Conducted by GEOFFREY TOYE
Relayed from the People's Palace, Mile End
Road
Roy HENDERSON (Baritone)
QOME of the loveliest music of this century
was left us by Georgo Butterworth , who (like many young English composers) was killed in action in France, in August, 1916. His music tells plainly that he had deep within him the rapture and tranquillity of the English countryside.
Of his small output two song-cycles and this orchestral Rhapsody are founded on A. E. Housman 's poem-cycle, A Shropshire Lad. The song-cycles are, of course, settings of certain of the poems, whilst the Rhapsody is a sort of epilogue to the song-cycles—areverie,perhaps, on the whole of ' A Shropshire Lad.'
BRIGG FAIR is an English folk-song which
Dolius has Tnade the basis of an orchestral
Rhapsody. He has prefaced his score with the words of the ballad. This is the first verse :
It was on the fift' of August, The weather fine and fair ;
Unto Brigg Fair I did repair For love I was inclined.
The Rhapsody is scored for a largo Orchestra. The Introduction (Slow. Pastoral) consists mainly of little arabesques on Flutes and Clarinets, suggestive of bird songs. The Tune is then given out as an Oboe Solo, with light choral accompaniment of Woodwind and pizzicato (plucked) Strings. The rest of the work consists of almost continuous variations on the Tune.