5th Symphony Pilgrim's Progress

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456 THE MUS

Its ultimate rejection hastened Fillink's death,which took place on 29 December 1951 at Lucerne.

With his boundless faith in all that was progres-sive and his contemptuous intolerance of the past,Fillink was one of the earliest enthusiasts inartistic circles for the Russian Revolution of 1917.

It was the personal disappointment experiencedwhen the Russian authorities refused his opera,'The Well of Loneliness ', in 1931, that first shookhis allegiance to the ideals of the revolution as heunderstood them. His political, like his otherviews, were continually evolving; and it was only

456 THE MUS

Its ultimate rejection hastened Fillink's death,which took place on 29 December 1951 at Lucerne.

With his boundless faith in all that was progres-sive and his contemptuous intolerance of the past,Fillink was one of the earliest enthusiasts inartistic circles for the Russian Revolution of 1917.

It was the personal disappointment experiencedwhen the Russian authorities refused his opera,'The Well of Loneliness ', in 1931, that first shookhis allegiance to the ideals of the revolution as heunderstood them. His political, like his otherviews, were continually evolving; and it was only

IC~C~ L TIMES October 1953

when he settled in Switzerland that he reached thefinal synthesis which he tried to express in hislatest works. It was his ideal to become therepresentative composer of ' Western values ' andone of the most cherished dreams of his last yearswas a great pageant and ballet to be entitled

' Unesco '. The money had already been promisedby Unesco and when he died Fillink was, in fact,receiving a large yearly subsidy from that body.Hitherto no traces of the score-which friends ofthe composer's understood to be nearly completed-have been found among his papers.

AL TIMES October 1953

when he settled in Switzerland that he reached thefinal synthesis which he tried to express in hislatest works. It was his ideal to become therepresentative composer of ' Western values ' andone of the most cherished dreams of his last yearswas a great pageant and ballet to be entitled

' Unesco '. The money had already been promisedby Unesco and when he died Fillink was, in fact,receiving a large yearly subsidy from that body.Hitherto no traces of the score-which friends ofthe composer's understood to be nearly completed-have been found among his papers.

VaughanWilliams:Symphony n D and'The Pilgrim'sProgress'

A ComparativeNote

By HUGH OTTAWAY

VaughanWilliams:Symphony n D and'The Pilgrim'sProgress'

A ComparativeNote

By HUGH OTTAWAY

AT the first performance of his Symphony in D

(1943), Vaughan Williams made it knownthat some of the material, especially in the

slow movement, was taken from an unfinishedstage work based upon 'The Pilgrim's Progress'.The Romanza, in fact, was headed in the manu-

script score, though not in the subsequent publishedversion, by a quotation from Bunyan: ' Upon thisplace stood a cross, and a little below a sepulchre.Then he said: He hath given me rest by his

sorrow, and life by his death .' In the light ofthe recent ' Sinfonia Antartica ', in which each ofthe five movements has a literary prefix, it seems alittle odd that Bunyan's words were allowed to

disappear: unless his views have materiallychanged, the composer can scarcely have desiredto purge his music of all such outside associations.Be that as it may, the completed opera, or rather' Morality ', which was produced at Covent Gardenin 1951, is avowedly a missionary work. In the

Epilogue, Bunyan himself is brought before theaudience, book in hand:

'Now, hearer, I have told my dream to thee.See if thou can'st interpret it to me.Put by the curtains, look within my veil,Turn up the metaphors and do not fail.'

When Pilgrim stumbles on to the stage and kneelswith his burden before the 'cross (act 1, scene 2),the music reaffirmsthe bond with the slow move-ment of the symphony: the sustained triads, widelyspaced in the strings, and the simple melodicstatement are essentially common property.A little later in the same scene the original inscrip-tion of the Romanza is directly recalled and itsrelevance made explicit (Ex. 1).

