IDAGIO | Vaughan Williams: Over Hill, Over Dale – Partsongs, Folksongs & Shakespeare Settings 00602458130348

Featuring

Michael George
Stephen Layton
Ian Bostridge
The Holst Singers
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Anonymous (Traditional)

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Historical Context

The Folk Song Society was founded in 1899, driven by the efforts of collectors like Cecil Sharp, who sought to preserve the rapidly disappearing oral tradition of folksongs.

Compositional Technique

Vaughan Williams's "Five English Folksongs" are not mere arrangements but compositions in their own right, featuring masterful vocal writing with subtle, evocative textures.

Composer Biography

Ralph Vaughan Williams's small-scale choral works, including folksong arrangements and a cappella pieces, span his entire career, from age eighteen to three years before his death at eighty-six.

Compositional Technique

Vaughan Williams incorporated the traditional tune "Greensleeves" into his opera Sir John in Love and created this choral arrangement in 1945.

Compositional Technique

The "Wassail Song" reflects the West Country custom of wassailing on January 5th, where libations were offered to apple trees, with the music depicting revellers' voices fading into the night.

Composition History

Vaughan Williams's first experience collecting folksongs was in Ingrave, Essex, in 1903, where he notated the haunting song "Bushes and Briars" from a shepherd named Charles Pottifer.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Vaughan Williams considered folksong a "liberating force" that helped him develop his unique musical personality, believing composers should use these sources to create beautiful music.