music in the midst of desolation: a conductor’s …

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MUSIC IN THE MIDST OF DESOLATION: A CONDUCTOR’S MUSIC IN THE MIDST OF DESOLATION: A CONDUCTOR’S

ANALYSIS OF CYRIL BRADLEY ROOTHAM’S ANALYSIS OF CYRIL BRADLEY ROOTHAM’S FOR THE FALLEN, ,

OPUS 51 OPUS 51

Cameron Lee Weatherford University of Kentucky, cameron.weatherford@gmail.com Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2018.277

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The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on

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Dr. Jefferson Johnson, Major Professor

Dr. Michael Baker, Director of Graduate Studies

MUSICINTHEMIDSTOFDESOLATION:ACONDUCTOR’SANALYSISOFCYRILBRADLEYROOTHAM’S

FORTHEFALLEN,OPUS51

__________________________________________________

DOCTOROFMUSICALARTSPROJECT

__________________________________________________

ADoctorofMusicalArtsProjectsubmittedinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirements

forthedegreeofDoctorofMusicalArtsintheCollegeofFineArtsattheUniversityofKentucky

CameronLeeWeatherford

Lexington,Kentucky

Co-Directors:Dr.JeffersonJohnson,ProfessorofMusicand Dr.LoriHetzel,ProfessorofMusic

Lexington,Kentucky

ABSTRACTOFDOCTOROFMUSICALARTSPROJECT

FORTHEFALLEN,OPUS51

WorldWarI(1914-1918)broughtwithitunimaginabledisasteranddestruction,reshapingtheworldanditscultureforever.Outoftheashesofthisunparalleledconflictcamenumeroustriumphsofart,fueledbythesurroundingconditionsandpersonalexpressionsoftheirartists.Englishcomposer,Dr.CyrilBradleyRootham(1875-1938)setapowerfulandhauntingpoemfromthepoetLaurenceBinyon(1869-1943)titled“FortheFallen”fromalargercollectionofhispoetrycalledTheWinnowingFan.ThepoemwaspublishedinTheTimesonSeptember21,1914,justsevenweeksafterthewarbegan. Thismonographseekstobringtolightthisgloriousandoverlookedchoral/orchestralworkatatimeofacentennialanniversaryforWorldWarI,bringingevenmorerelevancetothesubjectmatter.Anotherfocusofthisdocumentistohighlightthemusicalaccessibilityofthisworkandprovideresourcesthatfunctionasaplatformforperformance. Abriefbackgroundofthecomposition,thepoem,andthepoetwillassistingivingcontexttothesetting.Thisdocumentwillalsocoverspecificdetailsregardingmusicalanalysis,textualinterpretations,andperformancepracticeconcepts.KEYWORDS: CyrilBradleyRootham;LaurenceBinyon;FortheFallen; TheWinnowingFan;Choral/Orchestral;

CameronWeatherford StudentSignature

June29,2018 Date

FORTHEFALLEN,OPUS51By

CameronLeeWeatherford

Dr.JeffersonJohnson Co-DirectorofDoctorofMusicalArtsProject

Dr.LoriHetzel Co-DirectorofDoctorofMusicalArtsProject

Dr.MichaelBaker DirectorofGraduateStudies

June29,2018 Date

ToCaroline,Hudson,andour“OntheWay”

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Tomybeautifulfamily,includingmywifeCaroline,mysonHudson,andour“ontheway.”Allofthehardworkandhoursputinonthisprojectaresothatyouwillbeproudofme.Icouldnothaveaccomplishedanyofitwithyoumotivating,supporting,andbelievinginme.

ToDr.JeffJohnsonandDr.LoriHetzelfromtheUniversityofKentucky,your

incredibleamountofsupportandencouragement,andyourmodelofwhattrueeducators,conductorsandmusiciansshouldlooklikeisinspiring.Ispeakforthehundredsoflivesyoubothhavetouchedandsaythankyou.

TomyotherimportantmentorsincludingDr.GregoryFuller,Dr.John

Flanery,andDr.FredGuilbert.YouallsawsomethinginmethatIdidnotknowexisted.Iamforeverindebtedtoyouforyourincredibleleadershipandbeliefinme.

Tomycommittee,yourinsightandexpertisewasnotonlyvitaltomysuccess

butencouraginginatimewhenitwasneededmost.Thankyou.ToMr.DanRootham,CyrilRootham’sgrandson,whohasprovidedmuch

feedbackanddirectionthroughoutthisstudy.Thankyouforyourwillingnesstoaidmeinthisproject.

ToMr.AlistairJones,yourhelpfulinsightcontributedgreatlytothe

finalizationofthisdocument.Thankyouforyourkindnessandtime.TomywonderfulcolleaguesandadministrationatLouisianaCollege,your

supporthasencouragedmetodiveindeeplytomyresearchandIamhonoredtoworkalongsideyou.

TomycolleaguesattheUniversityofKentucky,Ihavebeensomotivatedby

youandyourspiritonyourownprojectsandamdeeplygratefulforthewordsofencouragementandwonderfulhourswehavespenttogetherdreamingofwhatisnext.

TABLEOFCONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................................................iiiLISTOFEXAMPLES....................................................................................................................................v

PARTICHAPTER1:INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................1 BACKGROUNDOFLAURENCEBINYONAND“FORTHEFALLEN”.........................2

BACKGROUNDOFROOTHAM’SFORTHEFALLEN,OP.51........................................5 METHODOLOGYOFTHISSTUDY.........................................................................................9 LITERATUREREVIEW............................................................................................................10CHAPTER2:TEXTUALANALYSISOFBINYON’S“FORTHEFALLEN”..............................12CHAPTER3:TEXTUALTREATMENTINROOTHAM’SFORTHEFALLEN........................17CHAPTER4:THEMATICANDHARMONICCONTENT.............................................................31CHAPTER5:PERFORMANCECONSIDERATIONS......................................................................53APPENDIX...................................................................................................................................................58 INTERVIEWWITHALISTAIRJONES.................................................................................58

PARTIIPROGRAMNOTES....................................................................................................................................62 DONANOBISPACEM...............................................................................................................62 ASCENDITDEUS........................................................................................................................63 SERF’SSONGANDDANCINGSONGFROMMEESTELAULUD................................64 GO,LOVELYROSE.....................................................................................................................65 DIDN’TMYLORDDELIVERDANIEL.................................................................................66

NEARERMYGODTOTHEE...................................................................................................67 EINEKLEINEORGELMESSE.................................................................................................68BIBLIOGRAPHY.........................................................................................................................................69VITA...............................................................................................................................................................71

LISTOFEXAMPLES

Example1.LaurenceBinyon’s“FortheFallen”.............................................................................4Example2.FortheFallen,mm.44-47.............................................................................................18Example3.FortheFallen,mm.50-52.............................................................................................19Example4.FortheFallen,mm.93-95.............................................................................................21Example5.FortheFallen,mm.110-112.......................................................................................23Example6.FortheFallen,mm.114-116.......................................................................................23Example7.FortheFallen,mm.147-149.......................................................................................24Example8.FortheFallen,m.155.....................................................................................................25Example9.FortheFallen,m.158.....................................................................................................25Example10.FortheFallen,mm.240-242.....................................................................................29Example11.FortheFallen,mm.256-258.....................................................................................29Example12.FortheFallen,mm.304-308.....................................................................................30Example13.FortheFallen,mm.20-23..........................................................................................32Example14.FortheFallen,mm.54-57..........................................................................................34Example15.FortheFallen,mm.60-61..........................................................................................35Example16.FortheFallen,OrchestralManuscript,pg.18...................................................37Example17.FortheFallen,OrchestralManuscript,mm.114-116....................................39Example18.FortheFallen,OrchestralManuscript,mm.117-122....................................40Example19.FortheFallen,m.155...................................................................................................42Example20.FortheFallen,mm.162-163.....................................................................................42Example21.FortheFallen,mm.178-179.....................................................................................44Example22.FortheFallen,mm.178-179.....................................................................................45Example23.FortheFallen,mm.185-187.....................................................................................46Example24.FortheFallen,mm.188-190.....................................................................................46Example25.FortheFallen,mm.191-193.....................................................................................47Example26.FortheFallen,mm.298-299.....................................................................................52

CHAPTERONE

Introduction

WorldWarI(1914-1918)broughtwithitimmensesuffering,loss,and

destruction.Incountlessmediums,artistictriumphsmanagedtoemergefromthe

aftermathofthewar,asthetragedyofitcreatedacanvasforcreativeoutput.

ThoughmanymaybeunfamiliarwithDr.CyrilBradleyRoothamandhisworkasan

educatorandcomposer,itdoesnotlessentheimpactofhischoral/orchestralwork

FortheFallen,Opus51.CompletedinApril1915,atatimewhenGreatBritain

remainedrelativelyoptimisticaboutthewar,Rootham’scompositioncarries

themesofnationalism,asthenationremainedsupportiveandvigorouspertaining

totheirwarefforts.Onecancertainlygraspthisspiritwithinthework.Inother

moments,asifforeshadowingtheexcessivelosstocome,Roothamcreatesmusical

atmospheresofpainandfear.Alloftheseemotivequalitiesserveasacatalystto

makingthisworkoneofimportance,especiallyincirclesofwarmusic.

Somehistoricalinterestsurroundsthisworkbywayofaquarrelbetween

RoothamandSirEdwardElgar.Bothcomposerssetouttocomposemusicto

LaurenceBinyon’s“FortheFallen”uponitspublicationinTheTimesinSeptember

of1914,creatingariftbetweenthesetwoBritishmusicians.Thoughnotthefocusof

thisstudy,moredetailswillbediscussedinthecomingpages.

Thereisaneedforthisworktobestudiedandperformedonamore

frequentbasisasthequalityofcomposition,emotiverichness,andrelative

accessibilitycreateaplatformforpowerfulperformances.Thepurposeofthis

projectistohighlightthequalityofRootham’spiece,givingattentiontoarichwork

ofartcomposedinaseasonofBritishoptimism,despitetheforthcomingdesolation.

