Sorabji Resource Site: Travels and Holidays

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.