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University of Kentucky University of Kentucky
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Theses and Dissertations--Music Music
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MUSIC IN THE MIDST OF DESOLATION: A CONDUCTOR’S MUSIC IN THE MIDST OF DESOLATION: A CONDUCTOR’S
ANALYSIS OF CYRIL BRADLEY ROOTHAM’S ANALYSIS OF CYRIL BRADLEY ROOTHAM’S FOR THE FALLEN, ,
OPUS 51 OPUS 51
Cameron Lee Weatherford University of Kentucky, [email protected] Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2018.277
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Cameron Lee Weatherford, Student
Dr. Jefferson Johnson, Major Professor
Dr. Michael Baker, Director of Graduate Studies
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MUSICINTHEMIDSTOFDESOLATION:ACONDUCTOR’SANALYSISOFCYRILBRADLEYROOTHAM’S
FORTHEFALLEN,OPUS51
__________________________________________________
DOCTOROFMUSICALARTSPROJECT
__________________________________________________
ADoctorofMusicalArtsProjectsubmittedinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirements
forthedegreeofDoctorofMusicalArtsintheCollegeofFineArtsattheUniversityofKentucky
By
CameronLeeWeatherford
Lexington,Kentucky
Co-Directors:Dr.JeffersonJohnson,ProfessorofMusicand Dr.LoriHetzel,ProfessorofMusic
Lexington,Kentucky
2018
Copyright©CameronLeeWeatherford2018
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ABSTRACTOFDOCTOROFMUSICALARTSPROJECT
MUSICINTHEMIDSTOFDESOLATION:ACONDUCTOR’SANALYSISOFCYRILBRADLEYROOTHAM’S
FORTHEFALLEN,OPUS51
WorldWarI(1914-1918)broughtwithitunimaginabledisasteranddestruction,reshapingtheworldanditscultureforever.Outoftheashesofthisunparalleledconflictcamenumeroustriumphsofart,fueledbythesurroundingconditionsandpersonalexpressionsoftheirartists.Englishcomposer,Dr.CyrilBradleyRootham(1875-1938)setapowerfulandhauntingpoemfromthepoetLaurenceBinyon(1869-1943)titled“FortheFallen”fromalargercollectionofhispoetrycalledTheWinnowingFan.ThepoemwaspublishedinTheTimesonSeptember21,1914,justsevenweeksafterthewarbegan. Thismonographseekstobringtolightthisgloriousandoverlookedchoral/orchestralworkatatimeofacentennialanniversaryforWorldWarI,bringingevenmorerelevancetothesubjectmatter.Anotherfocusofthisdocumentistohighlightthemusicalaccessibilityofthisworkandprovideresourcesthatfunctionasaplatformforperformance. Abriefbackgroundofthecomposition,thepoem,andthepoetwillassistingivingcontexttothesetting.Thisdocumentwillalsocoverspecificdetailsregardingmusicalanalysis,textualinterpretations,andperformancepracticeconcepts.KEYWORDS: CyrilBradleyRootham;LaurenceBinyon;FortheFallen; TheWinnowingFan;Choral/Orchestral;
CameronWeatherford StudentSignature
June29,2018 Date
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MUSICINTHEMIDSTOFDESOLATION:ACONDUCTOR’SANALYSISOFCYRILBRADLEYROOTHAM’S
FORTHEFALLEN,OPUS51By
CameronLeeWeatherford
Dr.JeffersonJohnson Co-DirectorofDoctorofMusicalArtsProject
Dr.LoriHetzel Co-DirectorofDoctorofMusicalArtsProject
Dr.MichaelBaker DirectorofGraduateStudies
June29,2018 Date
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ToCaroline,Hudson,andour“OntheWay”
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Tomybeautifulfamily,includingmywifeCaroline,mysonHudson,andour“ontheway.”Allofthehardworkandhoursputinonthisprojectaresothatyouwillbeproudofme.Icouldnothaveaccomplishedanyofitwithyoumotivating,supporting,andbelievinginme.
ToDr.JeffJohnsonandDr.LoriHetzelfromtheUniversityofKentucky,your
incredibleamountofsupportandencouragement,andyourmodelofwhattrueeducators,conductorsandmusiciansshouldlooklikeisinspiring.Ispeakforthehundredsoflivesyoubothhavetouchedandsaythankyou.
TomyotherimportantmentorsincludingDr.GregoryFuller,Dr.John
Flanery,andDr.FredGuilbert.YouallsawsomethinginmethatIdidnotknowexisted.Iamforeverindebtedtoyouforyourincredibleleadershipandbeliefinme.
Tomycommittee,yourinsightandexpertisewasnotonlyvitaltomysuccess
butencouraginginatimewhenitwasneededmost.Thankyou.ToMr.DanRootham,CyrilRootham’sgrandson,whohasprovidedmuch
feedbackanddirectionthroughoutthisstudy.Thankyouforyourwillingnesstoaidmeinthisproject.
ToMr.AlistairJones,yourhelpfulinsightcontributedgreatlytothe
finalizationofthisdocument.Thankyouforyourkindnessandtime.TomywonderfulcolleaguesandadministrationatLouisianaCollege,your
supporthasencouragedmetodiveindeeplytomyresearchandIamhonoredtoworkalongsideyou.
TomycolleaguesattheUniversityofKentucky,Ihavebeensomotivatedby
youandyourspiritonyourownprojectsandamdeeplygratefulforthewordsofencouragementandwonderfulhourswehavespenttogetherdreamingofwhatisnext.
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TABLEOFCONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................................................iiiLISTOFEXAMPLES....................................................................................................................................v
PARTICHAPTER1:INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................1 BACKGROUNDOFLAURENCEBINYONAND“FORTHEFALLEN”.........................2
BACKGROUNDOFROOTHAM’SFORTHEFALLEN,OP.51........................................5 METHODOLOGYOFTHISSTUDY.........................................................................................9 LITERATUREREVIEW............................................................................................................10CHAPTER2:TEXTUALANALYSISOFBINYON’S“FORTHEFALLEN”..............................12CHAPTER3:TEXTUALTREATMENTINROOTHAM’SFORTHEFALLEN........................17CHAPTER4:THEMATICANDHARMONICCONTENT.............................................................31CHAPTER5:PERFORMANCECONSIDERATIONS......................................................................53APPENDIX...................................................................................................................................................58 INTERVIEWWITHALISTAIRJONES.................................................................................58
PARTIIPROGRAMNOTES....................................................................................................................................62 DONANOBISPACEM...............................................................................................................62 ASCENDITDEUS........................................................................................................................63 SERF’SSONGANDDANCINGSONGFROMMEESTELAULUD................................64 GO,LOVELYROSE.....................................................................................................................65 DIDN’TMYLORDDELIVERDANIEL.................................................................................66
NEARERMYGODTOTHEE...................................................................................................67 EINEKLEINEORGELMESSE.................................................................................................68BIBLIOGRAPHY.........................................................................................................................................69VITA...............................................................................................................................................................71
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LISTOFEXAMPLES
Example1.LaurenceBinyon’s“FortheFallen”.............................................................................4Example2.FortheFallen,mm.44-47.............................................................................................18Example3.FortheFallen,mm.50-52.............................................................................................19Example4.FortheFallen,mm.93-95.............................................................................................21Example5.FortheFallen,mm.110-112.......................................................................................23Example6.FortheFallen,mm.114-116.......................................................................................23Example7.FortheFallen,mm.147-149.......................................................................................24Example8.FortheFallen,m.155.....................................................................................................25Example9.FortheFallen,m.158.....................................................................................................25Example10.FortheFallen,mm.240-242.....................................................................................29Example11.FortheFallen,mm.256-258.....................................................................................29Example12.FortheFallen,mm.304-308.....................................................................................30Example13.FortheFallen,mm.20-23..........................................................................................32Example14.FortheFallen,mm.54-57..........................................................................................34Example15.FortheFallen,mm.60-61..........................................................................................35Example16.FortheFallen,OrchestralManuscript,pg.18...................................................37Example17.FortheFallen,OrchestralManuscript,mm.114-116....................................39Example18.FortheFallen,OrchestralManuscript,mm.117-122....................................40Example19.FortheFallen,m.155...................................................................................................42Example20.FortheFallen,mm.162-163.....................................................................................42Example21.FortheFallen,mm.178-179.....................................................................................44Example22.FortheFallen,mm.178-179.....................................................................................45Example23.FortheFallen,mm.185-187.....................................................................................46Example24.FortheFallen,mm.188-190.....................................................................................46Example25.FortheFallen,mm.191-193.....................................................................................47Example26.FortheFallen,mm.298-299.....................................................................................52
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CHAPTERONE
Introduction
WorldWarI(1914-1918)broughtwithitimmensesuffering,loss,and
destruction.Incountlessmediums,artistictriumphsmanagedtoemergefromthe
aftermathofthewar,asthetragedyofitcreatedacanvasforcreativeoutput.
ThoughmanymaybeunfamiliarwithDr.CyrilBradleyRoothamandhisworkasan
educatorandcomposer,itdoesnotlessentheimpactofhischoral/orchestralwork
FortheFallen,Opus51.CompletedinApril1915,atatimewhenGreatBritain
remainedrelativelyoptimisticaboutthewar,Rootham’scompositioncarries
themesofnationalism,asthenationremainedsupportiveandvigorouspertaining
totheirwarefforts.Onecancertainlygraspthisspiritwithinthework.Inother
moments,asifforeshadowingtheexcessivelosstocome,Roothamcreatesmusical
atmospheresofpainandfear.Alloftheseemotivequalitiesserveasacatalystto
makingthisworkoneofimportance,especiallyincirclesofwarmusic.
Somehistoricalinterestsurroundsthisworkbywayofaquarrelbetween
RoothamandSirEdwardElgar.Bothcomposerssetouttocomposemusicto
LaurenceBinyon’s“FortheFallen”uponitspublicationinTheTimesinSeptember
of1914,creatingariftbetweenthesetwoBritishmusicians.Thoughnotthefocusof
thisstudy,moredetailswillbediscussedinthecomingpages.
Thereisaneedforthisworktobestudiedandperformedonamore
frequentbasisasthequalityofcomposition,emotiverichness,andrelative
accessibilitycreateaplatformforpowerfulperformances.Thepurposeofthis
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projectistohighlightthequalityofRootham’spiece,givingattentiontoarichwork
ofartcomposedinaseasonofBritishoptimism,despitetheforthcomingdesolation.
LaurenceBinyonand“FortheFallen”
RobertLaurenceBinyon(1869-1943)wasapoet,artist,andcriticwhois
bestrememberedforhispoeticoutputpertainingtoWorldWarI.Afterhis
undergraduateeducationatTrinityCollegeatOxford,hetookapositionatthe
BritishMuseuminthedepartmentofprintedbooks,eventuallyrelocatingtothe
departmentofprintsanddrawingswherehewouldremainuntilhisretirementin
1933.1ItwasherethatheworkedalongsideSidneyColvin,whoencouragedhimto
compose“Requiemfortheslain.”2Binyonisnotedfornotjusthispoetry,butalso
forhisessaysonvisualart.“HewasalsointerestedinOrientalartandculture:
bookssuchasPaintingintheFarEast(1908)andthebookofpoemsTheFlightof
theDragon(1911)reflectthisinterest.”3ThisvarietyofinterestsallowedBinyonto
berecognizedintheliterarycirclesthroughoutEngland.Stylistically,ithasbeen
saidthat“Binyon’spoetrywasgenerallythoughttobehighlyrefined,andadjectives
suchas“stately,”“dignified,”and“grave”arefrequentlyusedtocharacterizehis
verse.”4Thiscertainlyresonateswithinthecontextof“FortheFallen.”
1“LaurenceBinyon,”PoetryFoundation,PoetryFoundation,
www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/laurence-binyon.Accessed17Apr.2017.
2JerroldNorthropMoore,EdwardElgar:ACreativeLife,Oxford:OxfordUP,1984,p.674.3“LaurenceBinyon,”PoetryFoundation.4Ibid.
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AsWorldWarIcommenced,Binyon,likeRootham,wastoooldtoenterthe
military.HeservedasanorderlyintheRedCrossandeventraveledtothefrontin
1916.Whathesawthereinspiredseveralpoeticwritingsincluding“TheAnvil,”
“TheCause,”“TheNewWorld,”andthecollectionfromwhichthepoemathand
comes,TheWinnowingFan:PoemsOntheGreatWar.
Leadinguptothepublicationof“FortheFallen,”Binyonfoundhimself
standingwithfiftysignatoriestotheAuthor’sDeclarationthatappearedinThe
TimesandTheNewYorkTimesonSeptember18,1914.Manyofthesewriterswere
extremeadvocatesofpeacebutknewthatBritainwasobligedtoenterthewar
underthecircumstances.5“FortheFallen”waspublishedinTheTimesthreedays
lateronSeptember21,1914.IthasbecomeBinyon’smostrecognizedpieceasit
carrieswithitaunifyingthemeofremembrance,hope,andgrief.Thesewerestrong
sentimentstheBritishwereexperiencingduringtheearlyyearsoftheGreatWar,
andtherewasaninstantaneousconnectionwiththepoem.Inhisin-depthstudyon
Binyon,JohnTrevorHatcherstates,“Initsgravitas,itstenderness,anddepthof
grief,‘FortheFallen’looksasifitshouldhaveappearedinTheTimesfor21
September1918not1914.”6
Muchofthewritinginthepoemthatlendsitselftoamusicalsetting
including“solemnthedrumsthrill”silence,“goingwithsongsintobattle”andof
course,“musicinthemidstofdesolation”FrederickMorelandMarysaDemoor
5JohnTrevorHatcher,LaurenceBinyon:Poet,ScholarofEastandWest(City:publisher,
year),191-192.6Ibid.
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claimthat,“Thestrengthofthepoemisinthemimesis,inwhatitrepresents.”7One
canseetheimmediatedrawofRoothamtothework.Today,thepoemisstillrecited
atRemembranceSundayintheUK,usedinAnzacDayinAustraliaandNewZealand,
andreadforNovember11servicesinCanada.8Example1providesBinyon’spoem,
“FortheFallen”forreferencethroughouttheremainderofthismonograph.
