Suite for Two Pianos

The composer and pianist Percy Sherwood (1866-1939) was born in Dresden, the son of an English teacher and a German singer. His compositional output encompassed five symphonies, concertos for piano, violin and cello, a Requiem for solo voices and orchestra, chamber music for various combinations of instruments, and numerous solo piano pieces. Sherwood's career was almost equally divided between Germany and England. In the twenty-five years before the outbreak of the First World War Sherwood established himself as a prominent figure in Dresden's musical life. But despite early successes Sherwood never gained a lasting foothold in London's musical life despite settling there after the outbreak of the First World War. The Suite in C major for two pianos was not published during the composer's lifetime. The manuscript is held by the Bodleian Library. It's first known performance was given by the composer and Bertrand Roth on April 20th 1902 at his home in Dresden. An inscription on the surviving manuscript names two dedicatees: Lucy Bambring and Edith Hempseed, a pianist active in the UK from around 1900 until the 1930s.