Journal of the No.18 June 2000 EDITOR Stephen Connock RVW (see address below) Society In this issue... Much to look forward to... Vaughan Williams and Bach The RVW Society is involved in a Members will also be delighted to learn number of important and exciting that Sir John in Love will be performed G R.V.W. & J.S.B. projects, some of which will come to in Newcastle City Hall by the Northern fruition quickly and others will take Sinfonia under Richard Hickox on by Michael Kennedy place in the 2002-2003 season. Of the September 29th 2000 as part of the Page 4 greatest interest to RVW Society preparation for the recording. There is members is the major Festival of such marvellous, heart warming music symphonies and choral works being in this opera that all members are urged G Lewis Foreman reviews VW planned under the title Toward the to get to Newcastle, somehow, for the conducting the St. Matthew Unknown Region. concert performance on 29th September. Passion. Page 7 Toward the Unknown Region Charterhouse Symposium G This Festival will be conducted by Following the success of the Conference VW and ‘the greatest of all Richard Hickox using his new orchestra Vaughan Williams in a New Century at composers’ the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. the British Library last November, Robin by Timothy Day Eight concerts are being planned for Wells of Charterhouse and Byron Adams Wales and there are likely to be four of the University of California have Page 10 concerts in London. The Festival begins jointly planned a superb series of at the end of 2002 and many rare choral lectures, concerts and other events at works will be programmed alongside all Charterhouse School from 23rd to 29th Postscripts on George the nine symphonies. Dona Nobis of July, 2000. At the very reasonable fee Herbert Pacem, Hodie and Sancta Civitas will be of £245.00 to RVW Society members for Page 2 played as will the Six Choral Songs (In all events at the Symposium and Time of War) - coupled with the overnight accommodation, this seems Symphony No. 4 and the Song of like an event not to be missed. CHAIRMAN Thanksgiving, coupled with the Fifth Stephen Connock MBE Symphony. All the concerts will be 65 Marathon House, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. And more..... 200 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5PL With more Vaughan Williams scheduled (0836 567413) Have you seen but a bright lily grow? for the Three Choirs Festival, with RVW Ltd. planning the next installment of the TREASURER It is also wonderful news that a new publication of the Early Works with the John Francis recording of Sir John in Love has been Piano Quintet being performed at our Lindeyer Francis Ferguson, scheduled for 7-10th of December this AGM on October 8th, there is indeed North House, year using the same forces who so much to look forward to. 198 High Street, memorably performed the opera at the Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1BE Barbican in October 1997 as part of the (01732 360200) Vision of Albion Festival. Donald Maxwell was outstanding as Sir John in For full update on the activities SECRETARY a uniformly strong cast and repeats his of the Garland Appeal role in the new Chandos recording. Dr. David Betts Richard Hickox conducts the Northern see page 20 - 22 Tudor Cottage Sinfonia. The recording is being 30, Tivoli Road financed by The Garland Appeal and this Full details of the Charterhouse Brighton East Sussex will be the charity's first contribution to Symposium recordings of Vaughan Williams. BN1 5BN on page 23 (01273 501118) Charity No. 1017175 get back to a chord E flat Major, even after the Vaughan William’s response chromaticism of the final four bars. to the words of George Herbert The second song I got me flowers is contrasted in every way from Easter. It begins quietly even In the first of two postscripts on George Bemerton, many years later, VW’s own father tentatively with repeated off-beat chords which Herbert following the last edition of the had served as curate before moving to Down gain momentum as if urging the voice to sing. RVW Society Journal, Robin Wells considers Ampney. The first two verses are effectively strophic for VW’s treatment of the words of the Five the baritone and almost pentatonic. The tonal Mystical Songs. The Five Mystical Songs were written over a centre in these two verses fluctuates between E period of time when he was also setting flat minor and G flat major, but it has an Vaughan Williams conducted the first Housman’s poetry in another song cycle – On underlying modality which is emphasised by the act that there is not one accidental in the performance of Five Mystical Songs at the