Example1.LaurenceBinyon’s“FortheFallen”
Withproudthanksgiving,amotherforherchildren,Englandmournsforherdeadacrossthesea.Fleshofherfleshtheywere,spiritofherspirit,
Falleninthecauseofthefree.
Solemnthedrumsthrill:DeathaugustandroyalSingssorrowupintoimmortalspheres.ThereismusicinthemidstofdesolationAndaglorythatshinesuponourtears.
Theywentwithsongstothebattle,theywereyoung,
Straightoflimb,trueofeye,steadyandaglow.Theywerestaunchtotheendagainstoddsuncounted,
Theyfellwiththeirfacestothefoe.
Theyshallgrownotold,aswethatareleftgrowold:Ageshallnotwearythem,northeyearscondemn.Atthegoingdownofthesunandinthemorning
Wewillrememberthem.
Theyminglenotwiththeirlaughingcomradesagain;Theysitnomoreatfamiliartablesofhome;Theyhavenolotinourlabouroftheday-time;
TheysleepbeyondEngland'sfoam.
7FrederickMorelandMarysaDemoor,"LaurenceBinyonandtheModernists:Ezra
Pound,T.S.EliotandF.T.Marinetti,"EnglishStudies95,no.8(2014):907-22.8“LaurenceBinyon.”Wikipedia,WikimediaFoundation,10Apr.2017,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaurenceBinyon.Accessed17Apr.2017.
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Butwhereourdesiresareandourhopesprofound,Feltasawell-springthatishiddenfromsight,
TotheinnermostheartoftheirownlandtheyareknownAsthestarsareknowntotheNight;
Asthestarsthatshallbebrightwhenwearedust,Movinginmarchesupontheheavenlyplain,
Asthestarsthatarestarryinthetimeofourdarkness,Totheend,totheend,theyremain.
BackgroundofCyrilBradleyRootham’sFortheFallen,Op.51
ThereisascarceamountofinformationregardingRoothamthoughhis
contributionstoBritishmusicduringthelatenineteenthandearlytwentieth
centuriesarevastlyimportant.InhisstudyofRootham,Dr.ClaybornPriceclaims,
“Fewpeopleareawareoftheimpactthismusicianhadonthemusicallifeofthe
Cambridgecommunityinthefirstquarterofthetwentiethcentury.Rootham
studiedwithCharlesVilliarsStanford...taughtArthurBliss,ArnoldCooke...Thus,
heactsasabridgebetweenthelateRomanticandtheearlytwentiethcentury
Britishcomposers.”9Pricealsosays,“Mostofhischoralworkswerepublished
duringhislifetime,yetnoneappeartohaveremainedintherepertoire,sacredor
secular.”10
MostofRootham’scareerwasspentasaprofessorandcomposeratSt.John’s
College,Cambridge,andin1912hebecametheconductoroftheCambridge
9ClaybornWinfieldPrice,LostintheRevival:TheSacredChoralMusicofCyrilBradley
Rootham(1875-1938),Diss.UofSouthCarolina,2010,AnnArbor:ProQuestLLC,MI.110Ibid.
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UniversityMusicalSociety,aposthehelduntilhisdeath.11Hiscompositionaloutput
consistsofoneopera,nineteenchoral-orchestralworks,thirty-sevensecularpart-
songs,twenty-twosacredchoralworks,forty-sixsolosongs,thirteenorchestral
works(includingtwosymphonies,thesecondofwhichisachoralsymphony),and
twenty-twochamberpieces,withhismostsignificantcontributionsbeingtochoral
music.12
LittlehasbeendiscussedaboutthegenesisofRootham’ssettingofBinyon’s
“FortheFallen.”Itisknownthatjustdaysafter“FortheFallen”waspublishedin
TheTimesinSeptember1914,RoothamwrotetoBinyonaskinghispermissionto
sethisnewpoemtomusic.Thepoethappilyobliged,justbeforesettingsailona
studyandlecturetourintheUnitedStatestohelpfundhisnexttriptotheFar
East.13ThereisonlythepresumptionthatuponreadingthemovingtextRootham
feltanobligationtosetittomusicforhiscountry,whoin1915stillbelievedthewar
wouldbeoversoonerratherthanlater.JohnFrancestates,“Manycommentators
agreethatRootham’sversionof‘FortheFallen’,whichprecededElgar’s,isinmany
waysjustasimpressiveastheeldermaster’sandmayevenscorehighermarksfor
subtletyifnotpassion.”14
Thepieceitselfisathrough-composedsettingofthe“FortheFallen”poem.
Roothamcallsforalargeorchestraintheworkincludingtwoflutes,twooboes,two
11JürgenSchaarwächter,"Rootham,Cyril."GroveMusicOnline,OxfordMusic
Online,OxfordUniversityPress.12Price,LostintheRevival,2.13JohnTrevorHatcher,LaurenceBinyon:Poet,ScholarofEastandWest.Oxford,
ClarendonPress,1995.191-192.14JohnFrance,"CyrilRootham."CyrilRootham,ClassicalMusicontheWeb,n.d.16Apr.
2017,http://www.musicweb-international.com/Rootham/.
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clarinetsinBb,twobassoons,fourhornsinF,twotrumpetsinF,twotenor
trombones,athirdtromboneandatuba,threekettledrums,a“big”drum,a“side”
drum,cymbals,harp,andstrings.Healsosetsasmallamountoforganadliblaterin
thework.
TheopeningbarsgiveasenseofRootham’sskillasanorchestrator.Thereis
asimplicityinthewritingthatisfittingforthetext,andhespendsforty-three
measuresorchestrallyexposingthematicmaterialthatwillreturnthroughoutthe
piece.PricestatesthatRootham’s“harmony,texture,andmusicalinvention,in
general,werepersonal,notjustreflectionsofwhatisknownastheEnglish‘pastoral
style’.”15ThisstatementringstruewithinthecontextofFortheFallen.
Harmonically,theworktakesasimplerapproach,thoughthisisnotareflectionon
itsimpact.Thelesscomplicatedformalstructuresandharmoniclanguagegivethe
pieceanoverallsenseofreverencethatiswelcomed.A1915reviewofthework
publishedinTheTimesstates,“Therearesomefineclimaxes,andthework
throughout,withitsrhythmicinterest,itsmodernfeeling,anditssubtleandfitting
flavorofausterity,isanimpressiveandworthytributetoourgallantdead.”16These
finewordsgiveanaccuratedepictionoftheemotionalbreadthofRootham’ssetting.
Thepieceisrelativelyconciseinlength,taking16-18minutesasnotatedby
thecomposerinthemanuscript.17Thoughhedictatesafirst,second,andthird
sectionofthepiece,eachverseofthepoemisdelineatedbyseparatemusical
15Price,TheSacredChoralMusicofCyrilBradleyRootham,26.16“FortheFallen,”Review,TheMusicalTimes56,no.872,Jan.1915,605.17CyrilBradleyRootham,FortheFallen,PoembyLaurenceBinyonSettoMusicfor
ChorusandOrchestra,1915,Manuscript,1915.
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contentandmovesintotheotherattacca,adevicewhichwillbeexploredinmore
detaillaterinthisstudy.
Rootham’ssettingofFortheFallenisaworkthathasnotbeenadequately
studiedorchampioned.Muchofthisisduetoitsovershadowednatureunderthe
greatElgarianculturethatsurroundedthemasterandhissetting.Thisdoesnot
stripRootham’ssettingofitsmeritandthisdocumentseekstopromotetheideaof
thetriumphofbothRootham’sandElgar’ssettings.ItisbestsummedupinThe
Timesreviewsaying,“Bothinregardtowordsandmusic‘FortheFallen’strikesa
notetoooftenabsentfromelegiacworkscalledforthbywar.Thereisgenuine
feeling,butthereareprideanddignityaswell.”18
18“FortheFallen,”Review,TheMusicalTimes.
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MethodologyofthisStudy
ThepreviouschapterservesasanintroductiontoBinyon’spoem“Forthe
Fallen,”andcomposerCyrilBradleyRootham’schoral/orchestralsettingofit,For
theFallen.
Chaptertwowillprovideananalysisofthepoem,“FortheFallen,”giving
detailsofBinyon’swritingstyleandsubjectiveinterpretationsofthepoetry.
ChapterthreewillbeabriefstudyofthetextualtreatmentinRootham’s
work,inparticular,hisuseoftextpaintingandemotiveexpression.
ChapterfourwillfocusonthethematicandharmoniccontentinOp.51.
Rootham’scomprehensivecompositionalstyleisondisplaythroughoutthework,
andthischapterwillhighlightthoseattributes.
Thefinalchapterwillsynthesizethematerialspresentedandconcludewith
finalthoughtsonperformancepracticeandaccessibilityofthiswork.
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LiteratureReview
LimitedwrittenresourcesareavailableonbothBinyonandRootham.
RoothamseemstofallintoobscurityintermsofBritishcomposersattheturnofthe
century.Intheauthor’sresearch,Roothamisleftoutofsomegenericsources
describingBritishmusicandcultureintheearlytwentiethcentury.Binyon,onthe
otherhand,isinanotherartisticrealmaltogether.Hislifeandworkarecovered
ratherthoroughlyinpoeticandliteraryscholarlycircles.Heiscertainlyvaluedasan
importantBritishpoet,especiallyduringthetimeofTheGreatWar.
ThesourcessurroundingBinyon,thoughfew,aredetailedandhelpful.The
primarydocumentisthebiographybyJohnTrevorHatcherentitledLaurence
Binyon:Poet,ScholarofEastandWest.Itgivesextensivedetailofhislifeandwork,
exploringthemanyseasonsandstylesofhiswriting.Largerscalewritingsofearly
warpoetryandpoetsmentionBinyonandhisworkbutwerenotexploredforthe
purposesofthisdocument.
SourcesonRoothamandhismusicalcontributionshaveproventobe
minimalinscope.Thereareonlyafewsourcesthathavebeenfoundationaltothe
studyofthecomposer:(1)Thecomposer’swebsite,www.rootham.orgwhichis
managedbyRootham’sgrandson,DanRootham,(2)Dr.ClaybornPrice’sthorough
dissertationstudy,LostintheRevival:TheSacredChoralMusicofCyrilBradley
Rootham(1875-1938),and(3)anarticlefromthesameauthorintheACDAChoral
Journal,“LostintheRevival:TheSacredMusicofCyrilRootham,”inwhichDr.Price
compressestheinformationofhisdissertationtobringDr.Rootham’ssacredmusic
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totheforefrontforchoralmusicians.Anotherimportantsourcethathasinformed
thisstudyisthe1938articleinTheTimesbyArthurJ.B.HutchingsentitledThe
MusicofCyrilBradleyRootham.WrittenintheyearofRootham’spassing,thisarticle
providesacontemporary’spointofviewonhisstyleandmusicalcontributions,
somethingofgreatvalueinlightofthecomposerbeingpracticallyunknowntoday.
Thoughallofthesesourcesareimportantinanoverviewofthecomposer,fewof
themdiscussFortheFallenindepth.
ThescarcityofliteraturesurroundingRoothamreinforcesthepurposeofthis
study.Theaccessibility,emotivequalities,andhighcaliberofmusicalcontentinFor
theFallen,warrantperformancefromprofessionalandamateurensemblesalike.
Therefore,muchistobemadeofthecharacteristicslistedabovethroughoutthis
monographwithallintentionspointingtowardsthepreservationandfuture
performancesofRootham’sFortheFallen,Op.51.
Copyright©CameronLeeWeatherford2018
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CHAPTERTWO
TextualAnalysisofBinyon’s“FortheFallen”
InhisextensivebiographyofBinyon,JohnHatchermakesasummativenote
aboutthecompositionof“FortheFallen.”:“Perhapsthemostremarkablething
about‘FortheFallen’isthatdate21September1914,withtheGreatWarlessthan
sevenweeksold.Infactthepoemhadbeenwrittenseveralweeksearlier,justafter
theretreatfromMons,wheretheheavilyoutnumberedBritishExpeditionaryForce
becamethefirstBritisharmytofightonWesternEuropeansoilsinceWaterloo.”19
Thepoemcarriedthetypeofgravitasthatwouldbeexpectedattheendofthewar,
notduringtheopeningweeksofit.Hatchergoesontosay,“thispoemgrewin
staturewitheachdefeat,eachabortivepush,andpyrrhicvictory.”20Theprophetic
insightthatBinyondisplaysinhisgut-wrenchingtextisoneofthemanyaspectsof
theworkthathavesolidifieditsplaceinpoetichistory.Italsoaddsnewdepthtothe
understandingofbothElgarandRootham’smusicaltreatmentofthetext,asthey
werebothcomposedafterthewarhadbeenragingforsometime.
Composedofsevenstanzaswithfourlinesperstanza,thepoemisfilledwith
rich,sonorouslanguagethatnotonlypaintsadauntingpictureofthewartocome
butgivesseveralpointsofviewfromwhichthereadercanapproach.Hatcher
19JohnTrevorHatcher,LaurenceBinyon:Poet,ScholarofEastandWest.Oxford,
ClarendonPress,1995.192.20 Ibid.
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describesitbestbysaying,“Thepoem’ssevenstanzaschartinadvanceBritain’s
changingmoodfrom1914to1918.”21Thefirsttwostanzas,shownbelow,givea
dignifiedandpowerfulvoicetothesoldiersdefendingtheirnation.
Withproudthanksgiving,amotherforherchildren,Englandmournsforherdeadacrossthesea.Fleshofherfleshtheywere,spiritofherspirit,
Falleninthecauseofthefree.
Solemnthedrumsthrill:DeathaugustandroyalSingssorrowupintoimmortalspheres.ThereismusicinthemidstofdesolationAndaglorythatshinesuponourtears.
Theculturesurroundingthewarinitsbeginningstagesisechoedintheseverses.
