How the Vaughan Williams Pastoral Symphony is Greatly Misunderstood

Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No. 3, A Pastoral Symphony is a greatly misunderstood work, many taking the title quite literally rather than understanding its true purpose. Today, let’s continue our chat about music inspired by WWI by looking at this moving symphony.

Vaughan Williams wrote his “Pastoral” Symphony in 1922. While many believe it relates to the English landscape, providing peace and rest to the listener, it is actually quite the opposite. Vaughan Williams uses his Third Symphony to depict the terrain of the WWI battlefields and writes in a way that causes his listeners to confront loss and death, remembering those who have found eternal rest. The symphony is unique in that each movement is slow. Vaughan Williams frequently changes the tonal center, causing his audience to feel emotionally unsettled.

Below you can listen to this symphony. Listen especially in the second movement during which a trumpet cadenza depicts a bugler that the composer heard practicing during the war:

WWI and Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin

This month we are looking at music inspired by war or written in commemoration of tragic events connected to war. This week, let’s focus on music written as a result of WWI, beginning with Maurice Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin.

During WWI, Ravel initially opted to refrain from serving in the military due to his small stature. He figured he would be able to help his country more by writing music. When his brother enlisted, however, young Ravel could not resist and decided to join as a nurse aide. He later went on to serve as a truck driver, delivering war materials by night. Following his mother’s death, Ravel was discharged from the military and sent home where he completed the piano version of Le tombeau de Couperin.

Le tombeau de Couperin is six movements in length, each dedicated to one of Ravel’s friends who died in the war. He gave it this particular title because the piece originated as homage to French music during the age of Francois Couperin (18^th century) but, following his military service, it came to reflect the tragedy brought on by war. The piece acts as a memorial rather than actually depicting battle. It is in the style of a Baroque suite with an introduction followed by a series of dances. Here is Angela Hewitt performing the piano version of Le tombeau de Couperin:

In 1919, Ravel orchestrated four of the six movements. You can hear this version below:

An Interview with John Adams

Like Steve Reich’s WTC 911 that we looked at last time, John Adams also received a commission to write a commemorative piece. We had the pleasure of chatting with Mr. Adams when he was in town this past spring and he talked with us about his On the Transmigration of Souls.

Adams admitted to us that, when the New York Philharmonic approached him with the commission to write a commemorative piece for the first anniversary of 9/11, he was appalled.  He believed it was impossible to write a piece of music about this type of event that created such a wound for the American nation. He explained that he initially felt it would either come across as tasteless or opportunistic to approach this type of project as an artist. After some thought, however, he realized that a serious composer ought to be able to respond to a national trauma so he accepted the commission.

Composer Charles Ives has been somewhat of a guardian angel to Adams, who talked about how his transcendental philosophy about the American spirit guided his work for On the Transmigration of Souls. His piece is very intimate, touching on personal loss and private emotions. Like Reich’s WTC 911, On the Transmigration of Souls uses the orchestra more as a background while choirs and taped voices take center stage. Texts included on the tape relate to 9/11 and contain a reading of names of many who died, as well as excerpts from notes that loved ones taped to Manhattan walls following the event.

Is there a commemorative work for 9/11 that you tend to relate to?