Ralph Vaughan Williams

This Fantasia is founded on the following traditional English carols: The Truth Sent From Above (Herefordshire) words and tune; Come All You Worthy Gentlemen (Somerset) words and tune; On Christmas Night (Sussex) words and tune; There Is A Fountain (Herefordshire) tune only; together with fragments of other well-known carol tunes. The work is scored for ordinary full Orchestra with Organ and set of bells (ad lib.) or String Orchestra with Organ or Piano. Alternatively it may be accompanied by Organ or Piano alone played from the Vocal score with an optional solo Cello part (H212). A chorus part for performance bysolo Baritone and TTBB is also available (W41). The chorus is required to sing in four different ways:1. Singing the words.2. Singing with closed lips.3. Singing \'Ah\'.4. Singing with half-closed lips i.e. with a short \'u\' sound as in the word \'but\'. Watch Pasadena Master Chorale performing Ralph Vaughan Williams\' Fantasia On Christmas Carols:

Vaughan Williams created this setting of Burnsâ?? later version of Caâ?? The Yowes with its original tune in 1922. This is a particularly atmospheric setting profiling lyrical solo male voices againstvery rich harmonies and varying this between the verses of the song. The Scottish folk song is arranged for Tenor solo and chorus of mixed voices with Piano accompaniment.Ralph Vaughan Williams was an Englishcomposer of symphonies chamber music opera choral music and film scores; as well as a collector of English folk music and song. He was one of the leading figures of the 20th century revival of English music and believed thatrestoring English music could only happen by studying and employing native resources rather than looking at foreign models. Today Williams is largely remembered for his â??musical nationalismâ?? although a greatercomplexity is attributed to it than in former times.