1945.[5] She also continued to compose and perform. Her String Quartet was played more than once at the wartime
Myra HessNational Gallery concerts in 1944.[4]
After the war Harrison went on to compose chamber and orchestral music, as well as vocal settings of
Baudelaire,
Herrick,
Dowson and
Edward Thomas.[1] The Viola Sonata was written in 1946 and performed a year later at the
Wigmore Hall.
Watson Forbes and
Alan Richardson gave its first broadcast performance on 17 March 1951.[6] Her piece for small orchestra, A Suite for Timothy, was composed for the first birthday of her son in 1948 and first performed at
Hampton Court in 1949. It has been recorded, and was revived in a live performance by the Somerset County Orchestra in December 2023.[7][8]
She married the cellist and conductor Harvey Phillips (1910 – active until late 1970s) in 1943. They lived initially at The Red House,
Crockham Hill, Kent, and then at "The Cearne", (previously the house of
Edward and
Constance Garnett).[9] Harvey was a member of the Hirsch String Quartet and made his professional conducting debut with the
Jacques Orchestra at the Wigmore Hall in 1950 (at which he conducted his wife's Suite for Tomothy).[10] That year he formed the Harvey Phillips String Orchestra (with leader
Hugh Bean), which included in its repertoire Harrison's Five Poems of Ernest Dowson for tenor and string orchestra - the first London performance with
Peter Pears as the soloist on 15 December 1952 at the
Royal Festival Hall[11] - and her Six Poems of Baudelaire.[12] Pamela Harrison wrote her 1944 Cello Sonata for Harvey, who gave its debut performance with pianist John Wills at the Wigmore Hall on 9 May 1947.[13][14] The marriage ended in 1959.[4]
The Clarinet Sonata was written for
Jack Brymer, who was also the soloist in several performances and broadcasts of the Clarinet Quintet in the late 1950s.[4] In May 1959, Harrison's Concertante for piano and string orchestra with Eric Harrison (not related) as soloist was broadcast on BBC Radio.[15] An archive recording exists, and the first modern performance took place on 13 December 2023.[16][17] In 1979
Ian Partridge gave the first broadcast performance of Harrison's song cycle for tenor and strings The Dark Forest (setting
Edward Thomas).[18] A modern studio performance in Salford by the BBC Philharmonic with tenor John Finden took place on 10 January 2024.[19] The same orchestra revived Harrison's Five Poems of Ernest Dowson on 17 April 2024 under conductor
Martyn Brabbins.
Harrison's work was influenced by composers including
E.J. Moeran,
Arnold Bax and
John Ireland, and French music. She also studied
Dalcroze eurhythmics, giving exhibitions with
Emile Jaques-Dalcroze in Brighton.[1] By the late 1960s Harrison was living at The Old Toll House,
Yarlington in Somerset.[5] She died aged 74 in a car accident in
Firle,
East Sussex. Jack Brymer performed the short piece Drifting Away at her Service of Thanksgiving in December 1990.[4] Her son Tim Phillips, who was Artistic Director of East Devon Music, died in 2023.[20]
Selected works
Orchestral
A Suite for Timothy for string orchestra (1948)
Concertante for piano and string orchestra (1954)
An Evocation of the Weald, symphonic poem (1954)
Brimstone Down for small orchestra (1958)
Chamber music
Allegretto for cello and piano (c.1935); published in The Strad, February 2003
Quintet for flute, oboe, violin, viola and cello (1938)
String Quartet (1944)
String Trio (1945)
Sonata for viola and piano (1946)
Woodwind Quintet (1948)
Sonata for cello and piano (1947)
Sonatina for violin and piano (fp. Wigmore Hall, 15 October 1949)
Sonata for clarinet and piano (1954)
Clarinet Quintet for clarinet, 2 violins, viola and cello (1956)
Idle Dan, or, Nothing to Do for cello and piano (1959)
2 Pieces for cello and piano (1959)
White May Morning
A Marsh Song
Badinage for flute and piano (pub. Chappell, 1963)
Chase a Shadow for oboe and piano (1963)
Faggot Dance for bassoon and piano (1963)
Sonnet in D minor for cello and piano (1963)
Lament for viola and piano (1965)
Piano Trio for violin, cello and piano (1967)
Quartet for flute, violin, cello and piano (1968)
Quintet for flute, oboe, violin, cello and piano (1974)
Drifting Away for clarinet and piano (1975)
5 Pieces for flute and piano (1976)
Septet for clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and double bass (1980)
The Dark Forest, song cycle for tenor and string orchestra (1957); words by
Edward Thomas
8 Songs for voice, recorder and piano (1959); words by
Walter de la Mare
Ladies' Choice for voice, violin, cello and harp (1969); words by
Walter de la Mare
Choral
Songs for children's chorus and piano (1969); words by
Walter de la Mare
Recordings
Selected recordings include:
A Portrait of the Viola – Sonata for viola and piano:
Helen Callus (viola), Robert McDonald (piano). ASV CD DCA 1130 (2002)
English String Miniatures, Volume 5 – A Suite for Timothy: Gavin Sutherland (conductor),
Royal Ballet Sinfonia. Naxos 8.557752 (2006)
La Viola: Music for Viola and Piano by Women Composers of the 20th Century – Lament, Viola Sonata: Hillary Herndon (viola), Wei-Chun Bernadette Lo (piano). MSR 1416 (2012)
Eclogues of Portugal: performed by pianist Marc Verter. Sidholme Music Room, 21 June 2018
Chamber Works – Piano Trio, Violin Sonatina, Clarinet Quintet, Clarinet Sonata, Idle Dan (cello and piano), Sonnet (violin and piano), Drifting Away (clarinet and piano). Gould Piano Trio, Robert Plane, David Adams, Gary Pomeroy. Resonus RES10313 (2023)