LaurenceBinyonand“FortheFallen”

RobertLaurenceBinyon(1869-1943)wasapoet,artist,andcriticwhois

bestrememberedforhispoeticoutputpertainingtoWorldWarI.Afterhis

undergraduateeducationatTrinityCollegeatOxford,hetookapositionatthe

BritishMuseuminthedepartmentofprintedbooks,eventuallyrelocatingtothe

departmentofprintsanddrawingswherehewouldremainuntilhisretirementin

1933.1ItwasherethatheworkedalongsideSidneyColvin,whoencouragedhimto

compose“Requiemfortheslain.”2Binyonisnotedfornotjusthispoetry,butalso

forhisessaysonvisualart.“HewasalsointerestedinOrientalartandculture:

bookssuchasPaintingintheFarEast(1908)andthebookofpoemsTheFlightof

theDragon(1911)reflectthisinterest.”3ThisvarietyofinterestsallowedBinyonto

berecognizedintheliterarycirclesthroughoutEngland.Stylistically,ithasbeen

saidthat“Binyon’spoetrywasgenerallythoughttobehighlyrefined,andadjectives

suchas“stately,”“dignified,”and“grave”arefrequentlyusedtocharacterizehis

verse.”4Thiscertainlyresonateswithinthecontextof“FortheFallen.”

1“LaurenceBinyon,”PoetryFoundation,PoetryFoundation,

www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/laurence-binyon.Accessed17Apr.2017.

2JerroldNorthropMoore,EdwardElgar:ACreativeLife,Oxford:OxfordUP,1984,p.674.3“LaurenceBinyon,”PoetryFoundation.4Ibid.

AsWorldWarIcommenced,Binyon,likeRootham,wastoooldtoenterthe

military.HeservedasanorderlyintheRedCrossandeventraveledtothefrontin

1916.Whathesawthereinspiredseveralpoeticwritingsincluding“TheAnvil,”

“TheCause,”“TheNewWorld,”andthecollectionfromwhichthepoemathand

comes,TheWinnowingFan:PoemsOntheGreatWar.

Leadinguptothepublicationof“FortheFallen,”Binyonfoundhimself

standingwithfiftysignatoriestotheAuthor’sDeclarationthatappearedinThe

TimesandTheNewYorkTimesonSeptember18,1914.Manyofthesewriterswere

extremeadvocatesofpeacebutknewthatBritainwasobligedtoenterthewar

underthecircumstances.5“FortheFallen”waspublishedinTheTimesthreedays

lateronSeptember21,1914.IthasbecomeBinyon’smostrecognizedpieceasit

carrieswithitaunifyingthemeofremembrance,hope,andgrief.Thesewerestrong

sentimentstheBritishwereexperiencingduringtheearlyyearsoftheGreatWar,

andtherewasaninstantaneousconnectionwiththepoem.Inhisin-depthstudyon

Binyon,JohnTrevorHatcherstates,“Initsgravitas,itstenderness,anddepthof

grief,‘FortheFallen’looksasifitshouldhaveappearedinTheTimesfor21

September1918not1914.”6

Muchofthewritinginthepoemthatlendsitselftoamusicalsetting

including“solemnthedrumsthrill”silence,“goingwithsongsintobattle”andof

course,“musicinthemidstofdesolation”FrederickMorelandMarysaDemoor

5JohnTrevorHatcher,LaurenceBinyon:Poet,ScholarofEastandWest(City:publisher,

year),191-192.6Ibid.

claimthat,“Thestrengthofthepoemisinthemimesis,inwhatitrepresents.”7One

canseetheimmediatedrawofRoothamtothework.Today,thepoemisstillrecited

atRemembranceSundayintheUK,usedinAnzacDayinAustraliaandNewZealand,

andreadforNovember11servicesinCanada.8Example1providesBinyon’spoem,

“FortheFallen”forreferencethroughouttheremainderofthismonograph.

Example1.LaurenceBinyon’s“FortheFallen”

Withproudthanksgiving,amotherforherchildren,Englandmournsforherdeadacrossthesea.Fleshofherfleshtheywere,spiritofherspirit,

Falleninthecauseofthefree.

Solemnthedrumsthrill:DeathaugustandroyalSingssorrowupintoimmortalspheres.ThereismusicinthemidstofdesolationAndaglorythatshinesuponourtears.

Theywentwithsongstothebattle,theywereyoung,

Straightoflimb,trueofeye,steadyandaglow.Theywerestaunchtotheendagainstoddsuncounted,

Theyfellwiththeirfacestothefoe.

Theyshallgrownotold,aswethatareleftgrowold:Ageshallnotwearythem,northeyearscondemn.Atthegoingdownofthesunandinthemorning

Wewillrememberthem.

Theyminglenotwiththeirlaughingcomradesagain;Theysitnomoreatfamiliartablesofhome;Theyhavenolotinourlabouroftheday-time;

TheysleepbeyondEngland'sfoam.

7FrederickMorelandMarysaDemoor,"LaurenceBinyonandtheModernists:Ezra

Pound,T.S.EliotandF.T.Marinetti,"EnglishStudies95,no.8(2014):907-22.8“LaurenceBinyon.”Wikipedia,WikimediaFoundation,10Apr.2017,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaurenceBinyon.Accessed17Apr.2017.

Butwhereourdesiresareandourhopesprofound,Feltasawell-springthatishiddenfromsight,

TotheinnermostheartoftheirownlandtheyareknownAsthestarsareknowntotheNight;

Asthestarsthatshallbebrightwhenwearedust,Movinginmarchesupontheheavenlyplain,

Asthestarsthatarestarryinthetimeofourdarkness,Totheend,totheend,theyremain.

BackgroundofCyrilBradleyRootham’sFortheFallen,Op.51

ThereisascarceamountofinformationregardingRoothamthoughhis

contributionstoBritishmusicduringthelatenineteenthandearlytwentieth

centuriesarevastlyimportant.InhisstudyofRootham,Dr.ClaybornPriceclaims,

“Fewpeopleareawareoftheimpactthismusicianhadonthemusicallifeofthe

Cambridgecommunityinthefirstquarterofthetwentiethcentury.Rootham

studiedwithCharlesVilliarsStanford...taughtArthurBliss,ArnoldCooke...Thus,

heactsasabridgebetweenthelateRomanticandtheearlytwentiethcentury

Britishcomposers.”9Pricealsosays,“Mostofhischoralworkswerepublished

duringhislifetime,yetnoneappeartohaveremainedintherepertoire,sacredor

secular.”10

MostofRootham’scareerwasspentasaprofessorandcomposeratSt.John’s

College,Cambridge,andin1912hebecametheconductoroftheCambridge

9ClaybornWinfieldPrice,LostintheRevival:TheSacredChoralMusicofCyrilBradley

Rootham(1875-1938),Diss.UofSouthCarolina,2010,AnnArbor:ProQuestLLC,MI.110Ibid.

UniversityMusicalSociety,aposthehelduntilhisdeath.11Hiscompositionaloutput

consistsofoneopera,nineteenchoral-orchestralworks,thirty-sevensecularpart-

songs,twenty-twosacredchoralworks,forty-sixsolosongs,thirteenorchestral

works(includingtwosymphonies,thesecondofwhichisachoralsymphony),and

twenty-twochamberpieces,withhismostsignificantcontributionsbeingtochoral

music.12

LittlehasbeendiscussedaboutthegenesisofRootham’ssettingofBinyon’s

“FortheFallen.”Itisknownthatjustdaysafter“FortheFallen”waspublishedin

TheTimesinSeptember1914,RoothamwrotetoBinyonaskinghispermissionto

sethisnewpoemtomusic.Thepoethappilyobliged,justbeforesettingsailona

studyandlecturetourintheUnitedStatestohelpfundhisnexttriptotheFar

East.13ThereisonlythepresumptionthatuponreadingthemovingtextRootham

feltanobligationtosetittomusicforhiscountry,whoin1915stillbelievedthewar

wouldbeoversoonerratherthanlater.JohnFrancestates,“Manycommentators

agreethatRootham’sversionof‘FortheFallen’,whichprecededElgar’s,isinmany

waysjustasimpressiveastheeldermaster’sandmayevenscorehighermarksfor

subtletyifnotpassion.”14

Thepieceitselfisathrough-composedsettingofthe“FortheFallen”poem.

Roothamcallsforalargeorchestraintheworkincludingtwoflutes,twooboes,two

11JürgenSchaarwächter,"Rootham,Cyril."GroveMusicOnline,OxfordMusic

Online,OxfordUniversityPress.12Price,LostintheRevival,2.13JohnTrevorHatcher,LaurenceBinyon:Poet,ScholarofEastandWest.Oxford,

ClarendonPress,1995.191-192.14JohnFrance,"CyrilRootham."CyrilRootham,ClassicalMusicontheWeb,n.d.16Apr.

2017,http://www.musicweb-international.com/Rootham/.

clarinetsinBb,twobassoons,fourhornsinF,twotrumpetsinF,twotenor

trombones,athirdtromboneandatuba,threekettledrums,a“big”drum,a“side”

drum,cymbals,harp,andstrings.Healsosetsasmallamountoforganadliblaterin

thework.

TheopeningbarsgiveasenseofRootham’sskillasanorchestrator.Thereis

asimplicityinthewritingthatisfittingforthetext,andhespendsforty-three

measuresorchestrallyexposingthematicmaterialthatwillreturnthroughoutthe

piece.PricestatesthatRootham’s“harmony,texture,andmusicalinvention,in

general,werepersonal,notjustreflectionsofwhatisknownastheEnglish‘pastoral

style’.”15ThisstatementringstruewithinthecontextofFortheFallen.

Harmonically,theworktakesasimplerapproach,thoughthisisnotareflectionon

itsimpact.Thelesscomplicatedformalstructuresandharmoniclanguagegivethe

pieceanoverallsenseofreverencethatiswelcomed.A1915reviewofthework

publishedinTheTimesstates,“Therearesomefineclimaxes,andthework

throughout,withitsrhythmicinterest,itsmodernfeeling,anditssubtleandfitting

flavorofausterity,isanimpressiveandworthytributetoourgallantdead.”16These

finewordsgiveanaccuratedepictionoftheemotionalbreadthofRootham’ssetting.