Youngmen,theirwives,andtheirfamilies,hadtheirfearssupersededbythe
patriotismrequiredtofightandpotentiallydieforthehonoroftheircountry.
Binyondoesnothidethesetruthsintheopeningverses,rather,hecelebratesthem.
Thethirdverse,stillringingwiththeproverbialbellsofpatrioticfervor,canbe
viewedasthetreacherousturningpointofthewarwithsuchbattlesoccurringat
Ypres,Loos,andSomme,wheretheslaughterswereunimaginable.
Theywentwithsongstothebattle,theywereyoung,Straightoflimb,trueofeye,steadyandaglow.
Theywerestaunchtotheendagainstoddsuncounted,Theyfellwiththeirfacestothefoe.
Hatchersumsuptheseopeningthreeverseswonderfully:“itwouldbecome
obvious,tothecombatantsatleast,thatinindustrializedtrenchwarfare,which
pittedexpendablefleshagainstmass-producedmetalsandchemicals,tobe‘straight
oflimbtrueofeye,steadyandaglow’meantlittle.”22ThoughBinyon’stonemay
21Ibid,192. 22Ibid,193.
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14
havebeentokeepthereader’sspiritshigh,thebrutalrealitiesofthewarthatwould
surfacemeremonthsafterthispoem’spublicationerasedmuchoftheopeningthree
verses’patriotism.
TheromanticstyleofBinyon’spoetrywasstandardforthiseraofprose,
especiallyintheearlyGreatWarwritings.Thetoneofthepoemtakesadramatic
shiftinthefinalfourstanzas,withtheapexcominginthecentralstanza,thefourth.
From“proudthanksgiving”tomemorializingthedead,thelastfourstanzas
propheticallypredictthemassivecasualtiestocomeandtheweightoftheir
memory.Hatchersays,“Inthelastfourstanzas,however,theseromanticclichés
graduallygivewaytoaclairvoyantsenseofthesheerscaleofthegriefthatwould
needtobeconsoled,givenabearablyhumanshape.”23
Theyshallgrownotold,aswethatareleftgrowold:Ageshallnotwearythem,northeyearscondemn.Atthegoingdownofthesunandinthemorning
Wewillrememberthem.
Theyminglenotwiththeirlaughingcomradesagain;Theysitnomoreatfamiliartablesofhome;Theyhavenolotinourlabouroftheday-time;
TheysleepbeyondEngland'sfoam.
Butwhereourdesiresareandourhopesprofound,Feltasawell-springthatishiddenfromsight,
TotheinnermostheartoftheirownlandtheyareknownAsthestarsareknowntotheNight;
Asthestarsthatshallbebrightwhenwearedust,Movinginmarchesupontheheavenlyplain,
Asthestarsthatarestarryinthetimeofourdarkness,Totheend,totheend,theyremain.24
23Ibid. 24“LaurenceBinyon,”PoetryFoundation.
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Thefourthstanzanotonlyservesasthecentralfocalpointofthepoemitself,
butthesehauntingwordshavebeenrepeatedandliveonyettoday,“carvedon
thousandsofgravestonesandcenotaphs,andrecitedonArmisticeDayceremonies
andtheBritishLegionFestivalofRemembrance,linesthathaveaccruedthepower
andresonanceofamantrathroughfourgenerationsofutterance...”25
Aninterestingnoteregardingthesefinalfourstanzasistheircongruence
withotherRomanticwarpoetryofthetime.Acommonmetaphorusedtorepresent
thedeathofsoldierswastheideaofthesunrisingandsetting.“Sunrisesandsunsets
wouldbecomecentraltoBritishpoetryoftheGreatWar,fromRosenberg’s‘Breakof
DayintheTrenches’toOwen’s‘AnthemforDoomedYouth.’”26Theothercommon
threadamongstwar-timepoetsistheuseoftheimageryofstars.Thisallowsforthe
uncountablenumberofdeathsthatBinyonforesaw.Thelanguageheusesintheline
“Asthestarsthatshallbebrightwhenwearedust”representsthelastingmemory
ofthefallenandgivesanothercomparativeaspectofthestarthatisapplicableto
thesoldier.
ThepoetryhasarhymeschemethatcanbecharacterizedasABCBwitha
natural,speech-likeflowtothetext.Therepetitivecadenceofthewritinglends
itselfwelltomusicalsetting.
TheforesightonBinyon’sparttodescribethetragedyoftheGreatWarso
astutelybeforeithadtrulytakenshapemakes“FortheFallen”thatmuchmore
moving.In1917,Elgarcompletedhismultimovementpieceforchorus,soloists,and
25Hatcher,LaurenceBinyon,194. 26 Ibid,192.
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orchestracalledTheSpiritofEngland.TheworksetsthreepoemsfromBinyon’sThe
WinnowingFan:“Withproudthanksgiving,”“ToWomen,”and“FortheFallen.”
ThoughNovellohadalreadypublishedRootham’spiece,Elgar’spopularityvaulted
TheSpiritofEnglandintonationalrenown.IntheirarticleonTheSpiritofEngland,
AlanHoutchensandJanisP.Stoutmakeavaluableremarkintermsofthereception
ofthework,specificallyspeakingtowardstheideaofthisbeingwrittenintheearly
stagesofthewar.“AlreadytheBritishhadsufferedenormouslosses;itisscarcely
surprisingthereadersof‘FortheFallen’weretouchedbythedirectnessofits
expressionsofgrief,itslanguageofpersonificationofEnglandasamother,andits
reassurancethatinsomewaytheselosseswerenobleonesandwouldbe
remembered.”27Thisstatementincludesthemajorthemesofthepoem:griefand
honesty.Rootham’smusicalsettingexploresthesetonesofdevastation,loss,and
pride,justasBinyonsetouttocapturewith“FortheFallen.”
Copyright©CameronLeeWeatherford2018
27 AlanHoutchensandJanisP.Stout,“‘ThisDreadfulWinnowing-Fan’:RhetoricofWar
inEdwardElgar's‘TheSpiritofEngland,’”TheChoralJournal,vol.44,no.9,1Apr.2004,15.
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CHAPTERTHREE
TextualTreatmentinRootham’sFortheFallen
OneareaofcongruenceamongmanyofthewritingsonRoothamandthis
workinparticularisthatofhisconsistenttreatmentoftextacrossallofhischoral
works.InHutching’sarticleinTheTimes,hemakesaccurateobservationsabout
Rootham’sacuteskillforsettingwordstomusic.Whatmakesthesestatementsmost
poignantisthatheisdescribingseveralofRootham’sworks,notjustFortheFallen.
“Roothamisthatrarecreature,thecomposerwhorespectsthepoetabovehimself..
.Heillustratesinhischoralworkstherarestofthreemethodsofapproachtowords
whicharetobeobservedincontemporarymusic...thefirstmethod,whichhas
becomeasortofdisease,isnothappyunlessitiswritinginadeclamatorystyle...
thesecondmethodishonouredbyBeethoven;thosewhoadoptitforcetheirwords
tofittherecurrenceofthemeswhichhavebeenconstructedwithsymphonic
economy;itiseasythustoholdtheworktogether.”28Thistraitoftyingthemesto
particularmoodsandtextsisexploredfurtherinChapterFour.Inspeakingofthe
thirdmethod,hecontinues,“Torespectthepoet’srhythmicsubtleties,togetherwith
thevariationsofmoodsuggestedbypassingimages,whileatthesametimekeeping
thewholeworksecurelyboundtogether,isafarmoredifficultundertakingthanthe
compositionofanextendedworkforchorusandorchestra.”29Thisfinalstatementis
28 ArthurJ.B.Hutchings,“TheMusicofCyrilBradleyRootham,”TheMusicalTimes79,no.
1139(1938):20.29Ibid
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summativeofthetextualtreatmentshownbyRoothamthroughoutthework,
implementingamasterfulblendofemotivetextpainting,unison,counterpoint,and
homorhythmtoachieveclarityofthepoet’sintent.
Thefirststanzaofthepoemissetwithseveraloftheaforementioned
elements.Example2belowshowsRootham’sattentiontothetextintheuseof
unisonsopranostoportraythevoiceofthemother,andhomorhythmicentrancesof
theremainderofthechorustobecomethevoiceofEnglandwiththeline“England
mournsforherdeadacrossthesea.”
Example2.FortheFallen,mm.44-47
Roothamconcludesthefirststanzawithtwofrequentlyusedcompositional
devices:canoniclinesandtextpainting.Example3showsthecanonbetweenthe
sopranosandtenors,directlyfollowedbythetextpaintingontheword“fallen”
usingadescendingperfectfifthinterval.Thisparticularcanonisattheoctave,
emphasizingtherepetitivenatureofthetext“fleshofherfleshtheywere,spiritof
herspirit.”Worthnotingisthebrevitywithwhichhesetstheopeningstanza,using
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onlytenmeasurestosettheentiretext.Thisseemstobeanintentionaldecision,as
theideaofthewarwasnotasromanticizedinthespringof1915asitwasin
Septemberof1914,whichBinyonportrayedintheintroductorystanza.
Example3.FortheFallen,mm.50-52
Moretextpaintingfollowswiththebeginningofthesecondstanza.Rootham
spendsmoretimemusicallywiththisversethantheprevious,drawingonthe
emotionaljuxtapositionofsorrowandhopefoundinthequatrain.
Solemnthedrumsthrill:DeathaugustandroyalSingssorrowupintoimmortalspheres.ThereismusicinthemidstofdesolationAndaglorythatshinesuponourtears.
Theopeningmeasuresofthissectionoftheworkintroducethesidedrum(usually
playedonasnaredrum)articulatedwithaonemeasuremessadivoceoneachofthe
two-measurestrainsfollowedbyaunisondeclamationofthefullchorusonthetext
“Solemnthedrumsthrill.”Themessadivocetechniquegivesthefaintwhisperofa
distantsnaredrumonthebattlefield,anotherexampleoftextpaintinginitsown
way.Thisisanobvious,yeteffectivetoolforportrayingthemilitantaspectofthis
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verseandawakeningtheaudiencetothecomingdesolationofthepoem.Itwill
continuetobeusedsparinglythroughouttheremainderofthework.
OnealsoencountersanotherimportantcharacteristicofRootham’svocal
writingduringthisparticularstanza:imaginativecounterpoint.Thesopranosbegin
atwo-measuremotivethatwillberepeatedbythebassesatritonebelowthe
originalpitch.Thisintervallicrelationshipseemsintentionalonthecomposer’spart,
asthetritonerepresentsdarknessanddissonance,relativetotheword“death.”This
motiveonthetext“Deathaugustandroyalsings”isrepeatednextbythetenorsand
thenfinally,thealtos.Thefollowinglineoftext,“sorrowupintoimmortalspheres.”
thoughsimilarineveryvoice,showsonlycreativityinthetransformationoftheline,
butnostrictcounterpointasshowninthepreviouslineoftext.Thiscontrapuntal
devicewillreturnthroughoutthework;itisoneofthemanystrongcharacteristics
ofRootham’stextsetting.Beforemovingontothethirdstanza,thereisabrief
repriseofthe“Solemnthedrumsthrill”textinthesamerhythmicpatternas
previouslysung,accompaniedbythesnaredrumanditsmessadivocearticulation.
Aswillbediscussedinmoredetailinthecomingpages,Roothamhada
masterfulhandleontheorchestrationandoverallconceptofthiswork.Between
eachstanzaoftextcomesabriefseguethatmovesattacaintothenextquatrain.
Thisnotonlyallowsforabriefmusicalintroductionandconclusionbetweeneach
stanza,butalsocreatesanewatmospherewhereineachversecandwell.For
instance,thematerialleadingintothethirdstanzadwindlesintonothingbya
thinningoutoftheorchestraltexture,allleadinguptooneofthemostobviousand
dramaticshiftsinorchestralcolorandpoetictone.
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Thestringsaredividedintoeightpartsatmeasure82,violinsandviolasare
giventremolos,thetrumpetsaresustaininganoctave,thewoodwindshave
sporadicandplayfullines,andRoothamintroducesanewinstrumenttothetexture,
theharp.Thisshowsgreatmastery,asitcreatesamoodofother-worldlinessand
hope,allbeforethethirdlineofthesecondstanzaissung.
ThereismusicinthemidstofdesolationAndaglorythatshinesuponourtears.
Atmeasure82hecallsforthefirstmetronomicshiftoftheworkthusfar,
fromthequarternoteequalingfortybeatsperminutetonowthequarternote
equalingeightybeatsperminute.Thisliftintempoallowsforthetexttoshine
through,highlightingtheideaofhopeinthemidstofwar.Someofthesame
characteristicsareinplaceasRoothamweaveshiswaythroughthesetwolines:
canonicentrances,interestingandcolorfulmelodies,andvariedrhythmicinterest.
Noticetherhythmicaugmentationofthemainthemeinthealtoline.
Example4.FortheFallen,mm.93-95
Theremainderofthisstanzaisalsoaccompaniedbythemostdiatonicof
harmonictexturestothispointinthecomposition,continuinginthepatternof
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Rootham’sdesireforclarityoftextandemotivecontent.Atmeasure100,Rootham
concludeswithanotherbriefinstrumentalpassagethatresurrectssomeofthe
thematic,rhythmic,andinstrumentalmotives.PricequotesHutchingsinhis
dissertation,describingwhathastranspiredduringthisstanza,“Roothamlearned
thatonecannotsetwordssimplybecausetheysuggestrhythms,harmonies,ora
specificatmosphericquality,untilonehaslearnedtocreatemusicwithoutthem,
andtocomposeaptlywithoutthestimulus.”30Roothamclearlyshowshisabilityto
remindthelistenerofthemesandtrendswithinhismusic,bothintextualand
instrumentalmoments.
Thisthirdquatrainopensupnewpossibilitiesforcomposition,andRootham
capturedtheessenceofthistext.Followingthecompositionalpatternsofthe
previoustwostanzas,thereistransitionalmusicalmaterialplacedbetweenverses,
thusallowingforanewtonetobeset.
