Author Description

for SATB and orchestraThis three movement work was premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in 1951 by a massed choir of 1150 school students under the direction of Sir Adrian Boult and accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Vaughan Williams made no concession to the youth of his singers, producing a powerful work that moves between musical darkness and light. The poems are by Ursula Wood, who later became the composer's wife, and are titled 'Darkness and Light', 'The Song of the Zodiac', and 'The Messengers of Speech'. Music from the work was later adapted into the song cycle Sun, Moon, Stars, and Man.Orchestral materials for both the original full orchestra accompaniment and a simplified orchestral accompaniment are available on hire.