The first professional performance of "Hugh the Drover" was on July 14, 1924, at His Majesty's Theatre, conducted by the then twenty-nine-year-old Malcolm Sargent.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Vaughan Williams insisted that the libretto for "Hugh the Drover" portray English peasants sympathetically, not as mere clowns, reflecting his decade of folksong-collecting.
Historical Context
Vaughan Williams set the opera during the Napoleonic Wars, a period he had in mind after the recent publication of Thomas Hardy's epic poem "The Dynasts."
Composition History
The plot for "Hugh the Drover" was outlined by Vaughan Williams himself, including scenes like the fair, the fight, and the dawn return of the mayers, which was based on a real-life incident.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Vaughan Williams wanted "Hugh the Drover" to be a "Bauer Comedie" (German for 'peasant comedy') applied to English country life, full of tunes, and with a folk-song character.
Critical Reception
Vaughan Williams continuously revised "Hugh the Drover," even as late as 1955, making extensive changes to the dialogue and action after the librettist Harold Child's death.
Composition History
Ralph Vaughan Williams began composing "Hugh the Drover" after stating in 1909 or 1910 that he wanted to "set a prize fight to music."