Theywentwithsongstothebattle,theywereyoung,Straightoflimb,trueofeye,steadyandaglow.
Theywerestaunchtotheendagainstoddsuncounted,Theyfellwiththeirfacestothefoe
Roothamstaystruetothistextbychangingthemeterto6/8atmeasure102,
quickeningthetemposignificantly,usinglargepercussionforces,includingcymbals
forthefirsttime,andaddingapreviouslyunheardboisterous,cinematicqualityto
theorchestration,allemulatingtheboldnessofthisparticularstanza.Thereisanew
motiveaddedtothisverseaswell—ashort,jaunty,march-likemelodythatbounces
30 ClaybornWinfieldPrice,LostintheRevival:TheSacredChoralMusicofCyrilBradley
Rootham(1875-1938).Diss.UofSouthCarolina,2010.AnnArbor:ProQuestLLC,MI.27.
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23
alongtorepresentaproudsoldiermarchingoffintobattle.Thisthemeisplayedby
thefirstbassoon,anappropriatetimbreforthemelody,showninExample5below.
Roothamincludesaplayfulcountermelodyinthesecondbassoonaswell.This
motiveisthenmirroredbythechoralforcesasseeninExample6below.Forthe
listener,thismaybethemostmemorabletunefromthework.
Example5.FortheFallen,mm.110-112
Example6.FortheFallen,mm.114-116
Similartotheopening,Roothamdoesnotspendasignificantamountoftimesetting
thisstanza,abrieftwenty-threemeasuresoftext,asifheisanxioustomoveonto
theapexofthepoem,thefourthstanza.
Theyshallgrownotold,aswethatareleftgrowold:Ageshallnotwearythem,northeyearscondemn.Atthegoingdownofthesunandinthemorning
Wewillrememberthem.
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Thereisabriefamountofinstrumentalmusicthatseparatesversesthree
andfouratmeasure135,buttherearesimilarqualitiestothepreviouslypresented
materialthatoccurincludingbothakeyandmeterchangeatmeasure139.Thereis
alsoafamiliarnaturetothecounterpoint.Thetenorsandsopranossingcounter-
melodiestooneanother,followedshortlybythealtosandbassesinthesame
fashion.Thenewestelementhereisatelescopingtext.Bystackingthefirsttwolines
fromthequatrainthroughoutthefirstfourteenmeasuresofthisverse,amore
complicatedtextureiscreated,shownbelowinExample7.
Example7.FortheFallen,mm.147-149
Atmeasure153,abrieftwo-measurebreakprecedeswhatsounds
reminiscentofaneighteenth-centurywork,completewithashort,four-measure
fugatosubjectbetweenthechoralforces,andbuoyantcontrapuntalwritingfor
strings,woodwinds,andhorns.Thetextbecomestelescopic,reminiscentofamissa
brevisinthestyleofFranzJosephHaydn.Inhisownwritingonteaching,Rootham
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describeshisviewofcomposition.“Ifavocalmelodyissetforthreeorfour-part
writing,thenthestudentisexpectedtostudyaMassoramadrigal,achoraleof
Bach,orachorusfromPurcellorHandel,accordingtothestyleofthequestion,
beforeanotebewrittendown.”31Theentranceofthebassesonthetext“Atthe
going'downofthesunandinthemorningWewillrememberthem”opensthe
fugatosubjectbetweenthebassesandtenors,separatedbyaperfectfourth,as
shownintheentrancesinExamples8and9below.Beforethealtosandsopranos
mimicthisfugatoinm.161,Roothaminsertsashortreminderinthesopranovoice
ontopofthetenors’fugatosubject.
Example8.FortheFallen,m.155
Example9.FortheFallen,m.158
Boththebassesandtenorsremindthelistenersthat“Theywillnotgrowold,Age
shallnotwearythem.”Theseshortmusicalinterjectionsonlybearsimilarrhythmic
structures,withnoresemblanceinmelodiccontent,thuseliminatingthepossibility
ofacounter-subjectinthefugue.KnowingthatthetextisparamounttoRootham,
31CyrilBradleyRootham,"TheoreticalTeaching:SomeSuggestionsForReform,"The
MusicalTimes67,no.1006(1926):1080.
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26
onecanonlyimaginethatthetelescopicnatureofthesettingrepresents
conversationsamongstlovedonesleftbehind,remindingthemselvesoftheproud
causeforwhichtheirsonsdied.Heconcludesthisversewithoneofthelargest
climaticmomentsoftheworkthusfar.Hebeginscollectingthechoralforcesfrom
theircontrapuntalstateintoamorehomogenousonewithshorter,moreconcise
imitativefigures,allcultivatingtothefinalcadenceoftheverse,accompaniedbya
five-measurepedalpointontheVchord,andreachingtheconclusivestatementof
“Wewillrememberthem”instricthomorhythmonthetonic.Thoughonlytwenty-
fourmeasureslong,thispassageelevatesthecompositiontonewheightsof
splendorandmastery.Onealsoseestheimportanceofthisfourthstanzaastheapex
oftheentirepoem,andRoothamcaredforthisbybringinganelementofclimactic
centralitytothemusic,justoverthehalfwaypointoftheentirecomposition.
Thelatterhalfofthecompositionbeginswithafewconclusivemeasuresof
instrumentalsegue,implementingthematicmaterialfromtheopeningmeasuresof
thepiece.Mostimportantly,thetoneshiftsinthenextstanza,andrightfullyso.
Theyminglenotwiththeirlaughingcomradesagain;Theysitnomoreatfamiliartablesofhome;Theyhavenolotinourlabouroftheday-time;
TheysleepbeyondEngland'sfoam.
Theheavyrealizationofthetragedyofwarandcasualtyissensedthrough
Rootham’ssettingofthisfifthquatrain.Acallformenomossointhecomposer’s
hand,ahalf-stepmodulationfromthepreviousverse,andthethinnesttexturein
boththeorchestralandchoralforcesmovesthelistenertothegravenatureofthe
text.Hesetstheopeningthreelinesofthestanzabywritingforasoloorsemi-
chorusanddistributesthembetweenthesoprano,alto,andbassvoiceswith
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sopranossingingthefirstline,altosthesecond,andbassesthethird.Atmeasure
194,Roothamsetsthefinallineoftheverseforthefullchorusinhomorhythm,even
implementingameterchangefrom4/4to6/4toelongatethephrases.Allparts
includingvocal,strings,andsomewoodwindsmoveinblockchords,creatingawash
ofcolorandsonictexture.Cuttingthroughisthehauntingmelodywrittenforthe
horn,forwhichthecomposerleavesanote“solo:expressinfreerhythm.”Choosing
wiselythetimbreofthehornforthismelody,Roothamcreatesamesmerizingand
reverentmomentinthesethirteenmeasures.Toconcludethevocalwriting,the
chorusendsnotontheC#-minorchordthathaspermeatedthefirsttwelve
measuresofthisline,butonaC#-majorchord,implyingahopefulprideinthe
sacrificeofthesoldiers.Thisleadsintoaclosingorchestralsegue,quotingsomeof
theopeningthematicmaterialandquietlymovingthelistenerintothepenultimate
quatrain.
Inoneofthemostabruptshiftsintone,measure211callsforanallegro
tempoat120beatsperminute,ametricshiftfrom4/4to2/4,andamodulation,
highlightingtheglorifiedstatureofthefallensoldiersdiscussedinBinyon’ssixth
stanza.
Butwhereourdesiresareandourhopesprofound,Feltasawell-springthatishiddenfromsight,
TotheinnermostheartoftheirownlandtheyareknownAsthestarsareknowntotheNight;
Addingmoreclaritytothetext,Roothamrevertsbacktotwoothertechniques,
unisonandhomorhythm,thoughtherearebriefdeparturesfromtheunisoninthis
passage.Thisisanimportantdistinctionfromthesettingofthefifthstanza,which
utilizedpolyphonictexturestoexplorethethemesinthepoetry.Thisversealso
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callsforthereturnofadenseorchestraltexture,anothercharacteristicthatis
consciouslyexploredinRootham’scomposition.Thestanzaissetbriefly,aswasthe
previousstanza,utilizingonlytwenty-sevenmeasuresofchoralsinging.Thisbrevity
lendsitselfwelltothecomingconcludingstanza,whereRoothamsynthesizesallof
theaforementionedtechniquesoverthecourseofsixty-eightmeasures,thelongest
settingofanyverseofBinyon’spoem.
Asthestarsthatshallbebrightwhenwearedust,Movinginmarchesupontheheavenlyplain,
Asthestarsthatarestarryinthetimeofourdarkness,Totheend,totheend,theyremain.
Unseeninthepreviousmeasures,sopranossingtheentirequatrainasmeans
ofintroductiontothetextatmeasure240,asiftheyfunctionasanarratorbringing
thestorytotheaudience.Priortothesopranoentrance,twobriefmeasuressegue
fromstanzasixintothisfinalverse.Themostnoticeableshiftcomesinthemetric
alteration.Themusicmovesfroma2/4metertoa2/2withthepulseremainingthe
same,immediatelyaddinganaturallegatotothesection.Hecouplesthisunison
sopranolinewithatrimmeddownorchestration,and,ofnote,thewoodwinds
remaininastricttripletpatternforoverfortymeasures.Thiscreatesafresh
rhythmicjuxtapositionagainsttheduplemeterinallotherpartsandbringsoutthe
multipletripletfiguresinthechoralparts.Thisversealsoreturnstopolyphonyand
canonicimitation,anotherstarkcontrastfromthepreviousstanza.Thereisonly
onemomentofstrictcanonthroughouttheentirepassage,nonetheless.Itoccurs
betweenthesopranosandtenorsatmeasure240andmeasure256,asshownbelow
inExamples10and11.
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Example10.FortheFallen,mm.240-242
Example11.FortheFallen,mm.256-258
Theuseofimitationandcanonicfiguresisscatteredthroughoutthisfinalverse,asif
Roothamdesiredtopaintastar-filledskywithininthemusic.Thisaidsinbuilding
anticipationforthetriumphantdeclarationoftheunison“Totheend,totheend
theyremain.”Anothercharacteristicpresentherethathasbeenusedinprevious
stanzasisthatoftextrepetition.Roothamusesthisdevicealongwithartfultext
paintinginsettingthefinalquatrain.(SeeExample12below).
Beginningatmeasure304,Roothamnotonlycombinesoverarchingmelodic
themesandrhythmicstructuresbutalsoemitsthefirstandonlyeight-partvocal
textureofthework,fittingly,onthetext“Totheend,totheendtheyremain.”This
sectioncreatesanatmospherictexturethroughtheuseofstaggeredchoral
entrances,pentatonicism,andthenaturalriseofthepitches,asifRoothamdesired
tosendthefallensoldiersintoagloriouseternityabove.
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Example12.FortheFallen,mm.304-308
Astheworkbeganwithanextensiveorchestralprelude,itisonlyfittingthat
itendswithoneaswell.Thoughmuchshorterthantheopeningmaterial,onecan
appreciateRootham’smasterfulschemeofdividingthestanzasusingorchestral
material.
Copyright©CameronLeeWeatherford2018
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CHAPTERFOUR
ThematicandHarmonicContent
DuetothelargescaleofFortheFallen,itseemsappropriatetoprovidea
simpleoverviewofthethematicandharmonicinterestsfoundwithinthework.In
anarticlewrittenbyRootham’sgrandson,DanRoothamcharacterizeshisgeneral
compositionalstyle:“Apresenceofmodalismcanbefoundinmuchofhismusicas
wellas,inthelaterworks,harmonicparallelismandbitonality.Hisharmonieswith
theirunexpectedtwistsandbitonalities,couldbecriticizedforalackofspontaneity
andheissometimesindangerofrepeatinghimself.”32Uponfirstlisten,onecanhear
theglimmersofthefadingRomanticerainfusedwithaprogressiveharmonic
palette.Thissonorousblendlaysarichfoundationfortheemotivenatureofthe
poetry.
Askilledorchestrator,Roothamsettheopeningforty-threemeasuresfor
orchestraalone.Thefirstnineteenmeasuresaresetasanincipitofsorts,creatinga
reverentandRequiem-likeatmosphere.Thewarmcombinationoftrombonesand
trumpetssupplytheaccompaniment,thekettledrumgivingtheominousperfect
fourthonAandD,andtherichsoloviolasupplyingthechant-likephraseinhonorof
thefallen.TheTimesreviewoftheworkstates,“Aquotationfromtheplainsongof
theMassfortheDeadhasaprominentpartintheintroductionandisreferredto
32“CyrilRootham,”Wikipedia,WikimediaFoundation,15Oct.2017,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_Rootham.Accessed15Dec.2017.
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32
effectivelyfromtimetotime.”33TheharmoniesweavethroughaDminortonality,
sporadicallyincorporatingGminor,Cmajor,andAminorchords.Theclosing
measuresoftheincipitrevealsacommoncadencefoundthroughoutthework,the
Picardythird,creatingaD-majorchord.
Aftertheincipit,thethematicmaterialisintroduced.Fourmeasuresin
length,thisopeningmaterialwillberepeatedthroughouttheworkinbothchoral
andorchestralparts(shownbelowinExample13,stringsonly).Mostnoticeable
aboutthisthemeisitsDDorianmodeandharmonicdensity.
Example13.FortheFallen,mm.20-23
AsseeninExample13,thethematicsequenceconsistsofanA-minorseventhchord,
alternatingfromthirdtosecondinversionandthenreturningtothirdinversion.Ina
sequentialfashion,thispatternisrepeatedinthenextfourmeasures,transposedup
33 “FortheFallen,”Review,TheMusicalTimes.