Thepieceisrelativelyconciseinlength,taking16-18minutesasnotatedby

thecomposerinthemanuscript.17Thoughhedictatesafirst,second,andthird

sectionofthepiece,eachverseofthepoemisdelineatedbyseparatemusical

15Price,TheSacredChoralMusicofCyrilBradleyRootham,26.16“FortheFallen,”Review,TheMusicalTimes56,no.872,Jan.1915,605.17CyrilBradleyRootham,FortheFallen,PoembyLaurenceBinyonSettoMusicfor

ChorusandOrchestra,1915,Manuscript,1915.

contentandmovesintotheotherattacca,adevicewhichwillbeexploredinmore

detaillaterinthisstudy.

Rootham’ssettingofFortheFallenisaworkthathasnotbeenadequately

studiedorchampioned.Muchofthisisduetoitsovershadowednatureunderthe

greatElgarianculturethatsurroundedthemasterandhissetting.Thisdoesnot

stripRootham’ssettingofitsmeritandthisdocumentseekstopromotetheideaof

thetriumphofbothRootham’sandElgar’ssettings.ItisbestsummedupinThe

Timesreviewsaying,“Bothinregardtowordsandmusic‘FortheFallen’strikesa

notetoooftenabsentfromelegiacworkscalledforthbywar.Thereisgenuine

feeling,butthereareprideanddignityaswell.”18

18“FortheFallen,”Review,TheMusicalTimes.

MethodologyofthisStudy

ThepreviouschapterservesasanintroductiontoBinyon’spoem“Forthe

Fallen,”andcomposerCyrilBradleyRootham’schoral/orchestralsettingofit,For

theFallen.

Chaptertwowillprovideananalysisofthepoem,“FortheFallen,”giving

detailsofBinyon’swritingstyleandsubjectiveinterpretationsofthepoetry.

ChapterthreewillbeabriefstudyofthetextualtreatmentinRootham’s

work,inparticular,hisuseoftextpaintingandemotiveexpression.

ChapterfourwillfocusonthethematicandharmoniccontentinOp.51.

Rootham’scomprehensivecompositionalstyleisondisplaythroughoutthework,

andthischapterwillhighlightthoseattributes.

Thefinalchapterwillsynthesizethematerialspresentedandconcludewith

finalthoughtsonperformancepracticeandaccessibilityofthiswork.

LiteratureReview

LimitedwrittenresourcesareavailableonbothBinyonandRootham.

RoothamseemstofallintoobscurityintermsofBritishcomposersattheturnofthe

century.Intheauthor’sresearch,Roothamisleftoutofsomegenericsources

describingBritishmusicandcultureintheearlytwentiethcentury.Binyon,onthe

otherhand,isinanotherartisticrealmaltogether.Hislifeandworkarecovered

ratherthoroughlyinpoeticandliteraryscholarlycircles.Heiscertainlyvaluedasan

importantBritishpoet,especiallyduringthetimeofTheGreatWar.

ThesourcessurroundingBinyon,thoughfew,aredetailedandhelpful.The

primarydocumentisthebiographybyJohnTrevorHatcherentitledLaurence

Binyon:Poet,ScholarofEastandWest.Itgivesextensivedetailofhislifeandwork,

exploringthemanyseasonsandstylesofhiswriting.Largerscalewritingsofearly

warpoetryandpoetsmentionBinyonandhisworkbutwerenotexploredforthe

purposesofthisdocument.

SourcesonRoothamandhismusicalcontributionshaveproventobe

minimalinscope.Thereareonlyafewsourcesthathavebeenfoundationaltothe

studyofthecomposer:(1)Thecomposer’swebsite,www.rootham.orgwhichis

managedbyRootham’sgrandson,DanRootham,(2)Dr.ClaybornPrice’sthorough

dissertationstudy,LostintheRevival:TheSacredChoralMusicofCyrilBradley

Rootham(1875-1938),and(3)anarticlefromthesameauthorintheACDAChoral

Journal,“LostintheRevival:TheSacredMusicofCyrilRootham,”inwhichDr.Price

compressestheinformationofhisdissertationtobringDr.Rootham’ssacredmusic

totheforefrontforchoralmusicians.Anotherimportantsourcethathasinformed

thisstudyisthe1938articleinTheTimesbyArthurJ.B.HutchingsentitledThe

MusicofCyrilBradleyRootham.WrittenintheyearofRootham’spassing,thisarticle

providesacontemporary’spointofviewonhisstyleandmusicalcontributions,

somethingofgreatvalueinlightofthecomposerbeingpracticallyunknowntoday.

Thoughallofthesesourcesareimportantinanoverviewofthecomposer,fewof

themdiscussFortheFallenindepth.

ThescarcityofliteraturesurroundingRoothamreinforcesthepurposeofthis

study.Theaccessibility,emotivequalities,andhighcaliberofmusicalcontentinFor

theFallen,warrantperformancefromprofessionalandamateurensemblesalike.

Therefore,muchistobemadeofthecharacteristicslistedabovethroughoutthis

monographwithallintentionspointingtowardsthepreservationandfuture

performancesofRootham’sFortheFallen,Op.51.

CHAPTERTWO

TextualAnalysisofBinyon’s“FortheFallen”

InhisextensivebiographyofBinyon,JohnHatchermakesasummativenote

aboutthecompositionof“FortheFallen.”:“Perhapsthemostremarkablething

about‘FortheFallen’isthatdate21September1914,withtheGreatWarlessthan

sevenweeksold.Infactthepoemhadbeenwrittenseveralweeksearlier,justafter

theretreatfromMons,wheretheheavilyoutnumberedBritishExpeditionaryForce

becamethefirstBritisharmytofightonWesternEuropeansoilsinceWaterloo.”19

Thepoemcarriedthetypeofgravitasthatwouldbeexpectedattheendofthewar,

notduringtheopeningweeksofit.Hatchergoesontosay,“thispoemgrewin

staturewitheachdefeat,eachabortivepush,andpyrrhicvictory.”20Theprophetic

insightthatBinyondisplaysinhisgut-wrenchingtextisoneofthemanyaspectsof

theworkthathavesolidifieditsplaceinpoetichistory.Italsoaddsnewdepthtothe

understandingofbothElgarandRootham’smusicaltreatmentofthetext,asthey

werebothcomposedafterthewarhadbeenragingforsometime.

Composedofsevenstanzaswithfourlinesperstanza,thepoemisfilledwith

rich,sonorouslanguagethatnotonlypaintsadauntingpictureofthewartocome

butgivesseveralpointsofviewfromwhichthereadercanapproach.Hatcher

19JohnTrevorHatcher,LaurenceBinyon:Poet,ScholarofEastandWest.Oxford,

ClarendonPress,1995.192.20 Ibid.

describesitbestbysaying,“Thepoem’ssevenstanzaschartinadvanceBritain’s

changingmoodfrom1914to1918.”21Thefirsttwostanzas,shownbelow,givea

dignifiedandpowerfulvoicetothesoldiersdefendingtheirnation.

Withproudthanksgiving,amotherforherchildren,Englandmournsforherdeadacrossthesea.Fleshofherfleshtheywere,spiritofherspirit,

Falleninthecauseofthefree.

Theculturesurroundingthewarinitsbeginningstagesisechoedintheseverses.

Youngmen,theirwives,andtheirfamilies,hadtheirfearssupersededbythe

patriotismrequiredtofightandpotentiallydieforthehonoroftheircountry.

Binyondoesnothidethesetruthsintheopeningverses,rather,hecelebratesthem.

Thethirdverse,stillringingwiththeproverbialbellsofpatrioticfervor,canbe

viewedasthetreacherousturningpointofthewarwithsuchbattlesoccurringat

Ypres,Loos,andSomme,wheretheslaughterswereunimaginable.

Theywentwithsongstothebattle,theywereyoung,Straightoflimb,trueofeye,steadyandaglow.

Theywerestaunchtotheendagainstoddsuncounted,Theyfellwiththeirfacestothefoe.

Hatchersumsuptheseopeningthreeverseswonderfully:“itwouldbecome

obvious,tothecombatantsatleast,thatinindustrializedtrenchwarfare,which

pittedexpendablefleshagainstmass-producedmetalsandchemicals,tobe‘straight

oflimbtrueofeye,steadyandaglow’meantlittle.”22ThoughBinyon’stonemay

21Ibid,192. 22Ibid,193.

havebeentokeepthereader’sspiritshigh,thebrutalrealitiesofthewarthatwould

surfacemeremonthsafterthispoem’spublicationerasedmuchoftheopeningthree

verses’patriotism.

TheromanticstyleofBinyon’spoetrywasstandardforthiseraofprose,

especiallyintheearlyGreatWarwritings.Thetoneofthepoemtakesadramatic

shiftinthefinalfourstanzas,withtheapexcominginthecentralstanza,thefourth.

From“proudthanksgiving”tomemorializingthedead,thelastfourstanzas

propheticallypredictthemassivecasualtiestocomeandtheweightoftheir

memory.Hatchersays,“Inthelastfourstanzas,however,theseromanticclichés

graduallygivewaytoaclairvoyantsenseofthesheerscaleofthegriefthatwould

needtobeconsoled,givenabearablyhumanshape.”23

Wewillrememberthem.

Asthestarsthatarestarryinthetimeofourdarkness,Totheend,totheend,theyremain.24

23Ibid. 24“LaurenceBinyon,”PoetryFoundation.

Thefourthstanzanotonlyservesasthecentralfocalpointofthepoemitself,

butthesehauntingwordshavebeenrepeatedandliveonyettoday,“carvedon

thousandsofgravestonesandcenotaphs,andrecitedonArmisticeDayceremonies

andtheBritishLegionFestivalofRemembrance,linesthathaveaccruedthepower

andresonanceofamantrathroughfourgenerationsofutterance...”25

Aninterestingnoteregardingthesefinalfourstanzasistheircongruence

withotherRomanticwarpoetryofthetime.Acommonmetaphorusedtorepresent

thedeathofsoldierswastheideaofthesunrisingandsetting.“Sunrisesandsunsets

wouldbecomecentraltoBritishpoetryoftheGreatWar,fromRosenberg’s‘Breakof

DayintheTrenches’toOwen’s‘AnthemforDoomedYouth.’”26Theothercommon

threadamongstwar-timepoetsistheuseoftheimageryofstars.Thisallowsforthe

uncountablenumberofdeathsthatBinyonforesaw.Thelanguageheusesintheline

“Asthestarsthatshallbebrightwhenwearedust”representsthelastingmemory

ofthefallenandgivesanothercomparativeaspectofthestarthatisapplicableto

thesoldier.

