Vaughan Williams initially refused to set Paul Verlaine's poem 'Le Ciel est pardessus le toit' but undertook the setting to avoid tidying his study, according to his second wife Ursula.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Ralph Vaughan Williams believed that the human voice was the "oldest and greatest of musical instruments" and composed over 120 songs and song cycles.
Recording & Production
This Chandos recording uses 24-bit / 96 kHz technology, which offers a dynamic range up to 48 dB greater and 256 times the resolution of standard 16-bit recordings.
Composition History
The final song of Songs of Travel, 'I have trod the upward and the downward slope,' was withheld by Vaughan Williams and only discovered after his death.
Composer Biography
Vaughan Williams switched to playing the viola in his school orchestra at Charterhouse in 1887 and later reserved many heartfelt passages in his music for the instrument.
Composition History
The Six Studies in English Folk Song were originally conceived for cello and piano, dedicated to cellist May Mukle, and later arranged for viola by the composer in 1927.
Compositional Technique
The Four Hymns, Vaughan Williams's first anthology setting four different poets, features a prominent obbligato viola part that adds color to the music's texture.
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