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aminorthird,creatingaC-minorseventhchordalternatingbetweenthirdand
secondinversions.Fourmeasureslater,thesequenceistransposedupafinaltime,
thistimewithanEb-majorseventhmovingbetweenthirdandsecondinversions.All
ofthisoccursaboveaDpedalinthedoublebassandkettledrum,creatingasenseof
angstoverwhatwouldnormallybealovelyprogression.Theseopeningmoments
highlighttheharmoniccharacteristicsDanRoothamoutlinesinhisarticle.The
purposeforaddressingtheharmonieshereistodrawattentiontonotjustthe
distincttonality,butalsothemelodiccontentplayedbytheviolins.Thisbrief,
stepwisemotivewilloccurthroughoutthework,andfunctionsasasinuoustheme
inthepiece.RoothamclosestheorchestralpreludewithaPicardythird,creatinga
D-majortonality,acommonharmonicoccurrencethroughoutthework.
Amixtureofabruptshiftsintonalityoccurasthetextbeginsinmeasure44.
Thebriefsettingofthefirststanzaendswithoneoftheearliestmomentsoftext
painting.“Falleninthecauseofthefree.”Roothamsetsthefinalwordofthelineon
aboisterousA-majorchordutilizinghomorhythmandafortissimodynamic
marking,accompaniedbyfullorchestra,withareinventionofthestepwisetheme
beforereturningtothehometonalityofDminor.SeeExample14.
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Example14.FortheFallen,mm.54-57
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Eminorbecomesthetonicforthesecondstanza.Notonlyisthetonalcenter
shifting,butthroughthetextureanewtwo-measurethemeisintroduced.Example
15displaysthismotive.
Example15.FortheFallen,mm.60-61
Thebeckoningcallofthisthemeandthecomposer’schoicetousethetrumpet
solidifythemilitantaspectofthisverse,completewiththeentranceoftheside
drum.Therhythmicstructurethatispresentbecomesathemeofitsownasitis
passedthroughouttheorchestraoverthenexttwentymeasures,sometimesbearing
theoriginalmelody,sometimesjusttherhythmicmotive.Beginningwiththe
entranceofthetextatmeasure62,thereappearsaBrahmsianchromaticthird
sequencebeginningonEminor,followedbyGmajor,Bbmajor,Dbmajor,Fbmajor,
Amajor,CmajorandthenreturningtoEminor.Harmonically,Roothambegins
showcasinghismasteryoverthecompositionalartformandpayshomagetothe
masterswhocamebeforehim.Thevocallinessupportthisprogressionbymeansof
theirpolyphonictapestry,adaptingandmodulatingalongwiththeorchestra.Abrief
momentofC#minorinmeasure72isfollowedbyitsrelativemajorofEmajorin
measure73,thekeythatwillremainfortheconclusionofthesecondstanza.
Thefinaltwolinesofthesecondquatrainbeginninginmeasure82comprise
thefirstmusicalsectionthatRoothambeginsinamajorkey,andrightfullyso.
“Thereismusicinthemidstofdesolation”opensthesectionandfeaturesa
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prominentharppartandunisonsopranostosetthetone.Worthnotingisthelackof
motivicmaterialfoundinthissection.Thecomposerseemstofocushisattentionon
theimpressionisticharmonicprogressiontoaidintheetherealqualityofthetext.
Uponfirstlisten,onemayanticipatethissectionremaininginEmajor,butin
measure84themusicshiftsfromaD-majorseventhchordtoanE-minorseventh
chordbyusingtheDasthecommontoneinthecelli.ThequalityoftheEmajoris
alsoshiftedbythealteringoftheG#toGnaturalintheviolintwoandviolapartsin
measure84,interestingly,ontheword“desolation.”ThisE-minorseventhchord
leadsintomeasuresofglorioustonalinstabilityusingthefollowingchord
progression:C#half-diminishedseventh,Aminor,Eminor,Cmajor,Amajor,C#
minor,F#minor,andconcludeswithaC#-majorchordusingapicardythird,a
techniquethathasoccurredpreviously.Twoothercompositionalaspectsareworth
notinghere:thefirstistheconcertEpedalabovethischromaticprogressionplayed
bythetrumpetsinF.Thesecondistheuseofthedescendingchromaticlineinthe
cellopartthataccompaniestheprogressionuntilthecadencepointwhichcallsfora
whole-stepfromG#toF#followedbythenewtonic,C#.Overthecourseofonly
eightmeasures,thetonalityhasshifteddramatically.Usingtheseriesofinversions
intheharmonicprogression,Roothamseamlesslymaneuversthelistenerthrough
anunstabletonalland.ThetonicremainsinC#forthemen’sentranceson“Anda
glorythatshinesuponourtears,”travelingthroughmoreinvertedseventhchords
untilthecadencepointonC#major,asbefore.
Whatcomesinmeasure94isanotherbrilliantexampleofRootham’s
compositionaltechnique.Asiftoemphasizethetext,whichisrepeatedinallofthe
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choralparts,themusicshiftssuddenlyintoFmajor.Heaccomplishesthissubtlyby
enharmonicallyspellingthedoublebass’sC#toDb,creatingyetanotherchromatic
thirdrelationshipandguidingtheverseintoafreshnewkey.Asbefore,Fmajor
onlylastsfortwomeasuresbeforeitisquicklytransformedintoFminor,paralleling
thepreviousprogression.Thoughtheprogressionisalteredslightly,itbearsthe
resemblanceofthefirstdeclarationofthetext,usinginversionsandahalf-step
descendingbassline.Theprimarydifferenceinthissectionistheuseofexpanded
forces,bothvocallyandinstrumentally.Mimickingtheconclusionofthefirst
passage,thisonealsoendswithaPicardythird,althoughthistimeahalf-stephigher
onDmajor.ThisD-majorchordservesasthedominantoftheupcomingGmajorfor
thethirdstanza:thekeywhichRoothamdevelopedintheorchestralpostludefrom
thesecondverse.Theworkalsoreturnstoitsuseofthematicmaterialintroducedin
thepostludeofthesecondstanzaandfullydevelopedinthethird.
Roothamsetsthethirdstanzaoftextwithacontrastingtone.Theuseofa
buoyant6/8timesignature,dottedrhythmicstructures,andalivelytempomarking
assistinthischange.Onemusttakenoticeofaninterestingscoremarkingfrom
Roothamatthebottomofthepage.SeeExample16below.
Example16.FortheFallen,OrchestralManuscript,pg.18
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Itreads,“Thenationalmelodiesmarkedthusshouldbedistinct.CBR.”TheTimes
reviewprovidesfurtherinsightintoRootham’smarking.“Whileatthewords‘They
wentwithsongstothebattle,theywereyoung,Straightoflimb,trueofeye,’the
orchestramakescombineduseoffragmentsfrom‘ThegirlIleftbehindme,’‘Menof
Harlech,’‘TheCampbellsarecoming,’‘TheBritishGrenadiers,’andtherattlingold
Irishtune‘Garyone.’”34Roothammanagestoquotethesefivemelodies
simultaneously,usingdifferentareasoftheorchestra,inonlyninemeasures.
Theotherinterestingaspectofthissectionisthejuxtapositionoftwo
differentmeters.Onenoticesthe2/4forsomeofthequotationswhilethechorus,
strings,andotherselectmembersoftheorchestraremainin6/8.Thiscreatesa
hemiolathataddsasignificantamountofinteresttothestanza.Example17and
Example18belowrevealthesequotations.
34“FortheFallen,”Review,TheMusicalTimes.
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Example17.FortheFallen,OrchestralManuscript,mm.114-116
“Garyone”
“TheCampbellsareComing”
“TheBritishGrenadiers”
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“TheGirlILeftBehindMe”
“MenofHarlech”
“TheCampbellsareComing”(cont’d)
“TheBritishGrenadiers”(cont’d)
Example18.FortheFallen,OrchestralManuscript,mm.117-122
Theseninemeasuresareimportanttothenationalisticqualityofthismusic
andthisstanzainparticular,proclaimingthesoldiersbravemarchintothebrutal
conflict.Anexpressivemomentisworthnotingthatoccursontheword“fell”within
thefinallineofthestanza.Onthewords“Theyfellwiththeirfacestothefoe,”
RoothaminsertsanAb-augmented,causingbrieftensionandprovidinganother
exampleoftextpaintingasthemusicrepresentsthedyingsoldiers.Despitethis
quickdeparturefromtheharmonichomeofGmajor,Roothamconcludesthestanza
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withapowerfulcadenceinthedominantkeyofDmajor,asifpraisingthebraveryof
thesoldiers.
Aquicktwo-measureorchestralinterludeinDmajormovestheworkinto
thefourthstanza.Aninterestingharmonicshifttakesplacehereasthenewstanza
begins,atechniquethatRoothamhasmasterfullyshowcasedatthechangeofevery
stanzathusfar.TheorchestralinterludeoccursinDmajorwiththenewstanzaset
inCmajor.Tonavigatethistransition,RoothambeginsthequatrainwithaG
dominantseventhchord,whichfunctionsasthedominantinthenewkey.He
accomplishesthisbyloweringF#toFnatural,asthekeysignaturewouldsuggest.
Thisallowsforasubtle,yetimportantharmonicmoodforthispensivestanza.
Thefirstlineofthestanzaismetwithafamiliartechnique:thesequence.
Thisparticularsequenceisinfour-measuregroups,beginninginCmajor,then
movingtoDminor,concludinginBbmajor.Thesequenceconsistsoftwomeasures
ofthedominantsonorityofthesekeysmovingintothetonicofeachsequential
group,coupledwiththecontrapuntalnatureofthechorusandtelescopedtext.The
openinglineconcludeswithafour-measureprogressiononEmajor,whichthe
listenerlearnsisthedominantoftheupcomingA-majortonalityforthefinaltwo
linesofthequatrain.
ThesecondhalfofthestanzaoccursinAmajorandismetwithaninstruction
formenomossoandasignificanttempochangetoaslower66BPM.Thoughthereis
atemposhift,thepulseseemstoquickenasthepredominantnotevalueforthe
orchestraistheeighthnote.Asmentionedinchapterthree,thebrieftheme,shown
below,istransformedandquotedthroughouttheremainderofthisstanza,
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occurringinboththefugaltextureofthechorusandtheorchestra.Heusesthis
themetoshapethemelodicandrhythmicstructureoftheendofthisfourthstanza.
Example19.FortheFallen,m.155
Worthnotingistheinterestingtexturecreatednotonlybytheuseofthis
themethroughoutthissection,butalsothecounterpointcreatedbythecellosand
doublebasses.Uponstudyingtheorchestralscore,onediscoversthatwhilethe
othermembersoftheorchestrafindthemselvesdoublingthechoruscollaparte,
quotingthetheme,orsimplyfillingharmonicneeds,thecellosanddoublebasses
haveacompletelyseparatecountermelody.Forevenmoreemphasis,Rootham
doublesthislineattheoctavebetweenthetwoparts.Theoverallrhythmic
structureofthiscountermelodyisbasedonmovingeighthnoteswithoccasional
tripletrhythms,thustyingitintotherhythmicpatternofthetheme.Belowisa
brief,two-measureexampleofthis.
Example20.FortheFallen,mm.162-163
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Thefirstnineteenmeasuresincludetwosix-measureprogressionsthat
essentiallymirroreachother,allwhileremainingwithintherealmofAmajor.The
quarternotepulseactsasavesselforharmonicchange,aseachnewbeatbringsa
newchordwithit.Theeighthnoterhythmicstructurethatpermeatesthese
measurescreatespassingnotesinbetweentheselargerpulsesandchordchanges.
Afterthesenineteenmeasures,thechorusbeginstogatherstrengthastheyallsing
thesametext,“Wewillrememberthem,”andtheharmonicprogressionmovesinto
anewpattern,stillonquarternotepulses,witheachbeatbringinganewharmony.
Thisshortsectiononlylastsfourmeasures,leadingintoaclimacticfinishwiththe
choralfugatoreturningatquickerrepetitions,onlytwoandthreebeatsapartand
theoverallharmonicpulseslowingtotwobeatchanges.Itconcludeswithafive-
measurepedalonthedominantEmajor,withchorussoaringaboveinamassive,
homorhythmicproclamationof“Wewillrememberthem.”
Justoverhalfwaythroughthecomposition,beingcompletelyawareofthe
centralityofthisstanzaandthislineinparticular,Roothamcreatedoneofthemost
dramaticandpowerfulmusicalmomentsoftheworkasanhomagetothefallen
soldiers,mainlythroughtheuseofthecompositionaltechniquesoffugue,tempo
rubato,telescopedtext,harmonicsequence,andpurecreativeharmonic
progressions.Thisleavesthelistenerandmusicianaliketoponderonthesacrifice
ofthemenwhowentintobattle,“straightoflimb,trueofeye,steadyandaglow.”35
35 “LaurenceBinyon,”PoetryFoundation.
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Asseeninprevioussectionsofthework,Roothamconcludesthisstanzawith
ashortorchestralpostlude,brilliantlysynthesizingsomeofthethematicmaterial
fromprevioussections.Interestingly,thecomposerjuxtaposesboththethemefrom
theopeningorchestralmaterial,playedherebythestrings,showninExample21,
andthethemethatbecomesprevalentintheorchestralpreludeofthesecond
stanza,playedherebythetrombones,showninExample22.Nottobeoverstated,
thistechniqueofusingthematicmaterialassinewamongstthesectionsofthiswork
createunitywithinthepiece.
Example21.FortheFallen,mm.178-179
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Example22.FortheFallen,mm.178-179
Evercommittedtotheclarityandaffectofthetext,Roothameasedthe
listenerintothefifthstanzawithasenseofreverence.Theopeninglineofthe
quatraingroundstheaudiencebysaying,“Theyminglenotwiththeirlaughing
comradesagain.”Followinghisglorioushomagetothefallensoldiersona
boisterousAmajor,Roothamcalledforalongdiminuendooverthenextsix
measurestobringthelistenerbacktoearth.Heutilizedtheorchestralpostludeand
aseriesofsecondarydominantchordstotransitiontheworkintoGminorwhereit
onlyremainsforabriefthreemeasures.
Astheopeninglineoftheversebegins,thereisahauntingEb6chord,
functioningastheVIofGminor,thatopensthesection.Thisfeelsabitunstable
afterthesolidtonalterritorythepiecehastraversedoverthelastsixmeasures.
