Of course Ralph Vaughan Williams was well aware of this paradoxal\u00a0character of his composition, explaining why it was not published untill three\u00a0years after the king\u2019s sudden death in 1910. An interval that allows all\u00a0necessary time for a highly important look into the overall design of the music.\u00a0As to be expected from music on a text which unity goes under maximum\u00a0cover; at first glance there is none:<\/p>\n
Sweet Day \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 50 bars Even the copyrights differ per song, but the opening pair has in E-minor a\u00a0common key, leaving the third one (E flat-major) on itself. And because all\u00a0this article\u2019s links between songs are nothing but shortcuts to information\u00a0initially extracted from\u00a0Mistress<\/i>, I consider her a key on her own:<\/p>\n Sweet Day \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 E-minor This choise of keys is a well considered one: E-minor is, according to the\u00a0composer Johann Mattheson (1681 – 1764), best suited to express sadness\u00a0& sorrow (as in TWS), and reflectiveness (as in SD). Unfortunately I do not\u00a0know what he makes of airily OMM\u2019s key,\u00a0 but it evidently creates a contrast.\u00a0And both keys happen to refer to a certain initial.<\/p>\n Meanwhile we now see a repetition of moves from Part I. Therefore we\u00a0can be pretty certain the music must be able to place the Herbert song\u00a0opposite a Shakespearean couple, before uniting the cycle by the common\u00a0beat. And of course\u00a0Sweet Day<\/i>\u00a0is from a more recent date than the others.<\/p>\n Sweet Day \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 1896 And to complete the procedure:<\/p>\n Sweet Day \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a03\/4 beat The musical composition follows the regrouping from three stand alone\u00a0songtexts to an unity (see Part One) at pitch. Making it impossible for the\u00a0cycle not to be designed as such in advance. Information that sheds new\u00a0light on following words from the booklet accompanying the\u00a0Hyperion<\/em>\u00a0cd-recording of these songs:<\/p>\n Scored for mixed voices, these partsongs show charm, but little sophistication\u00a0in the choral writing. Nevertheless their simple, diatonic harmony is far removed\u00a0from the rich chromaticism of the day and points to the mature composer.<\/p>\n (Andrew Burn \u00a91995)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n It is very well within any composer\u2019s range, to write less sophisticated than\u00a0his skills allow, but the nineteen year old pupil of Hubert Parry to abandon in\u00a0his Shakespeare settings the prevailing fashion is something remarkable. Even more so, because\u00a0he preludes on developments taking place long after he is in\u00a0five years time to compose\u00a0Sweet Day<\/i>\u00a0in the same manner.<\/p>\n Dismissing the years of composition as antedatings, however, has a major\u00a0drawback: the collapse of the regrouping. This regrouping\u2019s third position is based on\u00a0the dates of composition, and accepting these dates as correct is\u00a0not done when constructing what is still the sole available piece of evidence for\u00a0antedating. This cycle\u2019s paradoxal character is causing enough problems\u00a0already, and allowing it to develop a similar defect in its dating is the last\u00a0thing we can afford. So we are in need of something better to divide\u00a0Sweet<\/i>\u00a0Day<\/i>\u00a0from the united Shakespeares. The year of composition never was quite\u00a0as musical a division as the other ones anyway.<\/p>\n Some advanced research, performed on my behalf by Marius Lindeijer\u00a0(Head of the Composition Department at ARTEZ High School\u00a0of Music, Zwolle, Netherlands) has brought no other musical connections\u00a0between songs to light. Leaving only one option open to deal with the\u00a0problem, even when in terms of musicology it seems to be an absurd one:\u00a0the recount of 112 bars of music.<\/p>\n —<\/span><\/p>\n —<\/span><\/p>\n go to next chapter<\/a>\u00a0– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –<\/span>\u00a0back to the previous chapter<\/a><\/p>\n \n \u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Of course Ralph Vaughan Williams was well aware of this paradoxal\u00a0character of his composition, explaining why it was not published untill three\u00a0years after the king\u2019s sudden death in 1910. An interval that allows all\u00a0necessary time for a highly important look … Continue reading
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\nThe Willow Song \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 33 bars
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\nO Mistress Mine\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 29 bars<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\nThe Willow Song \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0E-minor<\/span>
\n—
\nO Mistress Mine \u00a0 \u00a0 E flat-major\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nThe Willow Song\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 1891
\nO Mistress Mine \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 1891<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThe Willow Song \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 3\/4 beat
\nO Mistress Mine\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 3\/4 beat<\/span><\/p>\n\n