Studying Elgar’s ‘Sea Pictures’ and ‘The Dream of Gerontius’ last term in my online series Mornings with a Masterpiece, it became obvious that the next step was to examine ‘A Sea Symphony’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams, produced just ten years later, and similarly designed for a great provincial music festival. But what contemporary works would illuminate it?
Vaughan Williams began the work in 1903, and by coincidence two other composers turned their attention to ‘sea music’ in the same year. Debussy’s ‘La Mer’ was completed in 1905 and ‘Sea Drift’ by Delius was first performed in 1906. Each work was inspired by art or literature rather than experience of the ocean, and they drew their seascapes with inspired use of orchestral and choral resources. The sea also becomes a philosophical metaphor for each composer. It will be a fascinating journey to compare their voyages of discovery in two mornings of lecture/discussions. The course runs on two Thursdays in May or two Mondays in June. Full details are here: https://mancent.org.uk/?page_id=5192
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