Again,communicatingthepensiveandmournfulaffectofthisverseisRootham’s
goal,sothemysterioussonicqualityofthisinversionisclarified.Theorchestrais
trimmeddowntothestringsandtrumpets,whoaresupplyinglong,sostenuto
chordsbeneaththeunison,chant-likemelodyofthesopranos.Aftereachvocalline,
thewoodwindssupplytheshortquotationofthethemefromtheopeningorchestral
prelude.Onecanseehisdesiretotreattheseopeninglinesoftheverseasachantas
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hecallsforapianissimodynamicand“Soloorsemichorus,sottovoceinfree
rhythm.”36Thefirstthreelinesofthestanzaarechantedinthissamemanner,
exceptthatthealtossingthesecondlineandthebassessingthethird.
Harmonically,anothersequenceappears.Itlaststhreemeasuresandoccurs
beneaththethreevocallinesmentionedabove.Itcontainsthefollowing
progression:VI6-i-VI6-VII-VI6andmovesdownbyawholestepforeachlinefromG
minor,toFminor,toD#minor,whichisEbminorenharmonicallyspelled.The
chorusdoublesthisideabysingingidenticalmelodiesdownawholestep.Thisisa
masterfulchoicebythecomposerasitdrawstheeardownward,remindingthe
listeneroftherealityofthesoldiers’sacrifice.Belowarethethreevocallines
mentioned.
Example23.FortheFallen,mm.185-187
Example24.FortheFallen,mm.188-190
36CyrilBradleyRootham,“FortheFallen,”30.
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Example25.FortheFallen,mm.191-193
Theversenowapproachesitsfinalline,“TheysleepbeyondEngland’sfoam.”
Thislineprotrudesfromthepoemwithitsuseofthemetaphorof“sleep”todeath
anditslocationin“beyondEngland’sfoam:”powerfulprosethatdemandsa
particularsensitivityinitsmusicalsetting.Roothamdeliveredthisbytheuseof
severalcompositionaltechniques,manyofwhicharereprisesofpreviously
discussedmethods.Thesostenutoatmospherecontinueswiththestringsandlow
woodwinds,providingsupportforthechorusandsolohorn.Incredibly,thelistener
ismetwiththeidenticalmusicalmaterialfromtheopeningmeasuresofthepiece.
OnlythistimethecomposerhasmoveddownahalfsteptoC#minorasopposedto
theopeningkeyofDminor.The6/4timesignatureandsolochant-likeline--this
timeplayedbythehornasopposedtotheviolaintheintroduction,havealso
returned.Thesameharmonicprogressionandharmonicrhythmisalsoinplace,
movingfromi-v-iv-i-VII-i-iv-i-v-iv-i-ivandfinallyconcludingwithaC#majorchord
whichcreatesahopefulaffectforthelistener.
Abovethisprogression,doublingtheharmoniesbelow,isthechorus,who
reiteratesthetext“Theysleep”twotimesinhymn-likehomorhythmbefore
concludingwith“TheysleepbeyondEngland’sfoam.”Thetenorsaidtheorchestra
inthePicardythirdoftheC#majorchordbyresolvingtheirF#toanE#.Not
surprisingisthebrieffour-measureorchestralpostlude,whichquotesthesame
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thematicmaterialastheopeningmeasuresofthepiece,carefullymovingthrougha
shortprogressionthatleadsintothecomingDmajorforthesixthstanza.Following
thepatternofeverypreviousmusicalsection,thispostludegivesconclusiontothis
verseandmovestheworkforwardintothenextquatrain.
Roothammakesanimportantchangeasthepieceapproachesitsfinal
measures.Heessentiallycombinesthefinaltwoversesintoonesection.Whereashe
delineatedallpreviousversesbyanorchestralinterlude,itappearshechoseto
combinethesefinalverses,whichpoeticallyseemstobethemostappropriate
musicalrepresentation.Thisisalsotheonlypointinthepoemthattheauthor
choosesasemicolonaspunctuationbetweentheverses,creatingtheliteraryideaof
continuation.Roothamhighlightsthismusicallyinseveralways.Thoughheelides
thetwoversesmusically,thereisenoughmaterialtounearthinboth.
Thesixthstanza’smusicalcharacteristicshingeonitsopeningword,“But…”
Asthepreviousversebroughtthelistenerintoasolemn,pensivestate,thisverse
triumphantlystatesthatthesoldiersshallberememberedaswell“Asthestarsare
knowntotheNight;”Hecapturesthisspiritbyanabruptshifttoa2/4meter,an
allegrotempomarking,andthedenotationofthequarternoteequaling120BPM.
Roothamenergizesthissectionevenmorebycallingonthefullorchestra,the
stringsmovinginaflurryoftremolosarpeggiatingtheharmoniessuppliedbythe
restoftheorchestra.Thebrasssectionsustainstheharmonicprogressionand
rhythminlong,tiedgroupings.Thewoodwindsfindthemselvesdoublingthe
chorus.
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Thechorus,aspreviouslystated,utilizesunison,homorhythmicsinging
throughoutthesection.Rootham’suseofunisonthroughoutFortheFallenisoneof
tastefulnessandeffectiveness.Itseemsthatthemomentswithinthepoetryheseeks
topronouncethemostaresettounison,andhere,themajorityofthestanza
receivesthattreatment,withafewmomentaryexceptions.
Harmonically,Roothamsetthisversewithmoreambiguitythanseen
previously.TheverseutilizesthekeyofDmajor,butonlyasameanstominimize
theaccidentals.Verylittleofthetwenty-ninemeasuresectioncanbeanalyzedinD
major.Usingaseriesofinvertedchords,ittraversesthroughseveralharmonies
includingEminor,Bbmajor,Fminor,Dminor,Bhalf-diminished,Gmajor,andB
minor.Whatismostimportanttorecognizeisthechromaticthirdrelationships.
Thoughharmonicallytheprogressionseemsarbitrary,sonically,thereisa
connectivetissuethatisdistinct,yetdifficulttoidentify.Thisisthemasteryof
Rootham’sstyle.
Thechoralrhythmsdisplayedherecreateawonderful,asymmetrical
characteristicthatservesthetextandthesyllabicstressintendedbybothpoetand
composer.Theuseoftiesaidinaccomplishingthis.Eachphraseissetinfive-
measuregroupings,anoddlengthforthesimple2/4meter:anotherdisplayof
Rootham’scarefulattentiontoclarityoftext.
Worthnotingistheabsenceofanythematicmaterialfromprevioussections.
Itisdifficulttodeterminethecomposer’sintentionswithinthisverse.Withits
brevity,lackofpreviouslyusedmaterialandorchestralinterlude,onecouldassume
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thatthiswaswritteninabrieftimeperiodandservestocatapultthepieceforward
intothefinalandmostextensivequatrain.
Thefinalsectionofthepieceboastssomeofthemostrivetingmusical
momentsthroughoutitsseventy-threemeasurespan.Forclarity,itwillbe
discussedanddividedintotwosections,thefirstbeingtheallegro,imitativechoral
sectionbeginninginmeasure240,thesecondbeingtheadagioconclusionbeginning
inmeasure298,completewiththeSATBchorusindivisiandanorchestralpostlude.
Aspreviouslystated,thisisthelongestexplorationofanyoftheversessetby
Rootham.Hehasshowcasedhissenseofdramaandtextualproficiencythroughout
thepiece,andthefinalversesynthesizestheseconcepts.
Theallegrosectiontakesonanewqualitythanthatofthepreviousstanzaby
beginningina2/2timesignature.Themetronomicpulseremainsthesame,butthe
halfnotebeingtheprimaryunitaddsacharacteristicofliltandlegatothatthe
previous2/4meterdidnotcontainorrequire.Thoughthecomposercontinues
usingthekeyofDmajorforthisfinalsection,itcannotbeanalyzedassuch.This
stanzaboaststhemostprogressiveofharmonicintricaciesandtoattemptachord
bychordanalysiswouldbeunnecessary.Itaurallypresentsglimmersofthe
progressivestyleofBritishcomposersElgarandVaughanWilliams.
Thissectionutilizesanimitativetechniqueinthevocalwritingthatisnot
presentintherestofthework.Thebusynatureofthiswritinglendsitselfwellto
theclosingmeasuresofthepiece,astheyarefilledwithunisonandhomorhythmic
part-writing.Anotheraspectofthisclosingstanzaistheorchestraltexture.Rootham
createdapaletteofterracedorchestrationthatbeginswithstrings,woodwindsand
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harp.Thebriefinterjectionofthecelliatmeasure243foreshadowsthecoming
countermelodythatappearsatmeasure247andremainsforthemajorityofthe
section.Thetexturecontinuestoexpandatmeasure256withtheentranceofthe
hornsanddoublebass.Thisisalsothefirstentranceofboththetenorsandaltos.
Thebassesenterintandemwiththetubasatmeasure263,formingacompositional
patternofpairingvoiceswithinstrumentsthroughoutthisimitativesection.The
trumpetsjoininmeasure267,followedbythefinalinstrumentalentrance,the
trombonesinmeasure274.Thissteppingstonestyleofaddinginstruments
providesanaturalcrescendo,reminiscentofthe18thcenturytechniqueofterracing.
Roothamusedthistechniquetocontinuegivingclaritytothetext,eveninthemidst
ofhismostintricatecompositionalmoments.
Roothamgatheredthevocalandorchestralforcesintohomophonyforthe
closinglineof“Totheend,totheend,theyremain.”Thisprovestoberefreshing
afterthebusynessofthepreviousmeasures,andmoreimportantly,itadds
significantweighttothislineoftext.Thereisabriefmomentofacappellasingingin
unisonatmeasure291,whichdoesnotoccuranywhereelseinthepiece,andbyits
absence,isextremelyeffective.ThisleadsintoadecisiveCmajor,wherethereturn
oftheopeningthematicmaterialispresentintheorchestra,onlythistimeina
majorkey,asopposedtotheopeningDminor,representativeofthemoodofthe
poetry.Anotherrepetitionof“Totheendtheyremain”occurs,followedbythe
juxtapositionofboththeopeningthemeandthesecondthemefrom“Solemnthe
drumsthrill”foundinthetrumpetpart.SeeExample26below.
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Example26.FortheFallen,mm.298-299
Roothamclosedtheworkwithwonderfulcompositionalfeats,thefirstbeing
theuseoftheviolathemefromtheopeningmeasures,thistimeinDmajoras
opposedtoDminor,theparalleltechniquethathewillusetoclosethepiece.
Secondly,intheonlymomentofchoraldivisiinthework,Roothamdecidedtosplit
intoeightpartstorepeat“Totheend,totheend,theyremain.”Thesefivemeasures
ofchoralwritingprovetobeamovingstatementofreverenceforthoselostin
battle.ThisbuildsintoaDmajorchordandtheworkclosesasitbegan,withthe
concisewholestepthemeoftheopeningmeasures,onlythistime,inDmajoras
opposedtoDminor,astirringhomagetothememoryofhiscountrymen.
Copyright©CameronLeeWeatherford2018
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CHAPTERFIVE
PerformanceConsiderations
ThisstudyofRootham’sFortheFallenservesasaguidetoenlightenthe
choralcommunityofitsworth.Thereisalevelofaccessibilitytotheworkthat
shouldmakeitattractivetochoralmusicians,butitiscoupledwithchallenges.This
sectionwillbrieflyoutlinewhattheauthorconsidersbenefitsanddifficultiesof
performingthiswork.Inaddition,twoconductorsfromtheUnitedKingdomhave
offeredinsightintotheirownamateurperformancesofthework,andthesewill
serveasreferencesbelow.
Themoresubjectivequalitiesoftheworkincludeitsbeauty,movingpoetry,
lushharmoniccontent,anddramaticcharacteristics.Thesearequalitiesallchoral
musiciansseekintheirperformances,butopinionsmayvaryonFortheFallen’s
possessionofthem.
Thepiececontainscharacteristicsthatmakeitaccessibleformanychoirs,
amateurandprofessionalalike:thefirstbeingthatofthechoralwriting.Thoughthe
harmonicprogressivenessoftheturnofthetwentiethcenturycanbechallenging,
thechoralwritingremainsrelativelysimple.Achoruswillhavetonavigatethrough
accidentalsandunfamiliarrhythmicpatternsduetoRootham’sattentiontotext
stress,butnothingthatqualitypreparationcannotaid.Thetessituraismoderately
expansivebutdoesn’tofferanychallengethatacompetentensemblecannothandle.
Themixtureofcounterpointandhomophonythroughoutthework,asdiscussedin
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thepreviouschapters,alsocreatesmoreaccessibility.Themomentsofcomplicated
polyphonyinthefourthandseventhstanzascouldprovedifficult,butthemajority
ofthechoralwritingmovesinhomorhythmorpairedvoicings,allowingforefficient
rehearsaltechniques.
Thebrevityoftheworkcanalsoserveasabenefittotheperformer,allowing
formoreworksofasimilarnaturetobeperformedononeconcert,whichisalways
valuablewhenprogramming.Thecomposercallsfortheworktolastanywhere
betweensixteenandeighteenminutes.Intermsoftempoandmetronomic
markings,whichcanobviouslyeffectthelengthofthework,thecomposerleavesa
notefortheperformersinhismanuscriptorchestralscore.“TheM.M.marks
throughoutareintendedtoconveyanideaofthemeantimeatanymoment.Ithas
beenfoundimpossibletodenoteallthelittlevariationsoftimewhichwillnaturally
occurtoanyconductorwhofollowsthemeaningofthewordsaswellasthe
rhythmsofthemusic.”37Thispermissionofsortsallowsformuchfreedominthe
interpretationofthespecificmetronomicchangesthroughoutthework.
Intermsoftheorchestration,thebrilliantwritingmakesforanenjoyableand
relativelyaccessiblescorefortheplayers.Inthesamelightasthevocalists,the
orchestrawillnavigatethroughchallengingrhythmicareas,especiallyastempos
shiftandquicken.Thetruechallengeoftheorchestrationcomesintherequirements
formusicianswhichwillbediscussedbelow.