ThepoetryhasarhymeschemethatcanbecharacterizedasABCBwitha

natural,speech-likeflowtothetext.Therepetitivecadenceofthewritinglends

itselfwelltomusicalsetting.

TheforesightonBinyon’sparttodescribethetragedyoftheGreatWarso

astutelybeforeithadtrulytakenshapemakes“FortheFallen”thatmuchmore

moving.In1917,Elgarcompletedhismultimovementpieceforchorus,soloists,and

25Hatcher,LaurenceBinyon,194. 26 Ibid,192.

orchestracalledTheSpiritofEngland.TheworksetsthreepoemsfromBinyon’sThe

WinnowingFan:“Withproudthanksgiving,”“ToWomen,”and“FortheFallen.”

ThoughNovellohadalreadypublishedRootham’spiece,Elgar’spopularityvaulted

TheSpiritofEnglandintonationalrenown.IntheirarticleonTheSpiritofEngland,

AlanHoutchensandJanisP.Stoutmakeavaluableremarkintermsofthereception

ofthework,specificallyspeakingtowardstheideaofthisbeingwrittenintheearly

stagesofthewar.“AlreadytheBritishhadsufferedenormouslosses;itisscarcely

surprisingthereadersof‘FortheFallen’weretouchedbythedirectnessofits

expressionsofgrief,itslanguageofpersonificationofEnglandasamother,andits

reassurancethatinsomewaytheselosseswerenobleonesandwouldbe

remembered.”27Thisstatementincludesthemajorthemesofthepoem:griefand

honesty.Rootham’smusicalsettingexploresthesetonesofdevastation,loss,and

pride,justasBinyonsetouttocapturewith“FortheFallen.”

27 AlanHoutchensandJanisP.Stout,“‘ThisDreadfulWinnowing-Fan’:RhetoricofWar

inEdwardElgar's‘TheSpiritofEngland,’”TheChoralJournal,vol.44,no.9,1Apr.2004,15.

CHAPTERTHREE

TextualTreatmentinRootham’sFortheFallen

OneareaofcongruenceamongmanyofthewritingsonRoothamandthis

workinparticularisthatofhisconsistenttreatmentoftextacrossallofhischoral

works.InHutching’sarticleinTheTimes,hemakesaccurateobservationsabout

Rootham’sacuteskillforsettingwordstomusic.Whatmakesthesestatementsmost

poignantisthatheisdescribingseveralofRootham’sworks,notjustFortheFallen.

“Roothamisthatrarecreature,thecomposerwhorespectsthepoetabovehimself..

.Heillustratesinhischoralworkstherarestofthreemethodsofapproachtowords

whicharetobeobservedincontemporarymusic...thefirstmethod,whichhas

becomeasortofdisease,isnothappyunlessitiswritinginadeclamatorystyle...

thesecondmethodishonouredbyBeethoven;thosewhoadoptitforcetheirwords

tofittherecurrenceofthemeswhichhavebeenconstructedwithsymphonic

economy;itiseasythustoholdtheworktogether.”28Thistraitoftyingthemesto

particularmoodsandtextsisexploredfurtherinChapterFour.Inspeakingofthe

thirdmethod,hecontinues,“Torespectthepoet’srhythmicsubtleties,togetherwith

thevariationsofmoodsuggestedbypassingimages,whileatthesametimekeeping

thewholeworksecurelyboundtogether,isafarmoredifficultundertakingthanthe

compositionofanextendedworkforchorusandorchestra.”29Thisfinalstatementis

28 ArthurJ.B.Hutchings,“TheMusicofCyrilBradleyRootham,”TheMusicalTimes79,no.

1139(1938):20.29Ibid

summativeofthetextualtreatmentshownbyRoothamthroughoutthework,

implementingamasterfulblendofemotivetextpainting,unison,counterpoint,and

homorhythmtoachieveclarityofthepoet’sintent.

Thefirststanzaofthepoemissetwithseveraloftheaforementioned

elements.Example2belowshowsRootham’sattentiontothetextintheuseof

unisonsopranostoportraythevoiceofthemother,andhomorhythmicentrancesof

theremainderofthechorustobecomethevoiceofEnglandwiththeline“England

mournsforherdeadacrossthesea.”

Example2.FortheFallen,mm.44-47

Roothamconcludesthefirststanzawithtwofrequentlyusedcompositional

devices:canoniclinesandtextpainting.Example3showsthecanonbetweenthe

sopranosandtenors,directlyfollowedbythetextpaintingontheword“fallen”

usingadescendingperfectfifthinterval.Thisparticularcanonisattheoctave,

emphasizingtherepetitivenatureofthetext“fleshofherfleshtheywere,spiritof

herspirit.”Worthnotingisthebrevitywithwhichhesetstheopeningstanza,using

onlytenmeasurestosettheentiretext.Thisseemstobeanintentionaldecision,as

theideaofthewarwasnotasromanticizedinthespringof1915asitwasin

Septemberof1914,whichBinyonportrayedintheintroductorystanza.

Moretextpaintingfollowswiththebeginningofthesecondstanza.Rootham

spendsmoretimemusicallywiththisversethantheprevious,drawingonthe

emotionaljuxtapositionofsorrowandhopefoundinthequatrain.

Theopeningmeasuresofthissectionoftheworkintroducethesidedrum(usually

playedonasnaredrum)articulatedwithaonemeasuremessadivoceoneachofthe

two-measurestrainsfollowedbyaunisondeclamationofthefullchorusonthetext

“Solemnthedrumsthrill.”Themessadivocetechniquegivesthefaintwhisperofa

distantsnaredrumonthebattlefield,anotherexampleoftextpaintinginitsown

way.Thisisanobvious,yeteffectivetoolforportrayingthemilitantaspectofthis

verseandawakeningtheaudiencetothecomingdesolationofthepoem.Itwill

continuetobeusedsparinglythroughouttheremainderofthework.

OnealsoencountersanotherimportantcharacteristicofRootham’svocal

writingduringthisparticularstanza:imaginativecounterpoint.Thesopranosbegin

atwo-measuremotivethatwillberepeatedbythebassesatritonebelowthe

originalpitch.Thisintervallicrelationshipseemsintentionalonthecomposer’spart,

asthetritonerepresentsdarknessanddissonance,relativetotheword“death.”This

motiveonthetext“Deathaugustandroyalsings”isrepeatednextbythetenorsand

thenfinally,thealtos.Thefollowinglineoftext,“sorrowupintoimmortalspheres.”

thoughsimilarineveryvoice,showsonlycreativityinthetransformationoftheline,

butnostrictcounterpointasshowninthepreviouslineoftext.Thiscontrapuntal

devicewillreturnthroughoutthework;itisoneofthemanystrongcharacteristics

ofRootham’stextsetting.Beforemovingontothethirdstanza,thereisabrief

repriseofthe“Solemnthedrumsthrill”textinthesamerhythmicpatternas

previouslysung,accompaniedbythesnaredrumanditsmessadivocearticulation.

Aswillbediscussedinmoredetailinthecomingpages,Roothamhada

masterfulhandleontheorchestrationandoverallconceptofthiswork.Between

eachstanzaoftextcomesabriefseguethatmovesattacaintothenextquatrain.

Thisnotonlyallowsforabriefmusicalintroductionandconclusionbetweeneach

stanza,butalsocreatesanewatmospherewhereineachversecandwell.For

instance,thematerialleadingintothethirdstanzadwindlesintonothingbya

thinningoutoftheorchestraltexture,allleadinguptooneofthemostobviousand

dramaticshiftsinorchestralcolorandpoetictone.

Thestringsaredividedintoeightpartsatmeasure82,violinsandviolasare

giventremolos,thetrumpetsaresustaininganoctave,thewoodwindshave

sporadicandplayfullines,andRoothamintroducesanewinstrumenttothetexture,

theharp.Thisshowsgreatmastery,asitcreatesamoodofother-worldlinessand

hope,allbeforethethirdlineofthesecondstanzaissung.

ThereismusicinthemidstofdesolationAndaglorythatshinesuponourtears.

Atmeasure82hecallsforthefirstmetronomicshiftoftheworkthusfar,

fromthequarternoteequalingfortybeatsperminutetonowthequarternote

equalingeightybeatsperminute.Thisliftintempoallowsforthetexttoshine

through,highlightingtheideaofhopeinthemidstofwar.Someofthesame

characteristicsareinplaceasRoothamweaveshiswaythroughthesetwolines:

canonicentrances,interestingandcolorfulmelodies,andvariedrhythmicinterest.

Noticetherhythmicaugmentationofthemainthemeinthealtoline.

Theremainderofthisstanzaisalsoaccompaniedbythemostdiatonicof

harmonictexturestothispointinthecomposition,continuinginthepatternof

Rootham’sdesireforclarityoftextandemotivecontent.Atmeasure100,Rootham

concludeswithanotherbriefinstrumentalpassagethatresurrectssomeofthe

thematic,rhythmic,andinstrumentalmotives.PricequotesHutchingsinhis

dissertation,describingwhathastranspiredduringthisstanza,“Roothamlearned

thatonecannotsetwordssimplybecausetheysuggestrhythms,harmonies,ora

specificatmosphericquality,untilonehaslearnedtocreatemusicwithoutthem,

andtocomposeaptlywithoutthestimulus.”30Roothamclearlyshowshisabilityto

remindthelistenerofthemesandtrendswithinhismusic,bothintextualand

instrumentalmoments.