A comparison of the two scores shows nothingelse that is quite so complete a borrowing. Theimportant point about the symphony is not somuch its debt to the opera as its independentmusical development; and this is the more strikingin that the same vocabulary of chords and phrases

is the basis of much of both works. The texturesand rhythms, the sense of flow, the general ethosof the music-virtually these are held in common;yet the symphony never strays into the theatre or

suggests a translatable programme. It is not a

AT the first performance of his Symphony in D

(1943), Vaughan Williams made it knownthat some of the material, especially in the

slow movement, was taken from an unfinishedstage work based upon 'The Pilgrim's Progress'.The Romanza, in fact, was headed in the manu-

script score, though not in the subsequent publishedversion, by a quotation from Bunyan: ' Upon thisplace stood a cross, and a little below a sepulchre.Then he said: He hath given me rest by his

sorrow, and life by his death .' In the light ofthe recent ' Sinfonia Antartica ', in which each ofthe five movements has a literary prefix, it seems alittle odd that Bunyan's words were allowed to

disappear: unless his views have materiallychanged, the composer can scarcely have desiredto purge his music of all such outside associations.Be that as it may, the completed opera, or rather' Morality ', which was produced at Covent Gardenin 1951, is avowedly a missionary work. In the

Epilogue, Bunyan himself is brought before theaudience, book in hand:

'Now, hearer, I have told my dream to thee.See if thou can'st interpret it to me.Put by the curtains, look within my veil,Turn up the metaphors and do not fail.'

When Pilgrim stumbles on to the stage and kneelswith his burden before the 'cross (act 1, scene 2),the music reaffirmsthe bond with the slow move-ment of the symphony: the sustained triads, widelyspaced in the strings, and the simple melodicstatement are essentially common property.A little later in the same scene the original inscrip-tion of the Romanza is directly recalled and itsrelevance made explicit (Ex. 1).

A comparison of the two scores shows nothingelse that is quite so complete a borrowing. Theimportant point about the symphony is not somuch its debt to the opera as its independentmusical development; and this is the more strikingin that the same vocabulary of chords and phrases

is the basis of much of both works. The texturesand rhythms, the sense of flow, the general ethosof the music-virtually these are held in common;yet the symphony never strays into the theatre or

suggests a translatable programme. It is not a

Ex1 PilgrimL ULentoJ 60

He hath given me_

rest byhis sor rowand

X I -

life by his death.

'misplaced opera ', as has been said of' A LondonSymphony'; rather is it the roundest of VaughanWilliams's symphonies, and its achievement hasbeen emphasized, not detracted from, by theultimate completion of 'The Pilgrim's Progress '.

There are many places in the two scores wherethe singing lines, the expanding textures and thegently falling 'alleluia' phrases, suggest closelyparallel lines of thought; but the tangible links areconfined to three movements of the symphony

Ex1 PilgrimL ULentoJ 60

He hath given me_

rest byhis sor rowand

X I -

life by his death.

'misplaced opera ', as has been said of' A LondonSymphony'; rather is it the roundest of VaughanWilliams's symphonies, and its achievement hasbeen emphasized, not detracted from, by theultimate completion of 'The Pilgrim's Progress '.

There are many places in the two scores wherethe singing lines, the expanding textures and thegently falling 'alleluia' phrases, suggest closelyparallel lines of thought; but the tangible links areconfined to three movements of the symphony

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THE MUSICAL TIMES

(the Scherzo appears to be fully independent) and,with one exception, to the first act of the opera.The exception occurs in the lento passage fororchestra that leads into the scene wherein Pilgrimmeets Apollyon (act 2, scene 2). The passagebegins with the three-note figure (Ex. 2, a) that

Ex.2 Lento a 1

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plays so conspicuous a part in the developmentsection (allegro) of the symphony's openingmovement, Preludio; and it is manipulated in acontrapuntal texture (with other material peculiarto the opera) in a way resembling its symphonictreatment. The appearance of this phrase in bothworks might easily be a mere coincidence; but if itis borne in mind that the allegro section of thePreludio is less a specifically musical developmentthan a new angle of vision, the three-note motifbeing essentially fresh material,* then the interestis considerably heightened.

There is one other point of contact in thePreludio, and this is perfectly clear. Compare thebeginning of the second subject, which has aglorious lift into E major (p. 7, full score), witha passage from Evangelist's instruction of Pilgrimearly in the opera (Ex. 3); they are fundamentally

EvangelistEx.3 Moderato

dfo g. 7 -do.