Thechallenges,thoughworththeeffort,mustbeconsideredwhen
programmingFortheFallen.Overall,thenumbersrequiredoftheorchestraisa
37CyrilBradleyRootham,“FortheFallen.”
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challengeforanybudgetorresource-deprivedorganizationbutanecessaryfactor
forthesuccessoftheperformance.Aminimumoftwenty-sixplayersisnecessaryto
coverallparts.Thebrassplaysavitalroleinthematiccontentandharmonictexture
ofthework,sotheabsenceoftheseinstrumentswoulddiminishtheeffectof
Rootham’sorchestration.Thesizeofthepercussionsectionissignificantbutcanbe
coveredbyoneortwomusiciansonmultipleinstruments.
Theavailabilityofscoresandresourcesontheworkisalsoalimitingfactor
ofperformance.AlistairJones,formerconductor(1984-2015)oftheChiswickChoir
inLondon,haswrittenabriefessayonhisjourneyintoperformingFortheFallen.
Mr.Jones’squotebelowgivesinsightintothedifficultyoflocatingthenecessary
resourcesforperformance.“NowherewasaworkIknewIhadtoperformandset
aboutresearchingtheperformingmaterials.Itwillnotsurprisemembersofthe
BMSthatthiswasnotaneasytask.IdiscoveredthatStainer&Bellhadsome
Roothaminitshirelibraryandthelibrarianwasveryhelpfulinascertainingthatthe
publisherofFortheFallenhadbeenNovello.ImadeafruitlesscalltoNovello
ChesterandwastoldthattheyhadneverheardofRootham!Othersourcesalso
confirmedthatNovellohadbeenthepublisherwhentheworkwentintoprintin
1915.Amemberofmychoralsociety,TheChiswickChoir,obtainedacopyofthe
vocalscore–herefusestotellmethesource,andthisNovellocopyisitselfof
interest.ItwasclearlyusedbyamemberoftheCUMSchorusatthepremier.Ithas
thedateandperformanceinformationinscribedinaneathandatthetopofthefirst
page;Firstperformed14thMarch,1919,inGuildhall,Cambridge,byC.U.M.S.and
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signedH.Shaw.”38SeeAppendixIforadetailedinterviewofMr.Jones’spreparation
ofthework.
ChilternMusic,apartoftheCathedralMusicpublishingcompanyintheUK,
currentlyoffersprintedvocalscoresoftheworkforamoderateprice.Cathedral
Musicspecializesinsellingandpublishingoutofprintordifficulttofindchurch
music.Thisremainstheonlyprintedvocalscoreofthepiece,andobtainingcopiesis
simpleenoughthroughtheCathedralMusicwebsite.
Continuinginthediscussionoftheprintedmusicchallenges,oneofthe
largestissuesistheavailabilityofthefullscoreandinstrumentalparts.Currently,
thereisnotypesetversionofthefullscoreofFortheFallen,onlycopiesofthe
handwrittenmanuscript.ThoughobtainingacopyofthisthroughCathedralMusicis
simple,navigatingthroughthescoreforaperformancecouldprovequitedifficult.
ThoughRootham’shandwritingisrelativelyneat,thecopiedversiontendstoblur
andpixilatenotesandscoremarkingsfromthecomposer.DanRoothamhas
mentionedhisdesiretocompleteatypesetversionofthisworkinthefuture,thus
aidingintheperformanceforfuturechoralmusicians.
ThecurrentrecordingsofFortheFallenavailablearealsominimal.In2011,
theChiswickChoirrecordedanamateurperformancewithorchestraandthis
recordingisavailablethroughthewebsite.Theonlyprofessionalrecordingofthis
workwasrecordedin1987bytheSinfoniaChorus,BBCNorthernSingers,the
NorthernSinfoniaofEnglandunderthedirectorofRichardHickox.Bothofthese
38AlistairJones,“ResurrectingRoothamandParry—AVoyageofDiscovery,”MusicWeb
International,http://www.musicwebinternational.com/classrev/2011/Apr11/Rootham_Parry.htm.Accessed12Dec.2017.
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resourceshaveproventobevitalinthisstudy,aseachhaveprovidedrealistic
outcomesofvariouslevelsofperformers.
Innowayisittheauthor’sintentiontomakeRootham’sFortheFallen
appeareasyorsimple.Itisinundatedwithmomentsofchallengeandcomplication.
Nonetheless,itistheauthor’sintentiontoencouragequalityensemblestoconsider
thisworkintheirprogrammingasthechallengeswillyieldrichrewards.
Copyright©CameronLeeWeatherford2018
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APPENDIX
InterviewwithAlistairJones
WhatcircumstancesledyoutochooseCBR’sFortheFallenforperformance?
AlthoughamusicgraduatefromtheRoyalAcademyofMusic(1961–1964),
andanexperiencedchoralconductor,CyrilBradleyRoothamwasjustanametome.Anadvertisementforhis“BrownEarth”wasfamiliartomeonthebackcoverofthevocalscoreofHolst’s“HymnofJesus.”Ioftenwonderedwhatthemusicwaslike.So–justaname.
Ithinkitwasin2010thatIreceivedtheusualcommunicationfromAmazon(UK)saying“youboughtthis–soyoumightlikethis”–amongsttheCDcoversondisplaywasoneofmusicbyCBRconductedbyRichardHickoxandcontaining“FortheFallen”.Iwasalwaysonthelookoutfornewmusicformychoralsociety–TheChiswickChoir,soIorderedtheCDlittlerealizingthatIwasinforalifechangingexperience.
WhentheCDarrivedIplayedonmycaraudioandwasstunnedbywhatIheard.WhenIgothome,Iplayedthechoralpieceagain(Ihadnoscoretofollow)anddecidedimmediatelythatwehadtoperform“FortheFallen.”Themusicspokedirectlytomymusicalheart–Icouldnotletitgo!Whatweretheperformingforcesyouused?Howmanysingers?Didyoumeetalloftheorchestralneeds?
AsatthattimeIhadnoscore,eithervocalorFull,Icouldonlyguessattheforcesrequired.Searchingformaterialwasnottoodifficult,thoughNovello’s,theoriginalpublisherconfessedtoknowingnothingofthework!Acolleaguefromthechoiralsodidsomeresearchandfoundavocalscoreinthecatalogueofaspecialistdealer.Thisscorealsocamewithacopyoftheprogramforthefirstperformance,belongingtoachoirmemberbackin1919!Followingthemusicthroughwiththisscoreconfirmedmydeterminationtoperformthework.Thechoralwritingwassplendidandwellwithinthecapabilitiesofmyamateursociety.Butwhatoftheorchestralscore.NothingremainedinNovello’shirelibraryandsoItriedthelibraryofSt.John’sCollege,Cambridge.Hereatonce,wasapositiveresponse.IwasinformedthattheyhadalargecollectionofRoothamscoresandmanuscriptsintheir“SpecialCollections”.ThisincludedthemanuscriptFullScoreandacompletesetoforchestraparts.Tohavethesecopiedforouruserequiredthepermissionofthe“MasterandFellows”ofthecollegebutIwasassuredbythelibrarianthatitwouldbeforthcoming.IwassentanA4sizecopyofthefullscoreformyinformation.Thereitwasallinthecomposer’shand!ThrillingtoseeitforthefirsttimeandtofollowitwhileplayingtheCD.
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Wefollowedexactlytherequirementsofthefullscore.Thechoirwasapproximately90singers,andorchestraof2,2,2,4,2,3,1percussionoftimps,Bdrum,Sdrum,Cym,Harpandstrings.Organismarkedadlib.Andplaysonlyalongpedalnoteat1beforefig.9.Thenumberofdesksofstringplayerswas,Ithink,3,3,2,3,2.–22playersinall.Howlongdidyourehearse?Whatwerethespecificsofyourrehearsalschedule(day/timeoftheweek)?
Webeganourweeklyrehearsals(Tuesdayevenings,8pmto10pm)inSeptember2011uptotheconcertonNovember26th.TherewouldbeonerehearsalwiththeorchestraontheafternoonofNov.26.Fortheorchestra,thiswasthereonlyrehearsal!Theconcertwascalled“InMemoriam”andbeganwithFinzi’s“EclogueforPianoandStrings.”“FortheFallen”followedandaftertheintervalweperformedBrahms’s“EindeutschesRequiem.”Abigprogramme,withtheBrahmsasacrowdpuller.Whatdidyoufindmostinterestinginyourresearchbeforepreparingthework?
Littleresearchwaspossiblebeforetherehearsals/performanceastheworkwasunknownandthecomposerlongforgotten.DanRootham,thecomposer’sgrandson,wasabletofillinsomebiographicalandotherdetails.Itwasinterestingtodiscoverwhatinformationtherewas,especiallyasIhadbeenanorganscholaratCambridgeUniversitymyself.IhavealwaysfounditimportanttogetagoodbackgroundtoanyworkIwastoconduct,informationthatIpassedonthechoirwithintherehearsals.Goodforthemtoo.
TheconcertprogrammeofthepremierbyCUMS(CambridgeUniversityMusicSociety)wasinterestingandrevealing.1919,oneyearaftertheGreatWar,andtheconcertcontainedBeethoven’s5thsymphony,“AShropshireLad”byButterworth(ayoungBritishcomposerwhodiedinthetrenches),Rootham’s“FortheFallen”andParry’sgreatode“BlestPairofSirens.”Thatitseemedtobeaprogrammeofreconciliationwasverypertinenttoourownattitudetoperformingthisgreatwork,alongsidetheBrahmsRequiem.
Inourconcert,Rootham’sgrandson,Dan,sanginthechoirandpresentwasagreatgranddaughterofthepoetLaurenceBinyon.SheconfessedaftertheconcerttopreferringtheRoothamtotheElgarsettingofthetext!ToprintthetextoftheBinyonpoeminourprogramme,wehadtoobtainpermissionfromtheExecutorsoftheBinyonEstatewhichwasthatSocietyofAuthors.
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Whatresourcesdidyouhaveavailable?Scores?Typesetorthehandwrittencopies?
Thequestionofperformingmaterialhaspartlybeenansweredabove.ImportantlythevocalscoreswerecopiedfromtheoriginalscorebyRichardBarnesofCathedralMusic.TheSpecialCollectionslibrarianofSt.John’sCollege,Mrs.KathrynMcKee,alsosenthimdigitalcopiesofalltheorchestralmaterialonadisk.Hepreparedthebandpartsfromthese.Listafewofthemostdifficultpedagogicalaspectsofpreparingthework?
Preparinganewworkinrehearsalisalwaysdifficult.Withachoirofamateursingers,howeverenthusiastic,presentingaworkofanunknown20thcenturycomposerisalwaysaproblem.Onehastostartwiththen100%enthusiasmoftheconductor!Iconstantlyhadtopersuadethechoirthattheyweredealingwithalittleknownmasterpiece.
Iconcentratedonthebeautifulmelodicsettingsofthelinesoftext.Inworkingontheselines,Icontinuallyworkedonthesound/toneforeachline.OneofthereasonsIthought“FortheFallen”somasterlywasCBR’sabilitytofindthemostaptlineofthemusicforthewords.Thisstartsfromtheverybeginningofthevocalmusic–Sop.“Withproudthanksgiving”.Thisiscomparativelyeasywhenthevocallinesassolotoonevoice,inthiscasesopranos.
Whenthemusicbecomesmorecontrapuntal,eg.5afterfig.3,fig.7,andfig.8Iwouldalwaysrehearsethelinesindividually,gettingothervoicestofolloworevenhumtheirownlines.Themusicatfig.8“Andthegoingdownofthesun”isespeciallyimportant,,notjustforthetext,butforsingingthiswonderfularchingmelodywiththerightbeautyoftone.
Fig.10wasalwaysaproblem,gettingthechorussingerstosingwhatis,essentially,recitativeintime,together.Theonlywaytodothiswastorepeatitoverandover.ThebarsfollowingatFig.11alsoneededmuchrehearsal,,notforthenotesbutforensemble,beatingaslow6inabar.
PickinguptheAllegro5afterfig.12neededconstantrehearsaltogetaconfidententrance.
Perhapsthemostdifficultchoruswasthefinalonefromfig.14.HereitwasessentialforeachparttoknowitslineperfectlyinordertomakeCBR’scounterpointwork.Hisdynamicshereareimportant.
Inmyresearch,itseemsthatthechoralwritingcomeswithelementsofsimplicityandcomplexity.Doyouagreewiththis?Canyoupinpointspecificmomentsinthechoralwritingthatprovedmostdifficult?
Yes,Iagree,thecomposer’stexturesgofromsimplesololinesforvoicepartsandthengointocontrapuntalwriting.SomewhereIreadthatthisabilityofthe
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composertochoosetherightmomenttomovefromonetexturetoanotherwaspartofhisgenius.
IhavepointedoutthemostdifficultmomentsinQ.6–butIcanrepeatthatthevocalrecitsatfig.10weredifficulttogetaconfidentsoundandintime.ImustadmitthatIdidnotencouragemuchfreedomintherhythm.Whatwerethemostrewardingmomentsforyouastheconductorofthework?Thefinalconcert?Therehearsals?Anythingspecific?
Mostrewarding?Well,Ilovedputtingtheworktogetherinrehearsal.Butthegreatestrewardcamewiththeorchestralrehearsal,hearingthechoiragainsttheorchestralsoundratherthantherehearsalpiano.Therewere3momentsIrememberwithmuchenjoyment,firstinrehearsalandtheninthefinalconcert.
1. Thefirstrealcontrapuntalpartat5afterfig.3–therearesomelovelydissonantmomentsinthevocallinewiththeaccompanimentthatalwayspulledattheheartstrings.
2. Fig.8–themarvellousmelodystartingwiththebassesandgoingthroughall4voices.Puremagic.
3. Thefinal5barsofchoruson“Totheend,theyremain.”Igotthechoirtodoagreatcrescendouptothefinalffbutwithenoughbreathlefttocrescendoevenmoretotheendofthebar.