Thisthirdquatrainopensupnewpossibilitiesforcomposition,andRootham

capturedtheessenceofthistext.Followingthecompositionalpatternsofthe

previoustwostanzas,thereistransitionalmusicalmaterialplacedbetweenverses,

thusallowingforanewtonetobeset.

Theywentwithsongstothebattle,theywereyoung,Straightoflimb,trueofeye,steadyandaglow.

Theywerestaunchtotheendagainstoddsuncounted,Theyfellwiththeirfacestothefoe

Roothamstaystruetothistextbychangingthemeterto6/8atmeasure102,

quickeningthetemposignificantly,usinglargepercussionforces,includingcymbals

forthefirsttime,andaddingapreviouslyunheardboisterous,cinematicqualityto

theorchestration,allemulatingtheboldnessofthisparticularstanza.Thereisanew

motiveaddedtothisverseaswell—ashort,jaunty,march-likemelodythatbounces

30 ClaybornWinfieldPrice,LostintheRevival:TheSacredChoralMusicofCyrilBradley

Rootham(1875-1938).Diss.UofSouthCarolina,2010.AnnArbor:ProQuestLLC,MI.27.

alongtorepresentaproudsoldiermarchingoffintobattle.Thisthemeisplayedby

thefirstbassoon,anappropriatetimbreforthemelody,showninExample5below.

Roothamincludesaplayfulcountermelodyinthesecondbassoonaswell.This

motiveisthenmirroredbythechoralforcesasseeninExample6below.Forthe

listener,thismaybethemostmemorabletunefromthework.

Similartotheopening,Roothamdoesnotspendasignificantamountoftimesetting

thisstanza,abrieftwenty-threemeasuresoftext,asifheisanxioustomoveonto

theapexofthepoem,thefourthstanza.

Wewillrememberthem.

Thereisabriefamountofinstrumentalmusicthatseparatesversesthree

andfouratmeasure135,buttherearesimilarqualitiestothepreviouslypresented

materialthatoccurincludingbothakeyandmeterchangeatmeasure139.Thereis

alsoafamiliarnaturetothecounterpoint.Thetenorsandsopranossingcounter-

melodiestooneanother,followedshortlybythealtosandbassesinthesame

fashion.Thenewestelementhereisatelescopingtext.Bystackingthefirsttwolines

fromthequatrainthroughoutthefirstfourteenmeasuresofthisverse,amore

complicatedtextureiscreated,shownbelowinExample7.

Atmeasure153,abrieftwo-measurebreakprecedeswhatsounds

reminiscentofaneighteenth-centurywork,completewithashort,four-measure

fugatosubjectbetweenthechoralforces,andbuoyantcontrapuntalwritingfor

strings,woodwinds,andhorns.Thetextbecomestelescopic,reminiscentofamissa

brevisinthestyleofFranzJosephHaydn.Inhisownwritingonteaching,Rootham

describeshisviewofcomposition.“Ifavocalmelodyissetforthreeorfour-part

writing,thenthestudentisexpectedtostudyaMassoramadrigal,achoraleof

Bach,orachorusfromPurcellorHandel,accordingtothestyleofthequestion,

beforeanotebewrittendown.”31Theentranceofthebassesonthetext“Atthe

going'downofthesunandinthemorningWewillrememberthem”opensthe

fugatosubjectbetweenthebassesandtenors,separatedbyaperfectfourth,as

shownintheentrancesinExamples8and9below.Beforethealtosandsopranos

mimicthisfugatoinm.161,Roothaminsertsashortreminderinthesopranovoice

ontopofthetenors’fugatosubject.

Example8.FortheFallen,m.155

Boththebassesandtenorsremindthelistenersthat“Theywillnotgrowold,Age

shallnotwearythem.”Theseshortmusicalinterjectionsonlybearsimilarrhythmic

structures,withnoresemblanceinmelodiccontent,thuseliminatingthepossibility

ofacounter-subjectinthefugue.KnowingthatthetextisparamounttoRootham,

31CyrilBradleyRootham,"TheoreticalTeaching:SomeSuggestionsForReform,"The

MusicalTimes67,no.1006(1926):1080.

onecanonlyimaginethatthetelescopicnatureofthesettingrepresents

conversationsamongstlovedonesleftbehind,remindingthemselvesoftheproud

causeforwhichtheirsonsdied.Heconcludesthisversewithoneofthelargest

climaticmomentsoftheworkthusfar.Hebeginscollectingthechoralforcesfrom

theircontrapuntalstateintoamorehomogenousonewithshorter,moreconcise

imitativefigures,allcultivatingtothefinalcadenceoftheverse,accompaniedbya

five-measurepedalpointontheVchord,andreachingtheconclusivestatementof

“Wewillrememberthem”instricthomorhythmonthetonic.Thoughonlytwenty-

fourmeasureslong,thispassageelevatesthecompositiontonewheightsof

splendorandmastery.Onealsoseestheimportanceofthisfourthstanzaastheapex

oftheentirepoem,andRoothamcaredforthisbybringinganelementofclimactic

centralitytothemusic,justoverthehalfwaypointoftheentirecomposition.

Thelatterhalfofthecompositionbeginswithafewconclusivemeasuresof

instrumentalsegue,implementingthematicmaterialfromtheopeningmeasuresof

thepiece.Mostimportantly,thetoneshiftsinthenextstanza,andrightfullyso.

Theheavyrealizationofthetragedyofwarandcasualtyissensedthrough

Rootham’ssettingofthisfifthquatrain.Acallformenomossointhecomposer’s

hand,ahalf-stepmodulationfromthepreviousverse,andthethinnesttexturein

boththeorchestralandchoralforcesmovesthelistenertothegravenatureofthe

text.Hesetstheopeningthreelinesofthestanzabywritingforasoloorsemi-

chorusanddistributesthembetweenthesoprano,alto,andbassvoiceswith

sopranossingingthefirstline,altosthesecond,andbassesthethird.Atmeasure

194,Roothamsetsthefinallineoftheverseforthefullchorusinhomorhythm,even

implementingameterchangefrom4/4to6/4toelongatethephrases.Allparts

includingvocal,strings,andsomewoodwindsmoveinblockchords,creatingawash

ofcolorandsonictexture.Cuttingthroughisthehauntingmelodywrittenforthe

horn,forwhichthecomposerleavesanote“solo:expressinfreerhythm.”Choosing

wiselythetimbreofthehornforthismelody,Roothamcreatesamesmerizingand

reverentmomentinthesethirteenmeasures.Toconcludethevocalwriting,the

chorusendsnotontheC#-minorchordthathaspermeatedthefirsttwelve

measuresofthisline,butonaC#-majorchord,implyingahopefulprideinthe

sacrificeofthesoldiers.Thisleadsintoaclosingorchestralsegue,quotingsomeof

theopeningthematicmaterialandquietlymovingthelistenerintothepenultimate

quatrain.

Inoneofthemostabruptshiftsintone,measure211callsforanallegro

tempoat120beatsperminute,ametricshiftfrom4/4to2/4,andamodulation,

highlightingtheglorifiedstatureofthefallensoldiersdiscussedinBinyon’ssixth

stanza.

Addingmoreclaritytothetext,Roothamrevertsbacktotwoothertechniques,

unisonandhomorhythm,thoughtherearebriefdeparturesfromtheunisoninthis

passage.Thisisanimportantdistinctionfromthesettingofthefifthstanza,which

utilizedpolyphonictexturestoexplorethethemesinthepoetry.Thisversealso

callsforthereturnofadenseorchestraltexture,anothercharacteristicthatis

consciouslyexploredinRootham’scomposition.Thestanzaissetbriefly,aswasthe

previousstanza,utilizingonlytwenty-sevenmeasuresofchoralsinging.Thisbrevity

lendsitselfwelltothecomingconcludingstanza,whereRoothamsynthesizesallof

theaforementionedtechniquesoverthecourseofsixty-eightmeasures,thelongest

settingofanyverseofBinyon’spoem.

Asthestarsthatarestarryinthetimeofourdarkness,Totheend,totheend,theyremain.

Unseeninthepreviousmeasures,sopranossingtheentirequatrainasmeans

ofintroductiontothetextatmeasure240,asiftheyfunctionasanarratorbringing

thestorytotheaudience.Priortothesopranoentrance,twobriefmeasuressegue

fromstanzasixintothisfinalverse.Themostnoticeableshiftcomesinthemetric

alteration.Themusicmovesfroma2/4metertoa2/2withthepulseremainingthe

same,immediatelyaddinganaturallegatotothesection.Hecouplesthisunison

sopranolinewithatrimmeddownorchestration,and,ofnote,thewoodwinds

remaininastricttripletpatternforoverfortymeasures.Thiscreatesafresh

rhythmicjuxtapositionagainsttheduplemeterinallotherpartsandbringsoutthe

multipletripletfiguresinthechoralparts.Thisversealsoreturnstopolyphonyand

canonicimitation,anotherstarkcontrastfromthepreviousstanza.Thereisonly

onemomentofstrictcanonthroughouttheentirepassage,nonetheless.Itoccurs

betweenthesopranosandtenorsatmeasure240andmeasure256,asshownbelow

inExamples10and11.

Theuseofimitationandcanonicfiguresisscatteredthroughoutthisfinalverse,asif

Roothamdesiredtopaintastar-filledskywithininthemusic.Thisaidsinbuilding

anticipationforthetriumphantdeclarationoftheunison“Totheend,totheend

theyremain.”Anothercharacteristicpresentherethathasbeenusedinprevious

stanzasisthatoftextrepetition.Roothamusesthisdevicealongwithartfultext

paintinginsettingthefinalquatrain.(SeeExample12below).

Beginningatmeasure304,Roothamnotonlycombinesoverarchingmelodic

themesandrhythmicstructuresbutalsoemitsthefirstandonlyeight-partvocal

textureofthework,fittingly,onthetext“Totheend,totheendtheyremain.”This

sectioncreatesanatmospherictexturethroughtheuseofstaggeredchoral

entrances,pentatonicism,andthenaturalriseofthepitches,asifRoothamdesired

tosendthefallensoldiersintoagloriouseternityabove.

