Vaughan Williams believed that folk song was not dead, but the art of the folk-singer was, and saw folk-song as a 'bond of union' for musical tastes.
Composition History
Vaughan Williams's early song cycle, The house of Life, sets poems by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, a leading figure of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
Composer Biography
Ralph Vaughan Williams, the composer, studied with Maurice Ravel, a French composer, who was three years his junior.
Performer Biography
Julius Drake, the pianist, is known internationally and has curated song series for prestigious venues like Wigmore Hall and the Concertgebouw.
Performer Biography
Nicky Spence, the tenor on this recording, won a record contract with Decca Records and was an inaugural Harewood Artist at the English National Opera.
Composition History
Vaughan Williams pragmatically allowed for performances of On Wenlock Edge with only a piano, and the score includes alternative arrangements for this.
Compositional Technique
Vaughan Williams's folk-song arrangements, such as the 15 Folk songs from the Eastern Counties, demonstrate a confident use of textural economy and modal harmonies.
