This piece was originally written for pipe organ. As usual, in his arrangements of British folk music, Vaughan Williams succeeds here in turning an apparently simple tune into a work of profound emotional impact - for me especially in this orchestral arrangement. Renaissance cadences much in evidence, in this short but sweet work RVW crafts a wistful piece of great beauty. I hope you enjoy it too.
Richard Hickox and the Northern Sinfonia on telling form in this gorgeous EMI recording of 2000: ASIN: B00004TQQ6
The Tune
Composed by John David Edwards (b. Penderlwyngoch, Cardiganshire, Wales, 1805; d. Llanddoget, Denbighshire, North Wales, 1885) was educated at Jesus College, Oxford, England, and ordained an Anglican priest in 1833. He served parishes in Rhosymedre and Llanddoget and published a collection of hymn tunes, Original Sacred Music (2 vols., 1836, 1843), for use in Anglican churches in Wales.
From the Wikipedia entry on RVW:
Peter Ackroyd writes, "If that Englishness in music can be encapsulated in words at all, those words would probably be: ostensibly familiar and commonplace, yet deep and mystical as well as lyrical, melodic, melancholic, and nostalgic yet timeless." Ackroyd quotes music critic John Alexander Fuller Maitland, whose distinctions included editing the second edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians in the years just before 1911, as having observed that in Vaughan Williams's style "one is never quite sure whether one is listening to something very old or very new. His style expresses a deep regard for and fascination with folk tunes, the variations upon which can convey the listener from the down-to-earth (which he always tried to remain in his daily life) to the ethereal. Simultaneously the music shows patriotism toward England in the subtlest form, engendered by a feeling for ancient landscapes and a person's small yet not entirely insignificant place within them."
I took these photos in May and August this year (2012); they are of the C14 Tideswell Church (opening slides); of the Oak Apple Day celebrations at Castleton (about which more below) and of the scenery around Longstone and Little Hucklow - all of which are in the Derbyshire Peak District, England. Of course, Wales (from whose musical heritage this tune derives) has stunning scenery of its own - I just haven't got any decent photos of that marvellous part of Britain, as yet!
As to Oak Apple Day, I have witnessed similar, but religious, street processions in Malta, Italy, Spain and Mexico - and yes even in England at Walsingham, Norfolk: here however, all is secular.
From the official Castleton Website (lots more information): castleton.co.uk/events/
"Oak Apple Day is a special day in the Castleton calendar. It was a national holiday celebrated in England every year on 29th May to commemorate the restoration of the monarchy in Great Britain and Ireland, which occurred in May 1660. Charles II was returned to the throne in 1660 after the brief Cromwellian interlude between 1653 and 1659. In some parts of the country, Oak Apple Day was also known as Shick-Shack Day or Arbour Day. In Castleton, the day is highly anticipated with great fervour. The ancient Castleton ceremony of Garlanding takes place, and is a day of great colour and fun. It is also a time of considerable pageantry, with people dressing in Stuart fashions and choosing to dress as a King or a Queen for the day. On this day each year a huge garland of wildflowers is created and the Castleton 'Garland King and Queen' parade around the village on horseback wearing 17th century dress.
Conductor: Richard Hickox
The Northern Sinfonia
An EMI recording (P) 2000: ASIN: B00004TQQ6
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