Astheworkbeganwithanextensiveorchestralprelude,itisonlyfittingthat

itendswithoneaswell.Thoughmuchshorterthantheopeningmaterial,onecan

appreciateRootham’smasterfulschemeofdividingthestanzasusingorchestral

material.

CHAPTERFOUR

ThematicandHarmonicContent

DuetothelargescaleofFortheFallen,itseemsappropriatetoprovidea

simpleoverviewofthethematicandharmonicinterestsfoundwithinthework.In

anarticlewrittenbyRootham’sgrandson,DanRoothamcharacterizeshisgeneral

compositionalstyle:“Apresenceofmodalismcanbefoundinmuchofhismusicas

wellas,inthelaterworks,harmonicparallelismandbitonality.Hisharmonieswith

theirunexpectedtwistsandbitonalities,couldbecriticizedforalackofspontaneity

andheissometimesindangerofrepeatinghimself.”32Uponfirstlisten,onecanhear

theglimmersofthefadingRomanticerainfusedwithaprogressiveharmonic

palette.Thissonorousblendlaysarichfoundationfortheemotivenatureofthe

poetry.

Askilledorchestrator,Roothamsettheopeningforty-threemeasuresfor

orchestraalone.Thefirstnineteenmeasuresaresetasanincipitofsorts,creatinga

reverentandRequiem-likeatmosphere.Thewarmcombinationoftrombonesand

trumpetssupplytheaccompaniment,thekettledrumgivingtheominousperfect

fourthonAandD,andtherichsoloviolasupplyingthechant-likephraseinhonorof

thefallen.TheTimesreviewoftheworkstates,“Aquotationfromtheplainsongof

theMassfortheDeadhasaprominentpartintheintroductionandisreferredto

32“CyrilRootham,”Wikipedia,WikimediaFoundation,15Oct.2017,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_Rootham.Accessed15Dec.2017.

effectivelyfromtimetotime.”33TheharmoniesweavethroughaDminortonality,

sporadicallyincorporatingGminor,Cmajor,andAminorchords.Theclosing

measuresoftheincipitrevealsacommoncadencefoundthroughoutthework,the

Picardythird,creatingaD-majorchord.

Aftertheincipit,thethematicmaterialisintroduced.Fourmeasuresin

length,thisopeningmaterialwillberepeatedthroughouttheworkinbothchoral

andorchestralparts(shownbelowinExample13,stringsonly).Mostnoticeable

aboutthisthemeisitsDDorianmodeandharmonicdensity.

AsseeninExample13,thethematicsequenceconsistsofanA-minorseventhchord,

alternatingfromthirdtosecondinversionandthenreturningtothirdinversion.Ina

sequentialfashion,thispatternisrepeatedinthenextfourmeasures,transposedup

33 “FortheFallen,”Review,TheMusicalTimes.

aminorthird,creatingaC-minorseventhchordalternatingbetweenthirdand

secondinversions.Fourmeasureslater,thesequenceistransposedupafinaltime,

thistimewithanEb-majorseventhmovingbetweenthirdandsecondinversions.All

ofthisoccursaboveaDpedalinthedoublebassandkettledrum,creatingasenseof

angstoverwhatwouldnormallybealovelyprogression.Theseopeningmoments

highlighttheharmoniccharacteristicsDanRoothamoutlinesinhisarticle.The

purposeforaddressingtheharmonieshereistodrawattentiontonotjustthe

distincttonality,butalsothemelodiccontentplayedbytheviolins.Thisbrief,

stepwisemotivewilloccurthroughoutthework,andfunctionsasasinuoustheme

inthepiece.RoothamclosestheorchestralpreludewithaPicardythird,creatinga

D-majortonality,acommonharmonicoccurrencethroughoutthework.

Amixtureofabruptshiftsintonalityoccurasthetextbeginsinmeasure44.

Thebriefsettingofthefirststanzaendswithoneoftheearliestmomentsoftext

painting.“Falleninthecauseofthefree.”Roothamsetsthefinalwordofthelineon

aboisterousA-majorchordutilizinghomorhythmandafortissimodynamic

marking,accompaniedbyfullorchestra,withareinventionofthestepwisetheme

beforereturningtothehometonalityofDminor.SeeExample14.

Eminorbecomesthetonicforthesecondstanza.Notonlyisthetonalcenter

shifting,butthroughthetextureanewtwo-measurethemeisintroduced.Example

15displaysthismotive.

Thebeckoningcallofthisthemeandthecomposer’schoicetousethetrumpet

solidifythemilitantaspectofthisverse,completewiththeentranceoftheside

drum.Therhythmicstructurethatispresentbecomesathemeofitsownasitis

passedthroughouttheorchestraoverthenexttwentymeasures,sometimesbearing

theoriginalmelody,sometimesjusttherhythmicmotive.Beginningwiththe

entranceofthetextatmeasure62,thereappearsaBrahmsianchromaticthird

sequencebeginningonEminor,followedbyGmajor,Bbmajor,Dbmajor,Fbmajor,

Amajor,CmajorandthenreturningtoEminor.Harmonically,Roothambegins

showcasinghismasteryoverthecompositionalartformandpayshomagetothe

masterswhocamebeforehim.Thevocallinessupportthisprogressionbymeansof

theirpolyphonictapestry,adaptingandmodulatingalongwiththeorchestra.Abrief

momentofC#minorinmeasure72isfollowedbyitsrelativemajorofEmajorin

measure73,thekeythatwillremainfortheconclusionofthesecondstanza.

Thefinaltwolinesofthesecondquatrainbeginninginmeasure82comprise

thefirstmusicalsectionthatRoothambeginsinamajorkey,andrightfullyso.

“Thereismusicinthemidstofdesolation”opensthesectionandfeaturesa

prominentharppartandunisonsopranostosetthetone.Worthnotingisthelackof

motivicmaterialfoundinthissection.Thecomposerseemstofocushisattentionon

theimpressionisticharmonicprogressiontoaidintheetherealqualityofthetext.

Uponfirstlisten,onemayanticipatethissectionremaininginEmajor,butin

measure84themusicshiftsfromaD-majorseventhchordtoanE-minorseventh

chordbyusingtheDasthecommontoneinthecelli.ThequalityoftheEmajoris

alsoshiftedbythealteringoftheG#toGnaturalintheviolintwoandviolapartsin

measure84,interestingly,ontheword“desolation.”ThisE-minorseventhchord

leadsintomeasuresofglorioustonalinstabilityusingthefollowingchord

progression:C#half-diminishedseventh,Aminor,Eminor,Cmajor,Amajor,C#

minor,F#minor,andconcludeswithaC#-majorchordusingapicardythird,a

techniquethathasoccurredpreviously.Twoothercompositionalaspectsareworth

notinghere:thefirstistheconcertEpedalabovethischromaticprogressionplayed

bythetrumpetsinF.Thesecondistheuseofthedescendingchromaticlineinthe

cellopartthataccompaniestheprogressionuntilthecadencepointwhichcallsfora

whole-stepfromG#toF#followedbythenewtonic,C#.Overthecourseofonly

eightmeasures,thetonalityhasshifteddramatically.Usingtheseriesofinversions

intheharmonicprogression,Roothamseamlesslymaneuversthelistenerthrough

anunstabletonalland.ThetonicremainsinC#forthemen’sentranceson“Anda

glorythatshinesuponourtears,”travelingthroughmoreinvertedseventhchords

untilthecadencepointonC#major,asbefore.

Whatcomesinmeasure94isanotherbrilliantexampleofRootham’s

compositionaltechnique.Asiftoemphasizethetext,whichisrepeatedinallofthe

choralparts,themusicshiftssuddenlyintoFmajor.Heaccomplishesthissubtlyby

enharmonicallyspellingthedoublebass’sC#toDb,creatingyetanotherchromatic

thirdrelationshipandguidingtheverseintoafreshnewkey.Asbefore,Fmajor

onlylastsfortwomeasuresbeforeitisquicklytransformedintoFminor,paralleling

thepreviousprogression.Thoughtheprogressionisalteredslightly,itbearsthe

resemblanceofthefirstdeclarationofthetext,usinginversionsandahalf-step

descendingbassline.Theprimarydifferenceinthissectionistheuseofexpanded

forces,bothvocallyandinstrumentally.Mimickingtheconclusionofthefirst

passage,thisonealsoendswithaPicardythird,althoughthistimeahalf-stephigher

onDmajor.ThisD-majorchordservesasthedominantoftheupcomingGmajorfor

thethirdstanza:thekeywhichRoothamdevelopedintheorchestralpostludefrom

thesecondverse.Theworkalsoreturnstoitsuseofthematicmaterialintroducedin

thepostludeofthesecondstanzaandfullydevelopedinthethird.

Roothamsetsthethirdstanzaoftextwithacontrastingtone.Theuseofa

buoyant6/8timesignature,dottedrhythmicstructures,andalivelytempomarking

assistinthischange.Onemusttakenoticeofaninterestingscoremarkingfrom

Roothamatthebottomofthepage.SeeExample16below.

Example16.FortheFallen,OrchestralManuscript,pg.18

Itreads,“Thenationalmelodiesmarkedthusshouldbedistinct.CBR.”TheTimes

reviewprovidesfurtherinsightintoRootham’smarking.“Whileatthewords‘They

wentwithsongstothebattle,theywereyoung,Straightoflimb,trueofeye,’the

orchestramakescombineduseoffragmentsfrom‘ThegirlIleftbehindme,’‘Menof

Harlech,’‘TheCampbellsarecoming,’‘TheBritishGrenadiers,’andtherattlingold

Irishtune‘Garyone.’”34Roothammanagestoquotethesefivemelodies

simultaneously,usingdifferentareasoftheorchestra,inonlyninemeasures.

Theotherinterestingaspectofthissectionisthejuxtapositionoftwo

differentmeters.Onenoticesthe2/4forsomeofthequotationswhilethechorus,

strings,andotherselectmembersoftheorchestraremainin6/8.Thiscreatesa

hemiolathataddsasignificantamountofinteresttothestanza.Example17and

Example18belowrevealthesequotations.

34“FortheFallen,”Review,TheMusicalTimes.