(6ilt w-^-rL Z-^-- ^AF;:

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0 _n a

the same. The particular interest of Ex. 3 is theJ . J J. * rhythm of the firstand fourth bars; forwhile it pervades the greaterpart of the symphony'sfirst movement (it is established by the horn-call atthe very outset), it is remarkably uncharacteristicin the

opera. Anyone confronted with the scoreswould say that this passage had its origin in thesymphony, where it splendidly fulfils the preceding

*Percy Young, in his recent book on Vaughan Williams, regards

this motif as an anticipation of the later 'alleluias'.

pages. In 'The Pilgrim's Progress' it is purelyincidental, an apt and expressive moment andnothing more. This is not intended as a criticismof the opera; but it does go to emphasize that thesymphony's borrowings were handsomely used,developing a fund of musical wealth out of allproportion to the initial debt.

The opening of the Romanza has already beenmentioned. The conclusion of the movement isalso recalled in the opera, just before the curtain atthe end of act 1, after Pilgrim has entered into theHouse Beautiful. Earlier in the act, and also inthe prologue, there are certain affinities with theanimato section of the Romanza; but these are nomore than ' seemings ', not clear-cut quotations.

= 72Ex.4

(V g'^R$7 h IR#v r/r^&g

Ex. 4 is from act 1, scene 2, and it is also the basisof two short bridge-passages in the music at theend of the previous scene. The same phrase isheard in the Romanza, where it twice passesthrough the woodwind arabesques and is finallyoutlined by the solo violin (p. 88, full score).

The germ of the symphony's Passacaglia appearsin the music for the House Beautiful (act 1,scene 2). In the first five bars of Ex. 5, the top line

Ex.5 Andante sostenuto J.92

p

/-1 L J m I 11'I

is melodically identical with the symphony'sground-bass, except for the tied G in the initialphrase. The sixth bar replaces the last two bars ofthe ground-bass but has the same function inleading back to the starting-point. The immediaterepetition of the theme in the opera, and at thesame pitch (p. 30, vocal score), may well havesuggested the idea of a passacaglia. The viola linein Ex. 5 begins very like the important counter-subject in the symphony; it has a similar risingmotion through the first two bars. One moment

in the opera (tenth bar, p. 30, vocal score)actually hints at the scherzando section of thePassacaglia; and in several places, notably in thesetting of Bunyan's hymn,

' Who would true valoursee ', there are phrases (Ex. 6 is typical) already

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October 1953 457

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THE MUSICAL TIMESHE MUSICAL TIMES

Ex.6 Poco antmato J.126

(@# J J-f fT

Ex.6 Poco antmato J.126

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familiar from the brass paeans in the Passacaglia.The striking aspect of these borrowings, however,is again their assimilation into the fabric of thesymphony; for the movement that grew from Ex. 5is the most impressively constructed of all VaughanWilliams's symphonic finales. The music extendsfreely and fluently, yet always with relevance to oneor other of the principal themes and often to both.The return of the horn-call from the Preludio has athorough preparation throughout four pages, sothat when it arrives it is right and inevitable andconfirms the symphony's inner unity (p. 111,

\- it I

familiar from the brass paeans in the Passacaglia.The striking aspect of these borrowings, however,is again their assimilation into the fabric of thesymphony; for the movement that grew from Ex. 5is the most impressively constructed of all VaughanWilliams's symphonic finales. The music extendsfreely and fluently, yet always with relevance to oneor other of the principal themes and often to both.The return of the horn-call from the Preludio has athorough preparation throughout four pages, sothat when it arrives it is right and inevitable andconfirms the symphony's inner unity (p. 111,

full score). The discreet side-step into the sereneD major of the last pages is just as naturallybrought about and leads to yet another transforma-tion of the movement's material, especially thecounter-subject. These pages seem close in spiritto the

opera's Epilogue, yet theyleave an

impres-sion that is both richer and deeper. The mis-sionary tail-piece of' The Pilgrim's Progress ' is ofa quite different order, musically, from the closingphases of the symphony, and necessarily so; butthis raises again the important question as towhether the stage is the right place, or opera theproper medium, for so ethereal and contemplativea conception. Can the opening of the Romanza,for instance, be in any way improved upon by theaddition of a stage spectacle?