Wenlock Edge and there are parallels which whole song. Melodically the phrases balance Worcester Meeting of The Three Choir’s may be noted; tonal ambiguity and a freedom of well despite constantly shifting time signatures; Festival in 1911 with Campbell McInnes as the key and mode characterised by flattened but in a way the bar-lines are redundant such is baritone soloist. The previous years had leading notes and pentatonic turns of phrase; the feeling for accent and the natural fall of witnessed the first performance of the Tallis and use of ostinato figures, parallel movement each phrase. VW’s attention to detail is seen in Fantasia at Gloucester and the year following of fifths, triads and sevenths; a sure ear for the extension by way of a 5/4 bar (2 before C) was to receive the first performance of the instrumental colour and contrast. Dealing with to carry over the third phrase at the end of the Fantasia on Christmas Carols. Not a bad words and music had so dominated his life for second verse helps to avoid any squareness hat-trick of Three Choir’s first performances as ten years that he had developed a most while maintaining both musical and literal each of these works has gained a permanent and instinctive and natural feel for word setting and sense. The accompaniment throughout captures much loved place in the repertoire. vocal characterisation which might be the simple mood with parallel woodwind and considered second only to Purcell. These hard chords supporting the voice. The third verse sees a sudden change of mood and key to features are developed even further in the Four E major and a new idea as the choir takes over Hymns to which VW turned in the following from the orchestra and supports the baritone year. with a wordless accompaniment. The composer explores choral sounds by asking the choir not With VW’s treatment of words there is always a to hum with closed lips, but to sing with a short natural feeling for speech-rhythm and for the "u" sound. VW, more than any composer to natural rise or fall of a phrase. Phrases are date, frequently asks his singers for very paced and measured so that important words specific effects and vowel shapes and further and moments are well-placed and emphasised examples are found in the Fantasia on in a musical manner. This may be by means of Christmas Carols and in Flos Campi especially. note-length or a melisma, by pitch or timbre, or The song could have ended in this tranquil by some harmonic or rhythmical feature which mood, but the key swings back into the mode of heightens the interest. These are all features the opening for a triumphant final statement; initially E flat minor for ‘There is but one’ and which any composer may apply when setting then into the major, strengthened by unison St.John’s Church - Lower Bemerton text, but VW has his own very individual voices, for the final assertive phrase ‘and that technique as we shall see in the songs which one ever’. follow. The composer may well have remembered the Easter opens with a strong affirmation of the Worcester performance for a more obscure risen Lord. If it were only marked nobilmente reason as Ursula Vaughan Williams recounts we could be forgiven for thinking it was Elgar his reaction in her biography; When I looked at – or could we? As it is it is Maestoso, Risoluto the fiddles I thought I was going mad, for I saw and Largamente and despite this and the surge what appeared to be Kreisler at the back desk. of triplets and secondary sevenths it could only I got through somehow, and at the end I be Vaughan Williams and the sweep of the whispered to Reed "Am I mad, or did I see opening of the Sea Symphony is not far away. Kreisler in the band?" "Oh yes", he said "he The dominant to the tonic is always a most broke a string and wanted to play it in before powerful musical statement and so it is here. the Elgar Concerto". VW’s response to Herbert’s uplifting text requires the Baritone to rise on the very word By 1911 VW had accumulated considerable ‘rise’ from B flat to the high E flat supported by St.Andrew’s Church - Lower Bemerton experience with words and music. He had shifting seventh, ninth and eleventh chords. discovered and edited Folk Song; he had edited This is immediately reinforced by the chorus Purcell; he had written two songs cycles – which rises from B flat to top F before settling Songs of Travel and On Wenlock Edge, while down to E flat. This repetition adds great A study of the manuscripts in the British his two choral works – Toward the Unknown strength to the opening phrase and because of Library reveals that the composer originally Region and the Sea Symphony had met with the appoggiatura F the effect is doubled.