Example17.FortheFallen,OrchestralManuscript,mm.114-116

“Garyone”

“TheCampbellsareComing”

“TheBritishGrenadiers”

“TheGirlILeftBehindMe”

“MenofHarlech”

“TheCampbellsareComing”(cont’d)

“TheBritishGrenadiers”(cont’d)

Example18.FortheFallen,OrchestralManuscript,mm.117-122

Theseninemeasuresareimportanttothenationalisticqualityofthismusic

andthisstanzainparticular,proclaimingthesoldiersbravemarchintothebrutal

conflict.Anexpressivemomentisworthnotingthatoccursontheword“fell”within

thefinallineofthestanza.Onthewords“Theyfellwiththeirfacestothefoe,”

RoothaminsertsanAb-augmented,causingbrieftensionandprovidinganother

exampleoftextpaintingasthemusicrepresentsthedyingsoldiers.Despitethis

quickdeparturefromtheharmonichomeofGmajor,Roothamconcludesthestanza

withapowerfulcadenceinthedominantkeyofDmajor,asifpraisingthebraveryof

thesoldiers.

Aquicktwo-measureorchestralinterludeinDmajormovestheworkinto

thefourthstanza.Aninterestingharmonicshifttakesplacehereasthenewstanza

begins,atechniquethatRoothamhasmasterfullyshowcasedatthechangeofevery

stanzathusfar.TheorchestralinterludeoccursinDmajorwiththenewstanzaset

inCmajor.Tonavigatethistransition,RoothambeginsthequatrainwithaG

dominantseventhchord,whichfunctionsasthedominantinthenewkey.He

accomplishesthisbyloweringF#toFnatural,asthekeysignaturewouldsuggest.

Thisallowsforasubtle,yetimportantharmonicmoodforthispensivestanza.

Thefirstlineofthestanzaismetwithafamiliartechnique:thesequence.

Thisparticularsequenceisinfour-measuregroups,beginninginCmajor,then

movingtoDminor,concludinginBbmajor.Thesequenceconsistsoftwomeasures

ofthedominantsonorityofthesekeysmovingintothetonicofeachsequential

group,coupledwiththecontrapuntalnatureofthechorusandtelescopedtext.The

openinglineconcludeswithafour-measureprogressiononEmajor,whichthe

listenerlearnsisthedominantoftheupcomingA-majortonalityforthefinaltwo

linesofthequatrain.

ThesecondhalfofthestanzaoccursinAmajorandismetwithaninstruction

formenomossoandasignificanttempochangetoaslower66BPM.Thoughthereis

atemposhift,thepulseseemstoquickenasthepredominantnotevalueforthe

orchestraistheeighthnote.Asmentionedinchapterthree,thebrieftheme,shown

below,istransformedandquotedthroughouttheremainderofthisstanza,

occurringinboththefugaltextureofthechorusandtheorchestra.Heusesthis

themetoshapethemelodicandrhythmicstructureoftheendofthisfourthstanza.

Worthnotingistheinterestingtexturecreatednotonlybytheuseofthis

themethroughoutthissection,butalsothecounterpointcreatedbythecellosand

doublebasses.Uponstudyingtheorchestralscore,onediscoversthatwhilethe

othermembersoftheorchestrafindthemselvesdoublingthechoruscollaparte,

quotingthetheme,orsimplyfillingharmonicneeds,thecellosanddoublebasses

haveacompletelyseparatecountermelody.Forevenmoreemphasis,Rootham

doublesthislineattheoctavebetweenthetwoparts.Theoverallrhythmic

structureofthiscountermelodyisbasedonmovingeighthnoteswithoccasional

tripletrhythms,thustyingitintotherhythmicpatternofthetheme.Belowisa

brief,two-measureexampleofthis.

Thefirstnineteenmeasuresincludetwosix-measureprogressionsthat

essentiallymirroreachother,allwhileremainingwithintherealmofAmajor.The

quarternotepulseactsasavesselforharmonicchange,aseachnewbeatbringsa

newchordwithit.Theeighthnoterhythmicstructurethatpermeatesthese

measurescreatespassingnotesinbetweentheselargerpulsesandchordchanges.

Afterthesenineteenmeasures,thechorusbeginstogatherstrengthastheyallsing

thesametext,“Wewillrememberthem,”andtheharmonicprogressionmovesinto

anewpattern,stillonquarternotepulses,witheachbeatbringinganewharmony.

Thisshortsectiononlylastsfourmeasures,leadingintoaclimacticfinishwiththe

choralfugatoreturningatquickerrepetitions,onlytwoandthreebeatsapartand

theoverallharmonicpulseslowingtotwobeatchanges.Itconcludeswithafive-

measurepedalonthedominantEmajor,withchorussoaringaboveinamassive,

homorhythmicproclamationof“Wewillrememberthem.”

Justoverhalfwaythroughthecomposition,beingcompletelyawareofthe

centralityofthisstanzaandthislineinparticular,Roothamcreatedoneofthemost

dramaticandpowerfulmusicalmomentsoftheworkasanhomagetothefallen

soldiers,mainlythroughtheuseofthecompositionaltechniquesoffugue,tempo

rubato,telescopedtext,harmonicsequence,andpurecreativeharmonic

progressions.Thisleavesthelistenerandmusicianaliketoponderonthesacrifice

ofthemenwhowentintobattle,“straightoflimb,trueofeye,steadyandaglow.”35

35 “LaurenceBinyon,”PoetryFoundation.

Asseeninprevioussectionsofthework,Roothamconcludesthisstanzawith

ashortorchestralpostlude,brilliantlysynthesizingsomeofthethematicmaterial

fromprevioussections.Interestingly,thecomposerjuxtaposesboththethemefrom

theopeningorchestralmaterial,playedherebythestrings,showninExample21,

andthethemethatbecomesprevalentintheorchestralpreludeofthesecond

stanza,playedherebythetrombones,showninExample22.Nottobeoverstated,

thistechniqueofusingthematicmaterialassinewamongstthesectionsofthiswork

createunitywithinthepiece.

Evercommittedtotheclarityandaffectofthetext,Roothameasedthe

listenerintothefifthstanzawithasenseofreverence.Theopeninglineofthe

quatraingroundstheaudiencebysaying,“Theyminglenotwiththeirlaughing

comradesagain.”Followinghisglorioushomagetothefallensoldiersona

boisterousAmajor,Roothamcalledforalongdiminuendooverthenextsix

measurestobringthelistenerbacktoearth.Heutilizedtheorchestralpostludeand

aseriesofsecondarydominantchordstotransitiontheworkintoGminorwhereit

onlyremainsforabriefthreemeasures.

Astheopeninglineoftheversebegins,thereisahauntingEb6chord,

functioningastheVIofGminor,thatopensthesection.Thisfeelsabitunstable

afterthesolidtonalterritorythepiecehastraversedoverthelastsixmeasures.

Again,communicatingthepensiveandmournfulaffectofthisverseisRootham’s

goal,sothemysterioussonicqualityofthisinversionisclarified.Theorchestrais

trimmeddowntothestringsandtrumpets,whoaresupplyinglong,sostenuto

chordsbeneaththeunison,chant-likemelodyofthesopranos.Aftereachvocalline,

thewoodwindssupplytheshortquotationofthethemefromtheopeningorchestral

prelude.Onecanseehisdesiretotreattheseopeninglinesoftheverseasachantas

hecallsforapianissimodynamicand“Soloorsemichorus,sottovoceinfree

rhythm.”36Thefirstthreelinesofthestanzaarechantedinthissamemanner,

exceptthatthealtossingthesecondlineandthebassessingthethird.

Harmonically,anothersequenceappears.Itlaststhreemeasuresandoccurs

beneaththethreevocallinesmentionedabove.Itcontainsthefollowing

progression:VI6-i-VI6-VII-VI6andmovesdownbyawholestepforeachlinefromG

minor,toFminor,toD#minor,whichisEbminorenharmonicallyspelled.The

chorusdoublesthisideabysingingidenticalmelodiesdownawholestep.Thisisa

masterfulchoicebythecomposerasitdrawstheeardownward,remindingthe

listeneroftherealityofthesoldiers’sacrifice.Belowarethethreevocallines

mentioned.

36CyrilBradleyRootham,“FortheFallen,”30.

Theversenowapproachesitsfinalline,“TheysleepbeyondEngland’sfoam.”

Thislineprotrudesfromthepoemwithitsuseofthemetaphorof“sleep”todeath

anditslocationin“beyondEngland’sfoam:”powerfulprosethatdemandsa

particularsensitivityinitsmusicalsetting.Roothamdeliveredthisbytheuseof

severalcompositionaltechniques,manyofwhicharereprisesofpreviously

discussedmethods.Thesostenutoatmospherecontinueswiththestringsandlow

woodwinds,providingsupportforthechorusandsolohorn.Incredibly,thelistener

ismetwiththeidenticalmusicalmaterialfromtheopeningmeasuresofthepiece.

OnlythistimethecomposerhasmoveddownahalfsteptoC#minorasopposedto

theopeningkeyofDminor.The6/4timesignatureandsolochant-likeline--this

timeplayedbythehornasopposedtotheviolaintheintroduction,havealso

returned.Thesameharmonicprogressionandharmonicrhythmisalsoinplace,

movingfromi-v-iv-i-VII-i-iv-i-v-iv-i-ivandfinallyconcludingwithaC#majorchord

whichcreatesahopefulaffectforthelistener.

Abovethisprogression,doublingtheharmoniesbelow,isthechorus,who

reiteratesthetext“Theysleep”twotimesinhymn-likehomorhythmbefore

concludingwith“TheysleepbeyondEngland’sfoam.”Thetenorsaidtheorchestra

inthePicardythirdoftheC#majorchordbyresolvingtheirF#toanE#.Not

surprisingisthebrieffour-measureorchestralpostlude,whichquotesthesame

thematicmaterialastheopeningmeasuresofthepiece,carefullymovingthrougha

shortprogressionthatleadsintothecomingDmajorforthesixthstanza.Following

thepatternofeverypreviousmusicalsection,thispostludegivesconclusiontothis

verseandmovestheworkforwardintothenextquatrain.

