Its premiere in 19 at the leeds festival under artur nikisch was a gratifying success for the young composer. Loveliest of trees e major when i was one and twenty b minor look not in my eyes f major think no more, lad g. George sainton kaye butterworth, mc 12 july 1885 5 august 1916 was an english. The a shropshire lad rhapsody for string orchestra is a wonderful, beautifully textured and emotionally complex work, and the banks of green willow is similarly amazingly evocative. Book description george sainton kaye butterworth was one of the most brilliant, enigmatic and promising young composers of the ear. George butterworth simple english wikipedia, the free.
A shropshire lad and other songs by george butterworth. When george butterworth joined the army in 1914, his most recent works included the song cycle six songs from a shropshire lad as well as the rhapsody a shropshire lad, which he called an orchestral epilogue to his settings of a. The rhapsody, an orchestral epilogue to the composers song cycle of the same name, is in the form of an elegy. Butterworth, g songs from a shropshire lad folk songs. Vinyl 10 butterworth, holst, the london philharmonic orchestra conducted by sir adrian boult the perfect fool ballet suite a shropshire lad rhapsody 1955, vinyl. Title rhapsody for full orchestra composer butterworth, george. Griffin novelsmore than fifty new york times bestsellers in the brotherhood of war, corps, honor bound, men at war, badge of honor, presidential agent, and clandestine operations series. Its premiere in 19 at the leeds festival under artur nikisch. I remember the first time i found these while writing the first war composers post about him i was absolutely astonished.
George sainton kaye butterworth, mc 12 july 1885 5 august 1916 was an english composer who was best known for the orchestral idyll the banks of green willow and his song settings of a. Roderick williams sings butterworths a shropshire lad monday, may 25, 2015 19. Housmans a shropshire lad poems in two cycles in 19091911. The two english idylls, the rhapsody a shropshire lad and the idyll the banks of green willow are, with the music of his friend ralph vaughan williams and of. Butterworth biography chronology of key dates butterworth featured compositions lads in their hundreds on the idle hill of summer loveliest of trees a shropshire lad rhapsody butterworth. Butterworth must have swiftly changed his mind about the success of the sequence for by the following month it was the six songs from a shropshire lad in their published version that were performed in london on 20 june at the aeolian hall when mcinnes again was the. A shropshire lad, rhapsody george butterworth wheaton. Housmans a shropshire lad, and chose those that mourn the lives and deaths of redcoats british soldiers. Butterworth was the first of several english composers to set poems from a. Housmans poetry and thematically related to his earlier housman song cycle of the same name. His shropshire lad rhapsody a sort of orchestral postlude to his earlier song cycle a shropshire lad employs a normal sized symphony orchestra, and was first performed on 2 october 19. Find the best clips, watch programmes, catch up on the news, and read the latest george butterworth interviews.
George butterworth was particularly drawn to housmans poems, composing within a short period the six songs from a shropshire lad 1911 and bredon hill and other songs 1912 as well as his emotive rhapsody, a shropshire lad, first performed in 19. It is an epilogue to his two sets of songs, the intention being to express the homethoughts of the exiled lad. Housmans gedichtzyklus a shropshire lad geschrieben. Six songs from a shropshire lad is a song cycle for baritone and piano composed in 1911 by george butterworth 18851916.
The opening five notes of the first, loveliest of trees, a somber meditation on mortality, became the central melodic motif in butterworth s powerful orchestral rhapsody based on the cycle. Housmans collection entitled a shropshire lad were written several years before world war ii, they poignantly mirror the futility of the 19141918 conflict. He was perhaps the finest of the many outstanding musical talents whose lives were claimed by the first world war. Discover classical music and find out more about the best classical composers, musicians and their works. Vaughan williams was in no doubt about the loss british music had sustained when his friend was killed at the somme two months previously. Jul 25, 2003 the the banks of green willow, another folksong rhapsody using two versions of the same tune that butterworth came across in sussex, was the last thing he wrote and the last of his own music. When george butterworth joined the army in 1914, his most recent works included the song cycle six songs from a shropshire lad as well as the rhapsody a. Butterworth, g songs from a shropshire lad folk songs from sussex english song, vol. A shropshire lad and other songs by george butterworth 1885. His shropshire lad rhapsody a sort of orchestral postlude to his earlier song cycle a shropshire lad employs a normal sized symphony. In the years leading up to the first world war george butterworth composed two song cycles of settings of poems from a. A shropshire lad, rhapsody for orchestra 1911 youtube ralph vaughan williams. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. Six songs from a shropshire lad hyperion records cds, mp3.