Dr. Percy Young has described the opera as a'symphonic commentary'. But is it not rather apictorial commentary upon musical languagealready made memorable in symphonic terms?

full score). The discreet side-step into the sereneD major of the last pages is just as naturallybrought about and leads to yet another transforma-tion of the movement's material, especially thecounter-subject. These pages seem close in spiritto the

opera's Epilogue, yet theyleave an

impres-sion that is both richer and deeper. The mis-sionary tail-piece of' The Pilgrim's Progress ' is ofa quite different order, musically, from the closingphases of the symphony, and necessarily so; butthis raises again the important question as towhether the stage is the right place, or opera theproper medium, for so ethereal and contemplativea conception. Can the opening of the Romanza,for instance, be in any way improved upon by theaddition of a stage spectacle?

Dr. Percy Young has described the opera as a'symphonic commentary'. But is it not rather apictorial commentary upon musical languagealready made memorable in symphonic terms?

The Musician'sBookshelfhe Musician'sBookshelf'John Dowland, Ayres for FourVoices,' transcribed by Edmund H.Fellowes, edited by Thurston Dartand Nigel Fortune; 'John Blow,Coronation Anthems, Anthems with

Strings,' edited by Anthony Lewisand H. Watkins Shaw.

[Musica Britannica, vols. VI and VII, 42s. each]

It is good to see the volumes of' Musica Britan-nica' being issued with such speed and regularitythat volume VII is in print only three years aftervolume I, 'The Mulliner Book'. The series nowcovers a period extending from the Late MiddleAges to the Restoration. One thing missing,however, in this valuable collection is the lengthyintroduction which could reveal so much about themusic in each volume. In one case the missingcommentary has already been published separately,but obviously the ideal would be to publish musicand commentary together. In the latest volumesof the series there is less need of commentary, buteven so one would not wish to be without the brief

introductions and the critical apparatus.Dr. Fellowes's transcriptions of Dowland'sAyres have been excellently edited, so that one hasto look hard to find points worthy of criticism.Certainly it seems a good plan for one man totranscribe and another to edit when such results asthese are achieved, for the transcriber is too oftenanxious to get the work off his hands once themain task of transcription is finished. The truthis, of course, that editing is just as important andtime-consuming as the actual work of transcription.Introductions have to be written, critical notescompiled, texts provided with punctuation, tomention only a few of the labours which fall on theshoulders of an editor. Looking at the present

volume, one cannot fail to be struck by theeminently practical nature of the transcriptions.This sometimes necessitates the elimination offeatures found in the original texts, such as partialkey-signatures and unusual time-signatures; but

'John Dowland, Ayres for FourVoices,' transcribed by Edmund H.Fellowes, edited by Thurston Dartand Nigel Fortune; 'John Blow,Coronation Anthems, Anthems with

Strings,' edited by Anthony Lewisand H. Watkins Shaw.

[Musica Britannica, vols. VI and VII, 42s. each]

It is good to see the volumes of' Musica Britan-nica' being issued with such speed and regularitythat volume VII is in print only three years aftervolume I, 'The Mulliner Book'. The series nowcovers a period extending from the Late MiddleAges to the Restoration. One thing missing,however, in this valuable collection is the lengthyintroduction which could reveal so much about themusic in each volume. In one case the missingcommentary has already been published separately,but obviously the ideal would be to publish musicand commentary together. In the latest volumesof the series there is less need of commentary, buteven so one would not wish to be without the brief

introductions and the critical apparatus.Dr. Fellowes's transcriptions of Dowland'sAyres have been excellently edited, so that one hasto look hard to find points worthy of criticism.Certainly it seems a good plan for one man totranscribe and another to edit when such results asthese are achieved, for the transcriber is too oftenanxious to get the work off his hands once themain task of transcription is finished. The truthis, of course, that editing is just as important andtime-consuming as the actual work of transcription.Introductions have to be written, critical notescompiled, texts provided with punctuation, tomention only a few of the labours which fall on theshoulders of an editor. Looking at the present

