Vaughan Williams Norfolk Rhapsody No. 1

Vaughan Williams Norfolk Rhapsody Program Notes

The  Rhapsody  evokes  Norfolk  County  in  Northern  England,  and  its  seaside  town,  Norwich.    Vaughan  Williams  was  one  of  the  first  to  collect  and  publish  English  folk  songs,  and  quotes  two  in  this  piece.    The  first  is  a  sad  ballad,  The  Captain’s  Apprentice,  introduced  by  solo  viola  and  expanding,  with  lush  harmonies,  into  the  rest  of  the  orchestra.    The  second,  Bold  Young  Sailor,  is  a  bustling  duple-meter  song.    Not  only  is  the  piece  at  times  beautiful,  and  at  other  times  exuberant,  it’s  also  ingenious,  with  the  two  melodies  overlaid  by  virtue  of  their  related  tempos.  Vaughan  Williams,  who  studied  with  both  Max  Bruch  and  Maurice  Ravel,  wrote  a  large  number  of  works,  including  nine  symphonies,  operas,  ballets,  chamber  works  and  concertos.    Perennial  favorites  in  America  include  The  Lark Ascending,  the  Oboe  and  Tuba  concertos,  and  the  Fantasy  on  Greensleeves.

Born: October 12, 1872, Down Ampney, United Kingdom
Died: August 26, 1958, Hanover Terrace