Sorabji Resource Site (SRS)

Travels and Holidays

This page lists Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji’s absences from his places of residence (London or Corfe Castle) for performances, holidays, and excursions, as far as surviving archival documents and references in letters and published articles allow. It also documents his hospital stays in the last years of his life, until he finally moved into a nursing home.

Several other travels and excursions undoubtedly took place but could not be documented. The same is true of holidays, particularly during his youth and later in Corfe Castle. Very short trips to London, for example to visit the dentist, are not recorded.

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Year-month Country Cities Comments
Year-month Country Cities Comments
1914-04 France Paris Travels with his mother at Easter.
1914-06 England Robin Hood’s Bay (Yorkshire) Leaves on 28 June at the earliest; travels with his mother and spends some time in a rented house, probably until August. Went there several times in his youth.
1917-08 England Bournemouth (Dorset) Writes Quasi habanera (1917; 6 pp.) from 10 to 14 August.
1919-08 England Christchurch (Twynham) Completes the composition of the Sonata no. 1 for Piano (1919; 42 pp.) on 5 August.
1920-08 England Bournemouth (Dorset) Stays at the Boscombe Pier Hotel, arriving on 21 August at the earliest.
1921-06 France Paris Gives the first performance of the Trois poèmes pour chant et piano (1918, 1919; 9 pp.) at the Société Musicale Indépendante with Marthe Martine.
1922-02 Austria Vienna Arrives in Vienna on 2 January at the latest to give the first performances of the Sonata no. 1 for Piano (1919; 42 pp.) and the Sonata seconda for Piano (1920; 49 pp.) and stays until 13 January at the earliest.
1922-02 Italy Palermo, Cefalù Travels with his mother on what he said was his third visit to Italy (previous dates unknown).
1922-07 England Bournemouth (Dorset) Leaves on 24 July for a holiday at the Boscombe Pier Hotel.
1922-02 France Paris Travels with his mother.
1926-11 Italy Rome Leaves on 26 November at the earliest.
1929-01 Italy Rome Spends some time in Rome.
1929-02 Italy Rome, Palermo Arrives in Rome in January and composes the Sonata IV for Piano (1928-29; 111 pp.), completing it on 22 March.
1930-03 Scotland Glasgow Takes the train on 31 March and gives the first performance of the Sonata IV for Piano (1928-29; 111 pp.); returns on 2 April.
1930-05 Scotland Glasgow Visits Erik Chisholm on 23 May.
1930-06 England Bournemouth (Dorset) Plays Opus clavicembalisticum (1929-30; 253 pp.) for Erik Chisholm in Price’s private sitting room.
1930-07 England Corfe Castle (Dorset) Takes a holiday until 14 August.
1930-09 England Wells (Somerset) Spent a weekend with his mother.
1930-10 Returns home after an absence at an unspecified location.
1930-12 Scotland Glasgow Gives the first performance of Opus clavicembalisticum (1929-30; 253 pp.) and leaves on 8 December.
1931-02 Italy Rome Arrives on 23 February and leaves for Paris on 31 March, probably with his mother; returns to Paris on 31 March and returns to London on 8 April.
1931-02 France Paris Returns to London on 8 April.
1931-04 Scotland Glasgow Arrives on 28 April and gives the first performance of Nocturne, “Jāmī” (1928; 28 pp.) on 29 April.
1931-08 England Corfe Castle (Dorset) Takes a holiday.
1932-06 England Corfe Castle (Dorset) Arrives no later than on 24 June.
1932-07 India Bombay Stays in Bombay with his mother until 7 December to settle matters relating to his father’s estate.
1933-05 India Bombay Leaves from Genoa with his mother on 29 May and returns on 11 January 1934.
1934-07 England Corfe Castle (Dorset) Leaves London on 17 July.
1934-11 England Liverpool Takes an excursion to Liverpool Cathedral to see the organ.
1935-07 England Salisbury (Wiltshire) Takes an excursion to Salisbury Cathedral to see the organ.
1936-11 England Liverpool Takes an excursion to Liverpool to see the organ at St. George’s Hall.
1936-12 Scotland Glasgow Gives the first performance of the Toccata seconda per pianoforte (1933-34; 111 pp.).
1937-01 Italy Rome, Palermo Leaves Rome for Palermo on 12 January and returns to Rome around 21 January; departs for London around 27 January.
1938-04 Italy Rome, Palermo Leaves on 15 April at the earliest and returns in June at the earliest. Stays with his mother at the Albergo Internazionale, via Sistora 79, Rome.
1938-07 England Corfe Castle (Dorset) Arrives on 18 July.
1939-04 France Paris Arrives on 15 April at the earliest and spends Whitsun in Paris and goes to Chartres.
1939-04 Germany Berlin Spends Easter and returns to London on 14 April.
1939-09 England Corfe Castle (Dorset) Returns to London on 2 September at the latest.
1947-06 England Corfe Castle (Dorset) Arrives in early June and intends to stay well into August.
1947-09 Italy May have travelled to Italy.
1950-12 England Bournemouth (Dorset) Meets Erik Chisholm.
1951-11 England Corfe Castle (Dorset) Starts renting a house named Rowbarrow.
1953-12 England London Spends Christmas with his mother, returning to Corfe Castle on 28 December.
1955-07 England York(shire) Spends a fortnight in Yorkshire.
1956-07 England Robin Hood’s Bay (Yorkshire) Stays at the Victoria Hotel around 25 July.
1957-07 England Robin Hood’s Bay (Yorkshire) Stays at the Victoria Hotel around 23 July.
1959-05 England London Arrives on 23 May and spends a fortnight, after which a trip to Barnstaple, North Devon (where his friend Frank Holliday lived) is planned.
1960-02 England London Spends a fortnight and plans to return to Corfe Castle on 26 February.
1961-06 England Tunbridge Wells (Kent) Visits (unidentified) friends at their cottage.
1962-06 England Canterbury (Kent) Visits the cathedral.
1967-11 England Eastbourne (East Sussex) Pays a visit to his eye doctor.
1986-06 England Poole (Dorset) Is admitted to Poole General Hospital on 6 June.
1986-07 England Wareham (Dorset) Is admitted to Christmas Close Hospital and returns to The Eye on 15 October.
1986-10 England Wareham (Dorset) Is readmitted to Christmas Close Hospital.
1987-03 England Winfrith Newburgh (Dorset) Moves to a nursing home, Marley House, where he dies on 15 October 1988.
Last modified: 2024-03-05
© Marc-André Roberge 2024
Sorabji Resource Site (SRS)
Faculté de musique, Université Laval, Québec

The contents of this website dedicated to the English composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji may be freely used for documentary purposes in a research context, provided that due credit is given, but may not be mirrored on any other server. Links to external or third-party websites are not guaranteed to be or remain valid or persistent and their content is not guaranteed to be or remain accurate or appropriate.

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