I am less sure the two english idylls are much more than pleasant light music, but they are probably worth hearing if this is your kind of thing. Despite his lack of direction, he was now writing the handful of pieces that would ensure his place in english music. Butterworth, george eleven songs from a shropshire lad. Produced in association with bbc radio 3 and bbc national orchestra of wales. George butterworth s most famous work is his orchestral rhapsody a shropshire lad, inspired by a. A shropshire lad, rhapsody for orchestra 1911 by george butterworth. A shropshire lad, rhapsody for orchestra 1911 george. A shropshire lad butterworth, george movementssections movtssecs. Buy benjamin luxons album titled the british music collection. Butterworths two bestknown works, the idyll the banks of green willow, and the rhapsody a shropshire lad, receive decent, if not truly memorable performances, though this isnt quite the. Shop and buy a shropshire lad and other songs sheet music. Mar 11, 2017 george butterworth, 1885 1916 english composer best known for the orchestral idyll the banks of green willow and his song settings of a.
This rhapsody is a kind of orchestral summary or postlude, quoting from two of the songs. As a composer, he wrote exquisite music for the orchestra in addition to moving and poignant songs, especially to words by a. The joy of the recording is hearing butterworths own orchestral a shropshire lad, rhapsody for string orchestra. The rhapsody, a shropshire lad a sort of postlude to the songs employs a normal sized. Butterworth set another five poems from a shropshire lad in. A shropshire lad 1911 the banks of green willow 19 eleven songs from a shropshire lad 19101911 arranged for voice and small orchestra by phillip brookes preface george butterworth was one of britains finest musicians during the years leading up to world war one, a conflict which tragically claimed his life. George butterworth, neville marriner, academy of st. The halle was born to play this music and mark elder draws out all the colour in butterworths orchestration. Is my team ploughing that i was used to drive and hear the harness jingle as i was man ali.
Butterworth, g a shropshire lad rhapsody this page lists all recordings of a shropshire lad rhapsody by george butterworth 18851916. The the banks of green willow, another folksong rhapsody using two versions of the same tune that butterworth came across in sussex, was the last thing he wrote. As a composer, he wrote exquisite music for the orchestra in addition to moving and poignant songs, especially to. Butterworth wrote two shropshire lad cycles in 1911 and 1912, but only six of the finest songs are usually performed today. If youre a fan of british classical music, there really is something quite special about seeing the efdsss kinora film transfers of george butterworth morris dancing. The land of the mountain and the floodcoleridgetaylor. The life of george butterworth george butterworth was one of britains finest musicians during the years leading up to world war one, a conflict which tragically claimed his life. The banks of green willow, etc by various artists now. A shropshire lad, rhapsody george butterworth wheaton college symphony orchestra daniel sommerville, conductor symphony orchestra homecoming concert. A shropshire lad rhapsody land of the mountain and the flood label. George butterworths most famous work is his orchestral rhapsody a shropshire lad, inspired by a. He showed great talent as a young man and might have become one of englands greatest composers if he had lived longer.
The site uses cookies to offer you a better experience and by continuing to browse the site you accept our cookie policy. Housmans a shropshire lad and this evocative and poignant rhapsody by. I sometimes dread coming back to normal life with so many gaps, wrote vaughan williams to holst in october 1916, especially, of course, george butterworth. The western front association when george butterworth joined the army in 1914, his most recent works included the song cycle six songs from a shropshire lad as well as the rhapsody a shropshire lad, which he called an orchestral epilogue to his settings of a. Produced in association with bbc radio 3 and bbc national orchestra of wales main sponsor. George butterworth soldier and composer signed edition. The rhapsody, an orchestral epilogue to the composers song cycle of the same name, is in.
It is an epilogue to his two sets of songs, the intention being to express the homethoughts of. This work is in the nature of an orchestral epilogue. Butterworth iii is the author of more than 150 books, most notably the w. The lads in their hundreds, a song by george butterworth, thomas allen, geoffrey parsons on spotify we and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. A shropshire lad rhapsody for orchestra butterworth. In 1911 he composed an orchestral rhapsody which he first called the land of lost content and then the cherry tree before settling on a shropshire lad. Martin in the fields and sir neville marriner on amazon music. This is the first fulllength study of the life and music of the composer george butterworth 18851916, whose career was cut short by a snipers bullet at the somme. A shropshire lad the banks of green willow discogs.
George sainton kaye butterworth 18851916 was an english composer, best known for his settings of a. Aug 12, 2016 it is hard to hear his idyll the banks of green willow or the rhapsody a shropshire lad except through a misty. On the cover sheet of the printed score shown here, butterworth calls the rhapsody an orchestral epilogue to his two sets of songs, based on mr. On the other hand, the present disc promises to give us a more representative overview of the composer by including butterworth s orchestral works as well. George butterworth music, videos, stats, and photos. The music butterworth managed to compose during his short career showed an exceptional talent, and his name is kept alive by the popularity of his orchestral tonepoems, such as the banks of green willow and a shropshire lad, and his songs.
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