George Butterworth And His Contemporaries

Series

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Comments

2016

Folk Revival

20160801

George Butterworth and contemporaries: a visit to the home of the English Folk Song and Dance Society reveals how British folk tunes inspired a generation of composers.

A close friend of Vaughan Williams, George Butterworth was killed at the age of 31, during the battle of the Somme as dawn broke on the 5th August 1916. A war hero, he was awarded the Military Cross twice. Butterworth's legacy rests on a handful of pieces, notably his much loved English Idylls and folk-song arrangements. He belongs to a generation of composers who showed great promise early on, only to be denied the chance to reach musical maturity. Over the course of the week, the series also features the work of four contemporaries of Butterworth: fellow Englishmen Ernest Farrar and W Denis Browne, the Scottish composer Cecil Coles and the Australian composer Frederick Septimus Kelly. All of them, like Butterworth, died on active service during the Great War. Among the musical gems, there's the first ever recording of Denis Browne's ballet 'The Comic Spirit', made for the series by the BBC Philharmonic. Their musical trajectory may be short, but this lost generation of composers nonetheless made an indelible mark on the face of British music.

Today Donald Macleod and Dr Kate Kennedy, an authority on this period, pay a visit to Cecil Sharp House, the home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, to meet Laura Smyth, the Library and Archives Director. Looking through Butterworth's diaries and notebooks they find out how he helped to preserve our native folk music and how this revival influenced his contemporaries' music.

English Idyll No.1

English String Orchestra

William Boughton, conductor

Folk Songs from Sussex (selection)

Roderick Williams, baritone

Iain Burnside, piano

Norfolk Rhapsody No.1

London Symphony Orchestra

Richard Hickox, conductor

English Pastoral Impressions

Philharmonia Orchestra

Alasdair Mitchell, conductor

The Banks of Green Willow

William Boughton, conductor.

How Butterworth helped preserve British folk tunes and inspired a generation of composers.

2016

Love And Loss

20160802

FS Kelly's moving Elegy for Rupert Brooke and Butterworth's setting of AE Housman are among a rich seam of poetry explored by this set of composers.

A close friend of Vaughan Williams, George Butterworth was killed at the age of 31, during the battle of the Somme as dawn broke on the 5th August 1916. A war hero, he was awarded the Military Cross twice. Butterworth's legacy rests on a handful of pieces, notably his much loved English Idylls and folk-song arrangements. He belongs to a generation of composers who showed great promise early on, only to be denied the chance to reach musical maturity. Over the course of the week, we'll also hear the work of four contemporaries of Butterworth: fellow Englishmen Ernest Farrar and William Denis Browne, the Scottish composer Cecil Coles and the Australian composer Frederick Septimus Kelly. All of them, like Butterworth, died on active service during the Great War. Among the musical gems, there's the first ever recording of Denis Browne's ballet 'The Comic Spirit', made for the series by the BBC Philharmonic. Their musical trajectory may be short, but this lost generation of composers nonetheless has made an indelible mark on the face of British music.

Donald Macleod and Dr Kate Kennedy examine why the Elizabethans' attitude to culture, poetry and the arts was much admired by composer W Denis Browne. They also discuss how the outbreak of World War One influenced the kind of poetry that caught popular attention.

Diaphenia

Epitaph on Salathiel Pavy

To Gratiana Dancing and Singing

Robin Tritschler, tenor

Malcolm Martineau, piano

Rhapsody No.1: The Open Road

Philharmonia Orchestra

Alasdair Mitchell, conductor

Six Songs From A Shropshire Lad

Benjamin Luxon, baritone

David Willison, piano

Frederick Kelly

Elegy for Strings 'In Memoriam Rupert Brooke

BBC Symphony Orchestra

David Lloyd-Jones, conductor

Requiescat

Roderick Williams, baritone

Iain Burnside, piano.

Why the Elizabethans' attitude to culture, poetry and the arts was admired by WD Browne.

2016

Ae Housman

20160803

Distant landscapes and evocations of a lost world, in Butterworth's settings of poetry by AE Housman and RL Stevenson.

