Steps Volume 11: The Curious Diary of Mr Doyle - piano solo - duration c. 43 minutes - 2024

Father of the more famous Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Altamont (b.1832) was, in his son's words "a man of sensitive genius, [thrown] into an environment which neither his age nor his nature was fitted to face".

Trained as an artist, at the relatively young age of 17 he obtained a post at the Scottish Office of Works in Edinburgh, got married and had a large family. He also worked separately as an illustrator for at least 23 books and was exhibited at The Royal Scottish Academy, but he came to feel his art underappreciated.

Depression led to alcoholism and resulted in him being sent to Blairerno House in 1881, a "home for Intemperate Gentlemen". Escaping numerous times and failing to conquer his addiction, he was sectioned in 1885 and found himself in Sunnyside, Montrose Royal Lunatic Asylum. The enlightened régime (for the times) found him quite happy there; nevertheless he had recurring premonitions of death, and some epileptic fits. He seems genuinely to have missed his wife and children.

During this time he compiled sketchbooks which display his talent and imagination in copious drawings, watercolours and witty annotations. These encompass his belief in fairies, observations of daily life, playful cartoons with descriptive puns, nature illustrations, quasi-Boschian fantasies of oversized fauna, and both fatalistic and redemptive visions. Though English, his family had Irish roots and nationalist themes also abound.

He was later moved to Edinburgh Hospital and Crichton Royal Institution in Dumfries where he died in October 1893.

My work aims "to illustrate the illustrator" in all his facets, as well as to stand witness to the poignancies of his tale. The 24 short movements are divided into three "cadres" (frames) - it seemed appropriate for an illustrator! They take inspiration from Doyle's little scenes, mirroring by turns their witty humour, fantasy, fear and "observed tableaux". Duration is restricted, reflective of Doyle's small-scale ideas. Throughout there is a certain whimsical "wonkiness" of rhythm and harmony - a world not quite "in tune" but for the most part contentedly so.

[Notice regarding usage of the Doyle illustrations. The images of Doyle's illustrations above and in the score are taken from the "The Doyle Diary" by Michael Baker 1978 in which they were published for the first time. The publisher, Paddington Press, no longer exists. I have taken all reasonable steps to trace the current copyright owner without success. The author tells me that he does not own the copyright, he having signed over his rights to the publisher - viz. it was a paid job. Another company, Ballantine Books, published an identical volume in 1979, except for a different cover. This company also no longer exists. It was taken over ultimately by Penguin Random House. They tell me that they have no rights other than for physical distribution in the USA. The Doyle Estate says they hold no copyright. The current owner of the original diary is unknown (but in any case they would not hold rights). The CIPA tells me that the "first published rule" means that the book leaves copyright (in UK) from 2028 and that as I have taken all reasonable steps I might assume that the use in my score and potentially later in a CD booklet etc. would, in reality, be unlikely to be contested. I have tried to act in good faith and have spent considerable time in trying to trace the rights owner.]

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