Vaughan Williams's Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis was first performed in Gloucester Cathedral in 1910 as part of the Three Choirs Festival.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Vaughan Williams had a lifelong obsession with John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, and used the Tallis theme in association with it.
Composer Biography
Vaughan Williams dedicated his Symphony No. 8 to his friend and long-time collaborator Sir John Barbirolli, who was a conductor.
Compositional Technique
The Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis specifies a string orchestra, a second smaller one, and a string quartet to create an almost mystical, antiphonal effect in a cathedral space.
Compositional Technique
Vaughan Williams's Symphony No. 8 includes a movement called 'Fantasia (Variazione senza Tema)', or variations without a theme.
Compositional Technique
The second movement of Vaughan Williams's Symphony No. 8, a Scherzo alla marcia, uses only brass and woodwind instruments.
Critical Reception
The Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis was initially dismissed by the Gloucester Cathedral Organist as 'a queer, mad work by an odd fellow from Chelsea'.
You might also enjoy...
Elgar: Nursery Suite, Serenade, Dream Children & Other Works
Elgar: Orchestral Works
Elgar: Cello Concerto / Introduction and Allegro / Serenade for Strings
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and other Orchestral Works