A close friend of Vaughan Williams, George Butterworth was killed at the age of 31, during the battle of the Somme as dawn broke on the 5th August 1916. A war hero, he was awarded the Military Cross twice. Butterworth's legacy rests on a handful of pieces, notably his much loved English Idylls and folk-song arrangements. He belongs to a generation of composers who showed great promise early on, only to be denied the chance to reach musical maturity. This week's series also features the work of four contemporaries of Butterworth: fellow Englishmen Ernest Farrar and W Denis Browne, the Scottish composer Cecil Coles and the Australian composer Frederick Septimus Kelly. All of them, like Butterworth, died on active service during the Great War. Among the musical gems, there's the first ever recording of Denis Browne's ballet 'The Comic Spirit', made for the series by the BBC Philharmonic. Their musical trajectory may be short, but this lost generation of composers nonetheless made an indelible mark on the face of British music.

Today Donald Macleod is joined once again by Dr Kate Kennedy, a specialist on this period of our cultural history. The poetry of AE Housman invokes vocal and instrumental responses from Butterworth.

Frederick Kelly

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day

Robin Tritschler, tenor

Malcolm Martineau, piano

Vagabond Songs, Op.10

Stephen Varcoe, baritone

Clifford Benson, piano

Bredon Hill and Other Songs

Benjamin Luxon, baritone

David Willison, piano

From the Scottish Highlands

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Martyn Brabbins, conductor

Rhapsody: A Shropshire Lad

English String Orchestra

William Boughton, conductor.

How the poetry of AE Housman invoked vocal and instrumental responses from Butterworth.

2016

Over The Hills And Far Away

20160804

The search for a 'new sound' is illustrated in a walk along the Thames and a lurid tale of revenge.

A close friend of Vaughan Williams, George Butterworth was killed at the age of 31, during the battle of the Somme as dawn broke on the 5th August 1916. A war hero, he was awarded the Military Cross twice. Butterworth's legacy rests on a handful of pieces, notably his much loved English Idylls and folk-song arrangements. He belongs to a generation of composers who showed great promise early on, only to be denied the chance to reach musical maturity. Over the course of the week, we'll also hear the work of four contemporaries of Butterworth: fellow Englishmen Ernest Farrar and W Denis Browne, the Scottish composer Cecil Coles and the Australian composer Frederick Septimus Kelly. All of them, like Butterworth, died on active service during the Great War. Among the musical gems, there's the first ever recording of Denis Browne's ballet 'The Comic Spirit', made for the series by the BBC Philharmonic. Their musical trajectory may be short, but this lost generation of composers nonetheless has made an indelible mark on the face of British music.

In today's instalment, Donald Macleod is joined once more by Dr Kate Kennedy, an authority on this period. While Butterworth's popular English Idylls reflect the popularity of pastoral and folk idioms, in fact the musical language of these composers draws on a broad net of influences.

English Idyll No.2

Hall退 Orchestra

Mark Elder, conductor

Arabia

Martyn Hill, tenor

Clifford Benson, piano

Love Blows as the Wind Blows

Jonathan Lemalu, bass-baritone

Belcea Quartet

Variations for Piano and Orchestra

Howard Shelley, piano

Philharmonia Orchestra

Alasdair Mitchell, conductor

Fra Giacomo, scena for baritone and orchestra

Paul Whelan, baritone

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Martyn Brabbins, conductor.

How the musical language of composers like Butterworth drew on a broad net of influences.

2016

05 LAST

A Lost Generation

20160805

Two major orchestral scores from 1914 and 1915, the broadcast premiere of W Denis Browne's ballet The Comic Spirit and Butterworth's Fantasia, the last music he wrote.

In the final chapter of this series looking at composers whose lives were cut short by the first World War, Donald Macleod and Dr Kate Kennedy reflect on their musical legacy.

The True Lover's Farewell

Mark Stone, baritone

Stephen Barlow, piano

Heroic Elegy, Op.36

Philharmonia Orchestra

Alasdair Mitchell, conductor

The Comic Spirit (edited and completed by R Weedon)

Richard Davis, conductor

Fantasia for Orchestra (concert version realised and completed by M Yates)

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Martin Yates, conductor.

The musical legacy of Butterworth and other composers whose lives were cut short by WWI.

