RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Five Variants of “ Dives and Lazarus ”
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Born 1872 in Gloucestershire , U . K .; died 1958 in London , U . K .
• Ralph Vaughan Williams began his musical studies taking piano lessons from his aunt . He wrote his first composition at age five .
• Vaughan Williams attended the Royal College of Music despite some hesitation from his parents , who were apprehensive about him pursuing a career in music . He took a break from studying at the conservatory to go to the University of Cambridge .
• Upon his return to the Royal College of Music , he became friends with Gustav Holst , who would remain one of his closest lifelong friends .
• Vaughan Williams was committed to music-making for the whole community . He co-founded an amateur music festival and was involved in adult education .
• He developed an interest in folk songs and would travel throughout the English countryside to notate and publish traditional songs . He incorporated some of these melodies into his works , and they greatly influenced his compositional style .
• After trying and failing to get lessons from Edward Elgar , Vaughan Williams was introduced to Maurice Ravel . Vaughan Williams moved to Paris to take lessons from Ravel , who was notoriously demanding . Ravel once called Vaughan Williams : “ my only pupil who does not write my music .”
• During WWI , Vaughan Williams volunteered for the service despite being in his 40s . He drove an ambulance wagon in France and Greece and lost many friends in the war . While in service , the incessant noise of guns damaged his hearing , leading to deafness later in life .
• Vaughan Williams is recognized as one of the most prominent English composers of the 20 th century . During his lifetime he was awarded honorary doctorates from Oxford and Yale , composed music for Queen Elizabeth II ’ s coronation , and was offered knighthood ( which he refused ).
FUN FACT
Charles Darwin was Ralph Vaughan William ’ s great-uncle .
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE
1939
MUSIC Abel Meeropol and Billie Holiday ’ s “ Strange Fruit ”
SPORTS Lou Gehrig retires from Major League Baseball
FILM The Wizard of Oz
ABOUT THE PIECE
• Vaughan Williams wrote this work for harp and string orchestra in 1939 .
• The piece , based on the folk tune “ Dive and Lazarus ,” was commissioned by the British Council to be performed at the World ’ s Fair in NYC . The premiere of the work was given by the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall .
HISTORY Germany invades Poland , marking the start of WWII
BSO SESSIONS | MAY-JUNE 2021
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