volume, one cannot fail to be struck by theeminently practical nature of the transcriptions.This sometimes necessitates the elimination offeatures found in the original texts, such as partialkey-signatures and unusual time-signatures; but

no doubt the end justifies the means, since theoriginal signatures are given at the beginning ofeach of the 65 pieces and editorial accidentals havebeen engraved in smaller type. A study of thesepartial key-signatures, which are used in musicfrom the thirteenth to the seventeenth century,would be of the greatest value, particularly in theolder music, for the key-signature of' Go, crystaltears' is essentially that of many ballades byGuillaume de Machaut. It is the Dorian modetransposed twice, our modern C minor, with theA flat introduced by musicaficta. A comparisonbetween the original barring and the barring of theedition also provides food for thought. Take forexample 'My thoughts are wing'd', of which afacsimile is given. In fact bars are hardly neces-sary, and Dowland only uses them for the Cantuspart because the lute tablature comes immediatelyunderneath it. Here then is the prime argumentfor barlines: they clarify notation in score. Theeditors display a fine sense of rhythmic flow whenthey make their bars fit the movement of the music,though they do not really want barlinesat all, sincethey use a wide bar of six crotchets when Dowlandhas bars of three. The reason is that the modern

singer too often emphasizes the first note of a bar.For Dowland a bar line is a mere division of time,but we must compromise because of our badhabits and write wide bars so that we shall not putstresses in the wrong places. But let us rememberthat the rhythm is triple and not sextuple (dupleand not quadruple in the 4 pieces).

The poetry again shows painstaking editing.Perhaps there is a typically English tendency tobreak up the stanza unduly with commas, but thatis better than inadequate punctuation. Dowlandtoo uses plenty of commas. The verse forms arevery varied, and reflect the influence of the Frenchrhetoric. The influence of the ballade is par-ticularly clear in the one piece with an envoy.

But what of the actual music? We already knowmuch of it in Dr. Fellowes's edition of the Ayres assolo songs, but there can be no doubt that in theirnew form these songs will have an immediateappeal for madrigal groups, even if accompaniment

no doubt the end justifies the means, since theoriginal signatures are given at the beginning ofeach of the 65 pieces and editorial accidentals havebeen engraved in smaller type. A study of thesepartial key-signatures, which are used in musicfrom the thirteenth to the seventeenth century,would be of the greatest value, particularly in theolder music, for the key-signature of' Go, crystaltears' is essentially that of many ballades byGuillaume de Machaut. It is the Dorian modetransposed twice, our modern C minor, with theA flat introduced by musicaficta. A comparisonbetween the original barring and the barring of theedition also provides food for thought. Take forexample 'My thoughts are wing'd', of which afacsimile is given. In fact bars are hardly neces-sary, and Dowland only uses them for the Cantuspart because the lute tablature comes immediatelyunderneath it. Here then is the prime argumentfor barlines: they clarify notation in score. Theeditors display a fine sense of rhythmic flow whenthey make their bars fit the movement of the music,though they do not really want barlinesat all, sincethey use a wide bar of six crotchets when Dowlandhas bars of three. The reason is that the modern

singer too often emphasizes the first note of a bar.For Dowland a bar line is a mere division of time,but we must compromise because of our badhabits and write wide bars so that we shall not putstresses in the wrong places. But let us rememberthat the rhythm is triple and not sextuple (dupleand not quadruple in the 4 pieces).

The poetry again shows painstaking editing.Perhaps there is a typically English tendency tobreak up the stanza unduly with commas, but thatis better than inadequate punctuation. Dowlandtoo uses plenty of commas. The verse forms arevery varied, and reflect the influence of the Frenchrhetoric. The influence of the ballade is par-ticularly clear in the one piece with an envoy.

But what of the actual music? We already knowmuch of it in Dr. Fellowes's edition of the Ayres assolo songs, but there can be no doubt that in theirnew form these songs will have an immediateappeal for madrigal groups, even if accompaniment

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45858 October 1953ctober 1953

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5th Symphony Pilgrim's Progress