Ralph Vaughan Williams, The Songs of Ralph Vaughan Williams

Jonathan Churchill (Duke University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Birmingham Newman University), Louise McDonald (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1882 - 1958

Places

United Kingdom (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Literary/Musical
Music (any)
- Song

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

Solo song appears throughout the catalogue of Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), and its combination of diverse texts and settings reflects the dynamic musical language that came to define the composer’s 76-year career. Verse from the likes of Tennyson, Fredegond Shove, Coleridge, and the Rossetti siblings mingle with Schumann-esque Lied accompaniments, esoteric chromatic density, and chant-like austerity to challenge musico-cultural norms. Regardless of compositional particulars, however, Vaughan Williams’s songs exhibit an uncommon sensitivity to their text and its affective qualities, likely an extension of the composer’s broader attention to melody (Hold 103). This carefully curated musico-textual interaction and its manifold iterations suggest a lifelong investment in solo…

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

4023 words

Citation: Churchill, Jonathan. "The Songs of Ralph Vaughan Williams". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 March 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39071, accessed 10 May 2024.]

Save this article