Canyougiveyouroverallopinionofthework’svalueandwhyitshouldbeconsideredonmoreprograms?Maybeyoufeeldifferently?Diditbecomeaspersonaltoyouasitdidtome?
WheneverIdiscoveredanewworksuitableformychoir,italwaysbecameapersonalcrusadetogetmysingerstoenjoyitwholeheartedlyasIdidmyself.Andthen,ofcourse,totransmitthisinperformancetoouraudience.Giventhetimewhentheworkwaswrittenandthetimeofmemorialinwhichwearenow,Iamreallysurprisedthatithasnotappearedinlotsofchoralconcerts.Thereasonisnothingtodowiththequalityofthismarvelousmusic,butthefactthatno-oneisinapositiontomarkettheworkandsendoutinformationtochoirsandchoralsocietiesalloverthecountry.
Preparingthisworkforperformanceandultimatelyconductingitwithorchestralforceswasahugethrillforme.Ofcourse,thisshouldbesoforanymusic,but“FortheFallen”wasenormouslyspecialandIlistentotherecordingofourconcertwithpride–eventhoughtherearemomentsthatshouldhavebeenbetter.Butwithonlyoneorchestralrehearsal(andtheBrahmstofollow)Ifeelwedidwell.Onlyoneotherwork,Iwouldsay,affectedmesomuchandthatwasElgar’s“TheDreamofGerontius”.Itisironicthatthese2composersbothsetthesameBinyontext.IlovetheRoothamversionmore–much,muchmore.
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PARTII
PROGRAMNOTES
“DonaNobisPacem”BMinorMassJohannSebastianBach
DonaNobisPacemistheclosingmovementoftheMassinBMinorbyJ.S.
Bach.Composedovermanyyears,beginningin1733,andendinginthelastyearsof
Bach’slife,TheMassinBMinorservesasacompendiumofsortsofBach’scomplete
styleandrepertoire,usingmaterialfromallfacetsofhiscompositionaloutput.The
DonaNobisPaceminparticularusesatechniquethatwaspopularintheDresden
massesoftheeighteenthcentury,andthatisinternalborrowing,orborrowing
materialfromanotherareainthesamework.Inthiscase,themusicfortheDona
NobisPacemisidenticaltothatofapreviousmovement,theGratiasagimustibi.This
servedasaneconomicalandartisticdecisionforBach,asthemusictookonthe
samepeacefulcharacternecessarytosetthisclosingtextoftheMass.
ThedoublefuguenatureofthemusicposedproblemsasBachwould
typicallyassigneachfuguesubjectanewsectionoftext,butinthiscase,heonlyhad
threewordstoworkwith.Hereorderedthetextatmomentstomakesurethatthe
textalignedwiththemusicmostfittingforthatword.Ifpacemwouldhavelanded
withoneofthelongmelismas,itwouldgoagainstthecharacteroftheword.Thisis
oneofthemanyindicatorsofthemagnitudeofBach’sgenius,asdothenumerous
othercompositionalintricaciesfoundintheMassinBMinor.
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AscenditDeusJacobHandl
JacobHandl(1550-1591)isalesserknownRenaissancecomposer,bornin
whatispresentdaySlovenia.Heismostlyknownforhissacredmusic,which
utilizesthepopularVenetianpolychoralstylethatwassoprevalentthroughoutthe
Renaissanceera.Hehadasignificantchoraloutputincludingtwentymasses,three
passions,374motets,andonehundredsecularworks.Hismotetswerecollectedin
fourbooksentitledOpusMusicum.
AscenditDeusisajubilantexpressionofjoysaying“Godhasgoneupwitha
merrynoise,andtheLordwiththesoundofthetrumpet.Hegavegiftstomen.
Alleluia.”UsingstandardRenaissancetextpaintingtechniqueandimitativetextures,
Handlcreatesabuoyantmotetmimickingthetextperfectly.“Thesoundofthe
trumpet”comescompletewithimitativelinesleapinginperfectfifthstomodelthe
trumpetblowing,whiletheclosing“Alleluia”isatapestryofinterweavinglines,
expressingGod’speoplesingingAlleluia.Infact,the“Alleluia”textalsoutilizes
melismastoheightentheflurryofactivity.Thisfive-voicemotetshowcasesthe
masteryoftheimitativemotetthatremainsthestaplegenreoftheRenaissance.
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Teomehe-laul(Serf’sSong)andTantsulaul(DancingSong)FromMeestelaulud(Men’sSongs)
VeljoTormis VeljoTormis(1930-2017)isoneofthegreatchoralmusiciansoftheModern
era.BorninEstonia,heisresponsibleforbringingtheEstonianchoralstyletothe
forefrontalongwithfellowcomposer,ArvoPärt.Thestylerepresentsthelong
historyofchoralsingingwithstrongthemesofEstonianfolktraditionanda
minimaliststylethatseemstorepresentthemysteriousnatureoftheirhomeland.
Tormishascomposednearlytwohundredchoralworks,somewhichresidein
collectionsofworks,othersaremoreextensiveandstandalone.Thesetfromwhich
thesetwopiecesaretakeniscalledMeestelauludor“Men’sSongs.”
Teomehe-laulorSerf’sSongcarrieswithittheminimaliststyleTormisisso
famousfor.Itsetsthetoneforthepoetrydescribingamanwhoisanxioustopass
onintoEternity.Tormisusesthedroneofthelowbassesandbaritonestocreate
thisominousyetsoothingmoodwhilethetenorscarrythetextandmelodyintheir
lowregister.Aseachversecomes,thedynamicanddivisishiftdramaticallytoadd
totheweightofthetext.
Inshockingcontrast,TantsulaulorDancingSongincludesarowdy6/8time
signature,whistling,andstompstoenhancethishumorousstoryofamanwho
thinkshimselfafinedancer.TheGmajorisabrightcontrastcomparedtotheC#
minorofthepreviousSerf’sSong.AswithalltheworksinMeestelaulad,thepieces
usesextremedynamiccontraststosetthetoneforthetext.Theaccessibilityofboth
oftheseworksmakeforapowerfuladditiontoanymen’schorusprogram.
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Go,LovelyRoseZ.RandallStroope
AmericanbornZ.RandallStroope(b.1953)hasbecomeoneofthegreat
choralnamesacrosstheworld.Hiscompositionalstylespansfromsimpleunisonto
difficultdivisi,makinghimaccessibleandchallengingforchoirsofeveryrange.
Thisparticularwork,Go,LovelyRose,isasettingofthepopularEdmund
Wallerpoem.StroopeoriginallysetthisforSATBchorusandpiano,andthis
particulararrangementisforTTBBchorusandpiano,givingthetextthatmuch
morepowerasthemenareabletoserenadetheirloves.Utilizinghislushharmonic
palettemadeupofmodernprogressionsandmovingmelodies,theworkclimbs
dynamicallyaseachverseprogresses.Theworktendstoreachitsapexinthecenter
ofthework,asdomanyofStroope’sworks.TheDbmajorkeyisworthnotingin
thatitsitssoproperlyforthemaletessitura,adecisionthatStroopewassuretobe
awareof.ThepiecealsoboastsatextstressthatStroopehighlightsbythechanging
ofmeterandrhythmicintricacies,somethingfortheconductortobeawareofand
attempttocapture.
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Didn’tMyLordDeliverDanielMosesHogan
MosesHogan(1957-2003)wasborninNewOrleans,Louisianawherehe
servedinmanymusicalcapacities,includingasthefounderoftheMosesHogan
ChoraleandtheMosesHoganSingers.Mr.Hoganismostlyknownforhistimeless
spiritualarrangements,ripewithrichrhythmicandharmonictexturesthatare
distinctuponfirstlisten.
TheincrediblypopularDidn’tMyLordDeliverDanielextendstochoirsofall
agesandabilities.Withitsdrivingpulseoftwo,intricaterhythmicwork,and
dramaticdynamicshifts,thisworkcreatesathrillingeventnomatterwhereitfalls
intheprogram.ItcomescompletewithaMosesHogansignatureclosing,complete
withwildlyhighsolos,dramaticpauses,andextendedharmoniesofseventhand
ninths.
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NearerMyGodtoTheearr.JamesStevens,adap.LeslieBlackwell
JamesStevensisanAmericanmusicianandarrangerandmostassociated
withtheBrighamYoungUniversityacappellaensemble,VocalPoint.Thisparticular
arrangementbecamepopularasthevideooftheensemblewentviralonYouTube.
Itscontemporarychordprogressions,densevocalwriting,powerfulsolo,and7/8
rhythmicpulsecreateanincrediblejuxtapositionwiththecenturyoldtext.The
Englishhymntext,“NearerMyGodtoThee”ispairedwiththeLatin“Inarticulo
mortis”text,addingtothereverentnatureofthework.TheLatintextandrough
translationbelowshouldaddclarity.
Inarticulomortis AtthemomentofdeathCaelitusmihivires MystrengthisfromheavenDeoadjuvantenontimendum Godhelping,nothingshouldbefearedInperpetuum ForeverDirigenosDomine Directus,OLordAdaugustaperangusta TohighplacesbynarrowroadsSicituradastra SuchisthepathtothestarsExcelsior Everupward
Thetextissupportedbythechant-likeintroduction,settingthesacredtone
forthework.Thesoloistsenterswiththe“NearerMyGodtoThee”textsupported
bythesimpleharmonicprogressionofthedivisimenbelow.The7/8pulsebegins
witharepriseofthe“Inarticulomortis”text,couplewiththe“NearerMyGodto
Thee”performedbythesoloist.Thepiecepressesonindramaticfashionwithdense
divisi,rhythmicdrive,andsoaringsolosthatarecertaintoflooraudiences.
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EineKleineOrgelmesse,“LittleOrganMass”FranzJosephHaydn
TheMissaBrevisSanctiJoannisdeDeo,alsoknownasthe"Kleine
Orgelmesse”(LittleOrganMass)byFranzJosephHaydn(1732-1809),isaglorious
musicalcelebrationoftheMass.TheworkwasdedicatedtotheOrderofthe
BrothersofMercy’sPatronSaint,JohnofGod(JoannisdeDeo).Composedcirca
1775,theworkwasformedunderstrictregulationsfromEmperorJosephII,who
implementedseveralreformsthatgreatlyaffectedthesacredchoraloutputofthe
greatClassicalcomposersofthetime,includingHaydnandMozart.
Theworkfeaturesotheruniquecharacteristicsincludingtheuseofthe
“Viennese”or“Salzburg”churchtrio.Thisorchestrationconsistsoftwoviolinsand
continuo(keyboardandbassinstruments),leavingouttheviola,specificallypopular
withtheAustriancomposers.Thenickname“LittleOrganMass”comesfromthe
extendedorgansolofoundintheopeningoftheBenedictusmovement,amovement
whichwasfullyexpandedbasedontraditionsoftheregionandtimeperiod.
Interestingly,theorganparthasnowrittenpedalpart,likelycausedbytheBaroque
organhewasusedtoplayingattheEsterhazyPalace,whichhadnopedalsonit.
TheMassincludesalltextsfromtheMassOrdinary,butinthemost
unorthodoxway.BoththeGloriaandCredoincludeatechniquecalledtelescoping,
wheremultiplelinesoftextaresungsimultaneously,thusallowingfortheentirety
ofthetexttobeimplementedwhileremainingunderthestricttimemusicaltime
framesanctionedbyEmperorJosephII.
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CameronWeatherford EducationTheUniversityofSouthernMississippi 2012MasterofMusicinChoralConductingTeachers:Dr.GregoryFuller,Dr.JohnFlaneryLouisianaCollege 2009BachelorofMusicinChurchMusicTeachers:Dr.FredGuilbert,Dr.CurtHamlett AdditionalStudies AtlantaSummerConductingInstitute Summer2015 Dr.DanielBara,Dr.DeannaJoseph
LouisianaCollege Spring2014TEACHProgramK-12MusicCertification
PrivateConducting Spring2010 Dr.JoshuaZona,conductorRedRiverSymphony PrivateConducting Spring2010 AndrewHunter,conductorLouisianaCollegeMarchingBand ProfessionalExperienceChair,DivisionofFineArts 2017-PresentDirectorofChoralActivitiesLouisianaCollege,Pineville,LAWorshipPastor 2016-2017NicholasvilleBaptistChurchTeachingAssistant 2016-2017UniversityofKentuckyChoralDirector/AdjunctProfessor 2013-2015LouisianaCollege,Pineville,LA
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Co-ChairLA-ACDAWomen’sHonorChoir 2013-2016LA-ACDAR&SChairforVocalJazz 2013-2016Co-ChairDistrict2Women’sHonorChoir 2013-2016StateRepresentativeforACappellaEducatorsAssociation 2013-2016ChoralDirector 2012-2016AlexandriaSenorHigh,LouisianaGraduateAssistant 2010-2012TheUniversityofSouthernMississippiAssistantDirectorofMusic 2011-2012FirstBaptistChurchHattiesburgTeachingAssistant Spring2010TiogaHighSchool(Tioga,LA) AwardsandPerformancesACDANationalConductingCompetitionWinner Spring2017FullAssistantshipUniversityofKentuckyFall2016OutstandingYoungMusicEducatorAward LMEA November2015LA-ACDAPerformance AlexandriaSeniorHighSchool October2014TeacheroftheYear AlexandriaSeniorHighSchool 2014-2015LA-ACDAPerformance AlexandriaSeniorHighSchool October2013TeacheroftheYear AlexandriaSeniorHighSchool 2012-2013FullAssistantship TheUniversityofSouthernMississippi 2010-2012ChoralServiceAwardTheUniversityofSouthernMississippi 2010-2012MusicServiceAward LouisianaCollege Fall2009B.B.McKinneyScholarship LouisianaCollege 2007-2009ChurchMusicScholarship LouisianaCollege 2007-2009LeadershipAward LouisianaCollege 2006-2009TOPSAward LouisianaCollege 2005-2009FineArtScholarship LouisianaCollege 2005-2009WMUAward LouisianaCollege 2006DixieMoss-SylvestAward LouisianaCollege 2006