Episodes

Series	Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Comments
2016	01	Folk Revival	20160801	George Butterworth and contemporaries: a visit to the home of the English Folk Song and Dance Society reveals how British folk tunes inspired a generation of composers. A close friend of Vaughan Williams, George Butterworth was killed at the age of 31, during the battle of the Somme as dawn broke on the 5th August 1916. A war hero, he was awarded the Military Cross twice. Butterworth's legacy rests on a handful of pieces, notably his much loved English Idylls and folk-song arrangements. He belongs to a generation of composers who showed great promise early on, only to be denied the chance to reach musical maturity. Over the course of the week, the series also features the work of four contemporaries of Butterworth: fellow Englishmen Ernest Farrar and W Denis Browne, the Scottish composer Cecil Coles and the Australian composer Frederick Septimus Kelly. All of them, like Butterworth, died on active service during the Great War. Among the musical gems, there's the first ever recording of Denis Browne's ballet 'The Comic Spirit', made for the series by the BBC Philharmonic. Their musical trajectory may be short, but this lost generation of composers nonetheless made an indelible mark on the face of British music. Today Donald Macleod and Dr Kate Kennedy, an authority on this period, pay a visit to Cecil Sharp House, the home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, to meet Laura Smyth, the Library and Archives Director. Looking through Butterworth's diaries and notebooks they find out how he helped to preserve our native folk music and how this revival influenced his contemporaries' music. English Idyll No.1 English String Orchestra William Boughton, conductor Folk Songs from Sussex (selection) Roderick Williams, baritone Iain Burnside, piano Norfolk Rhapsody No.1 London Symphony Orchestra Richard Hickox, conductor English Pastoral Impressions Philharmonia Orchestra Alasdair Mitchell, conductor The Banks of Green Willow William Boughton, conductor. How Butterworth helped preserve British folk tunes and inspired a generation of composers.
2016	02	Love And Loss	20160802	FS Kelly's moving Elegy for Rupert Brooke and Butterworth's setting of AE Housman are among a rich seam of poetry explored by this set of composers. A close friend of Vaughan Williams, George Butterworth was killed at the age of 31, during the battle of the Somme as dawn broke on the 5th August 1916. A war hero, he was awarded the Military Cross twice. Butterworth's legacy rests on a handful of pieces, notably his much loved English Idylls and folk-song arrangements. He belongs to a generation of composers who showed great promise early on, only to be denied the chance to reach musical maturity. Over the course of the week, we'll also hear the work of four contemporaries of Butterworth: fellow Englishmen Ernest Farrar and William Denis Browne, the Scottish composer Cecil Coles and the Australian composer Frederick Septimus Kelly. All of them, like Butterworth, died on active service during the Great War. Among the musical gems, there's the first ever recording of Denis Browne's ballet 'The Comic Spirit', made for the series by the BBC Philharmonic. Their musical trajectory may be short, but this lost generation of composers nonetheless has made an indelible mark on the face of British music. Donald Macleod and Dr Kate Kennedy examine why the Elizabethans' attitude to culture, poetry and the arts was much admired by composer W Denis Browne. They also discuss how the outbreak of World War One influenced the kind of poetry that caught popular attention. Diaphenia Epitaph on Salathiel Pavy To Gratiana Dancing and Singing Robin Tritschler, tenor Malcolm Martineau, piano Rhapsody No.1: The Open Road Philharmonia Orchestra Alasdair Mitchell, conductor Six Songs From A Shropshire Lad Benjamin Luxon, baritone David Willison, piano Frederick Kelly Elegy for Strings 'In Memoriam Rupert Brooke BBC Symphony Orchestra David Lloyd-Jones, conductor Requiescat Roderick Williams, baritone Iain Burnside, piano. Why the Elizabethans' attitude to culture, poetry and the arts was admired by WD Browne.
2016	03	Ae Housman	20160803	Distant landscapes and evocations of a lost world, in Butterworth's settings of poetry by AE Housman and RL Stevenson. A close friend of Vaughan Williams, George Butterworth was killed at the age of 31, during the battle of the Somme as dawn broke on the 5th August 1916. A war hero, he was awarded the Military Cross twice. Butterworth's legacy rests on a handful of pieces, notably his much loved English Idylls and folk-song arrangements. He belongs to a generation of composers who showed great promise early on, only to be denied the chance to reach musical maturity. This week's series also features the work of four contemporaries of Butterworth: fellow Englishmen Ernest Farrar and W Denis Browne, the Scottish composer Cecil Coles and the Australian composer