English Folk Song Suite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Written in 1923, the English Folk Song Suite is one of English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams's most famous works for military band. The piece has also been arranged for full orchestra and brass band by Vaughan Williams's student Gordon Jacob. The suite consists of three movements: March, Intermezzo and another March, all of which are subtitled with English folk song names. The first march is based upon Seventeen Come Sunday, the Intermezzo upon My Bonny Boy and the final movement on Folk Songs From Somerset.
[edit] Seventeen Come Sunday
Seventeen Come Sunday opens, after a four bar introduction, with the principal melody in the woodwind section (flutes in orchestrated version), after which they are joined by the brass: (violins in orchestrated version). The phrasing is irregular - the melody lasts for thirteen bars. This is followed by a quiet melody for solo clarinet, also repeated. A third tune, on the lower instruments, leads straight back to the second theme, before the opening is repeated. The form of this movement can be represented by A-B-C-B-A (Arch form).
[edit] My Bonny Boy
My Bonny Boy opens with a solo for the oboe/cor anglais, which is repeated by the low-register instruments. Halfway through the intermezzo, a beautiful and typically English tune in the dorian pentatonic mode is played, first in the minor context, then in the major. The first melody is played again in fragmented form before the close of the movement. The appeal of this piece derives from its sheer simplicity.
[edit] Folk Songs From Somerset
Folk Songs From Somerset opens with a light dotted quaver (eighth note) introduction of four measures before the first melody enters with a dynamic of piano on cornet (clarinet in orchestration). This melody is then dovetailed around the band/orchestra before finishing with a fortissimo reprise. A second melody then takes over, being played by the tenor and lower register instruments, while the remainder takes over the on beat chordal structure. As this second melody dies away the original melody is heard once again with the tutti reprise. This then leads into the key change, time change (6/8) and the trio. The trio introduces a more delicate melody played by the woodwind with a light accompaniment. This continues until the time signature changes again, back to the original 2/4. Along with this time change a final heavy melody enters in the lower instruments ((trombones and double basses in orchestrated version) while the cornets play decorative features above. This trio is then repeated in full before a D.C. is reached. The form of this movement can be represented by A-B-A.
