Patrick Hadley "Nightfall" for Baritone, Men's Chorus. Flute, Piano and Strings

"Nightfall" - a poem by Edward Harding, musical setting for Baritone, Men's Chorus. Flute, Piano and Strings by Patrick "Paddy" Hadley (1899 - 1973). Composed in April 1920 - during his time as a student of music at Pembroke College, Cambridge -, this is one of the earliest surviving pieces from Hadley's otherwise limited catalogue of compositions, albeit an excellent example of his unique vocal and choral style. It is almost astonishing how - despite the obvious influences of Delius and Vaughan Williams - Paddy's later style of "The Trees so High" and "The Hills" is latent within his earlier works, including "Nightfall" or "Kinder Scout" (1923), featured in this video:    • Patrick Hadley - Kinder Scout  . The first performance of "Nightfall" likely took place at Pembroke college's summer concert in 1920 with another performance taking place on 10th June 1921 during a concert of the Cambridge University Musical Society under the baton of Cyril Rootham.

"Nightfall" is, according to Hadley's biographer Eric Wetherell, "an introverted work that raises the spectre of death, which he had experienced both in the [1st World] war and in the family."

This score video is using the only known recording of the piece of a U.S. Performance on March 8th, 2014, featuring Philip Zawisza, baritone, with the Oratorio Society of Minnesota Men's Chorus.

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