Frederick Septimus Kelly. All of them, like Butterworth, died on active service during the Great War. Among the musical gems, there's the first ever recording of Denis Browne's ballet 'The Comic Spirit', made for the series by the BBC Philharmonic. Their musical trajectory may be short, but this lost generation of composers nonetheless made an indelible mark on the face of British music. Today Donald Macleod is joined once again by Dr Kate Kennedy, a specialist on this period of our cultural history. The poetry of AE Housman invokes vocal and instrumental responses from Butterworth. Frederick Kelly Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day Robin Tritschler, tenor Malcolm Martineau, piano Vagabond Songs, Op.10 Stephen Varcoe, baritone Clifford Benson, piano Bredon Hill and Other Songs Benjamin Luxon, baritone David Willison, piano From the Scottish Highlands BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Martyn Brabbins, conductor Rhapsody: A Shropshire Lad English String Orchestra William Boughton, conductor. How the poetry of AE Housman invoked vocal and instrumental responses from Butterworth.
2016	04	Over The Hills And Far Away	20160804	The search for a 'new sound' is illustrated in a walk along the Thames and a lurid tale of revenge. A close friend of Vaughan Williams, George Butterworth was killed at the age of 31, during the battle of the Somme as dawn broke on the 5th August 1916. A war hero, he was awarded the Military Cross twice. Butterworth's legacy rests on a handful of pieces, notably his much loved English Idylls and folk-song arrangements. He belongs to a generation of composers who showed great promise early on, only to be denied the chance to reach musical maturity. Over the course of the week, we'll also hear the work of four contemporaries of Butterworth: fellow Englishmen Ernest Farrar and W Denis Browne, the Scottish composer Cecil Coles and the Australian composer Frederick Septimus Kelly. All of them, like Butterworth, died on active service during the Great War. Among the musical gems, there's the first ever recording of Denis Browne's ballet 'The Comic Spirit', made for the series by the BBC Philharmonic. Their musical trajectory may be short, but this lost generation of composers nonetheless has made an indelible mark on the face of British music. In today's instalment, Donald Macleod is joined once more by Dr Kate Kennedy, an authority on this period. While Butterworth's popular English Idylls reflect the popularity of pastoral and folk idioms, in fact the musical language of these composers draws on a broad net of influences. English Idyll No.2 Hall退 Orchestra Mark Elder, conductor Arabia Martyn Hill, tenor Clifford Benson, piano Love Blows as the Wind Blows Jonathan Lemalu, bass-baritone Belcea Quartet Variations for Piano and Orchestra Howard Shelley, piano Philharmonia Orchestra Alasdair Mitchell, conductor Fra Giacomo, scena for baritone and orchestra Paul Whelan, baritone BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Martyn Brabbins, conductor. How the musical language of composers like Butterworth drew on a broad net of influences.
2016	05 LAST	A Lost Generation	20160805	Two major orchestral scores from 1914 and 1915, the broadcast premiere of W Denis Browne's ballet The Comic Spirit and Butterworth's Fantasia, the last music he wrote. A close friend of Vaughan Williams, George Butterworth was killed at the age of 31, during the battle of the Somme as dawn broke on the 5th August 1916. A war hero, he was awarded the Military Cross twice. Butterworth's legacy rests on a handful of pieces, notably his much loved English Idylls and folk-song arrangements. He belongs to a generation of composers who showed great promise early on, only to be denied the chance to reach musical maturity. Over the course of the week, the series also features the work of four contemporaries of Butterworth: fellow Englishmen Ernest Farrar and W Denis Browne, the Scottish composer Cecil Coles and the Australian composer Frederick Septimus Kelly. All of them, like Butterworth, died on active service during the Great War. Among the musical gems, there's the first ever recording of Denis Browne's ballet 'The Comic Spirit', made for the series by the BBC Philharmonic. Their musical trajectory may be short, but this lost generation of composers nonetheless made an indelible mark on the face of British music. In the final chapter of this series looking at composers whose lives were cut short by the first World War, Donald Macleod and Dr Kate Kennedy reflect on their musical legacy. The True Lover's Farewell Mark Stone, baritone Stephen Barlow, piano Heroic Elegy, Op.36 Philharmonia Orchestra Alasdair Mitchell, conductor The Comic Spirit (edited and completed by R Weedon) Richard Davis, conductor Fantasia for Orchestra (concert version realised and completed by M Yates) Royal Scottish National Orchestra Martin Yates, conductor. The musical legacy of Butterworth and other composers whose lives were cut short by WWI.