Roothammakesanimportantchangeasthepieceapproachesitsfinal

measures.Heessentiallycombinesthefinaltwoversesintoonesection.Whereashe

delineatedallpreviousversesbyanorchestralinterlude,itappearshechoseto

combinethesefinalverses,whichpoeticallyseemstobethemostappropriate

musicalrepresentation.Thisisalsotheonlypointinthepoemthattheauthor

choosesasemicolonaspunctuationbetweentheverses,creatingtheliteraryideaof

continuation.Roothamhighlightsthismusicallyinseveralways.Thoughheelides

thetwoversesmusically,thereisenoughmaterialtounearthinboth.

Thesixthstanza’smusicalcharacteristicshingeonitsopeningword,“But…”

Asthepreviousversebroughtthelistenerintoasolemn,pensivestate,thisverse

triumphantlystatesthatthesoldiersshallberememberedaswell“Asthestarsare

knowntotheNight;”Hecapturesthisspiritbyanabruptshifttoa2/4meter,an

allegrotempomarking,andthedenotationofthequarternoteequaling120BPM.

Roothamenergizesthissectionevenmorebycallingonthefullorchestra,the

stringsmovinginaflurryoftremolosarpeggiatingtheharmoniessuppliedbythe

restoftheorchestra.Thebrasssectionsustainstheharmonicprogressionand

rhythminlong,tiedgroupings.Thewoodwindsfindthemselvesdoublingthe

chorus.

Thechorus,aspreviouslystated,utilizesunison,homorhythmicsinging

throughoutthesection.Rootham’suseofunisonthroughoutFortheFallenisoneof

tastefulnessandeffectiveness.Itseemsthatthemomentswithinthepoetryheseeks

topronouncethemostaresettounison,andhere,themajorityofthestanza

receivesthattreatment,withafewmomentaryexceptions.

Harmonically,Roothamsetthisversewithmoreambiguitythanseen

previously.TheverseutilizesthekeyofDmajor,butonlyasameanstominimize

theaccidentals.Verylittleofthetwenty-ninemeasuresectioncanbeanalyzedinD

major.Usingaseriesofinvertedchords,ittraversesthroughseveralharmonies

includingEminor,Bbmajor,Fminor,Dminor,Bhalf-diminished,Gmajor,andB

minor.Whatismostimportanttorecognizeisthechromaticthirdrelationships.

Thoughharmonicallytheprogressionseemsarbitrary,sonically,thereisa

connectivetissuethatisdistinct,yetdifficulttoidentify.Thisisthemasteryof

Rootham’sstyle.

Thechoralrhythmsdisplayedherecreateawonderful,asymmetrical

characteristicthatservesthetextandthesyllabicstressintendedbybothpoetand

composer.Theuseoftiesaidinaccomplishingthis.Eachphraseissetinfive-

measuregroupings,anoddlengthforthesimple2/4meter:anotherdisplayof

Rootham’scarefulattentiontoclarityoftext.

Worthnotingistheabsenceofanythematicmaterialfromprevioussections.

Itisdifficulttodeterminethecomposer’sintentionswithinthisverse.Withits

brevity,lackofpreviouslyusedmaterialandorchestralinterlude,onecouldassume

thatthiswaswritteninabrieftimeperiodandservestocatapultthepieceforward

intothefinalandmostextensivequatrain.

Thefinalsectionofthepieceboastssomeofthemostrivetingmusical

momentsthroughoutitsseventy-threemeasurespan.Forclarity,itwillbe

discussedanddividedintotwosections,thefirstbeingtheallegro,imitativechoral

sectionbeginninginmeasure240,thesecondbeingtheadagioconclusionbeginning

inmeasure298,completewiththeSATBchorusindivisiandanorchestralpostlude.

Aspreviouslystated,thisisthelongestexplorationofanyoftheversessetby

Rootham.Hehasshowcasedhissenseofdramaandtextualproficiencythroughout

thepiece,andthefinalversesynthesizestheseconcepts.

Theallegrosectiontakesonanewqualitythanthatofthepreviousstanzaby

beginningina2/2timesignature.Themetronomicpulseremainsthesame,butthe

halfnotebeingtheprimaryunitaddsacharacteristicofliltandlegatothatthe

previous2/4meterdidnotcontainorrequire.Thoughthecomposercontinues

usingthekeyofDmajorforthisfinalsection,itcannotbeanalyzedassuch.This

stanzaboaststhemostprogressiveofharmonicintricaciesandtoattemptachord

bychordanalysiswouldbeunnecessary.Itaurallypresentsglimmersofthe

progressivestyleofBritishcomposersElgarandVaughanWilliams.

Thissectionutilizesanimitativetechniqueinthevocalwritingthatisnot

presentintherestofthework.Thebusynatureofthiswritinglendsitselfwellto

theclosingmeasuresofthepiece,astheyarefilledwithunisonandhomorhythmic

part-writing.Anotheraspectofthisclosingstanzaistheorchestraltexture.Rootham

createdapaletteofterracedorchestrationthatbeginswithstrings,woodwindsand

harp.Thebriefinterjectionofthecelliatmeasure243foreshadowsthecoming

countermelodythatappearsatmeasure247andremainsforthemajorityofthe

section.Thetexturecontinuestoexpandatmeasure256withtheentranceofthe

hornsanddoublebass.Thisisalsothefirstentranceofboththetenorsandaltos.

Thebassesenterintandemwiththetubasatmeasure263,formingacompositional

patternofpairingvoiceswithinstrumentsthroughoutthisimitativesection.The

trumpetsjoininmeasure267,followedbythefinalinstrumentalentrance,the

trombonesinmeasure274.Thissteppingstonestyleofaddinginstruments

providesanaturalcrescendo,reminiscentofthe18thcenturytechniqueofterracing.

Roothamusedthistechniquetocontinuegivingclaritytothetext,eveninthemidst

ofhismostintricatecompositionalmoments.

Roothamgatheredthevocalandorchestralforcesintohomophonyforthe

closinglineof“Totheend,totheend,theyremain.”Thisprovestoberefreshing

afterthebusynessofthepreviousmeasures,andmoreimportantly,itadds

significantweighttothislineoftext.Thereisabriefmomentofacappellasingingin

unisonatmeasure291,whichdoesnotoccuranywhereelseinthepiece,andbyits

absence,isextremelyeffective.ThisleadsintoadecisiveCmajor,wherethereturn

oftheopeningthematicmaterialispresentintheorchestra,onlythistimeina

majorkey,asopposedtotheopeningDminor,representativeofthemoodofthe

poetry.Anotherrepetitionof“Totheendtheyremain”occurs,followedbythe

juxtapositionofboththeopeningthemeandthesecondthemefrom“Solemnthe

drumsthrill”foundinthetrumpetpart.SeeExample26below.

Roothamclosedtheworkwithwonderfulcompositionalfeats,thefirstbeing

theuseoftheviolathemefromtheopeningmeasures,thistimeinDmajoras

opposedtoDminor,theparalleltechniquethathewillusetoclosethepiece.

Secondly,intheonlymomentofchoraldivisiinthework,Roothamdecidedtosplit

intoeightpartstorepeat“Totheend,totheend,theyremain.”Thesefivemeasures

ofchoralwritingprovetobeamovingstatementofreverenceforthoselostin

battle.ThisbuildsintoaDmajorchordandtheworkclosesasitbegan,withthe

concisewholestepthemeoftheopeningmeasures,onlythistime,inDmajoras

opposedtoDminor,astirringhomagetothememoryofhiscountrymen.

CHAPTERFIVE

PerformanceConsiderations

ThisstudyofRootham’sFortheFallenservesasaguidetoenlightenthe

choralcommunityofitsworth.Thereisalevelofaccessibilitytotheworkthat

shouldmakeitattractivetochoralmusicians,butitiscoupledwithchallenges.This

sectionwillbrieflyoutlinewhattheauthorconsidersbenefitsanddifficultiesof

performingthiswork.Inaddition,twoconductorsfromtheUnitedKingdomhave

offeredinsightintotheirownamateurperformancesofthework,andthesewill

serveasreferencesbelow.

Themoresubjectivequalitiesoftheworkincludeitsbeauty,movingpoetry,

lushharmoniccontent,anddramaticcharacteristics.Thesearequalitiesallchoral

musiciansseekintheirperformances,butopinionsmayvaryonFortheFallen’s

possessionofthem.

Thepiececontainscharacteristicsthatmakeitaccessibleformanychoirs,

amateurandprofessionalalike:thefirstbeingthatofthechoralwriting.Thoughthe

harmonicprogressivenessoftheturnofthetwentiethcenturycanbechallenging,

thechoralwritingremainsrelativelysimple.Achoruswillhavetonavigatethrough

accidentalsandunfamiliarrhythmicpatternsduetoRootham’sattentiontotext

stress,butnothingthatqualitypreparationcannotaid.Thetessituraismoderately

expansivebutdoesn’tofferanychallengethatacompetentensemblecannothandle.

Themixtureofcounterpointandhomophonythroughoutthework,asdiscussedin

thepreviouschapters,alsocreatesmoreaccessibility.Themomentsofcomplicated

polyphonyinthefourthandseventhstanzascouldprovedifficult,butthemajority

ofthechoralwritingmovesinhomorhythmorpairedvoicings,allowingforefficient

rehearsaltechniques.

Thebrevityoftheworkcanalsoserveasabenefittotheperformer,allowing

formoreworksofasimilarnaturetobeperformedononeconcert,whichisalways

valuablewhenprogramming.Thecomposercallsfortheworktolastanywhere

betweensixteenandeighteenminutes.Intermsoftempoandmetronomic

markings,whichcanobviouslyeffectthelengthofthework,thecomposerleavesa

notefortheperformersinhismanuscriptorchestralscore.“TheM.M.marks

throughoutareintendedtoconveyanideaofthemeantimeatanymoment.Ithas

beenfoundimpossibletodenoteallthelittlevariationsoftimewhichwillnaturally

occurtoanyconductorwhofollowsthemeaningofthewordsaswellasthe

rhythmsofthemusic.”37Thispermissionofsortsallowsformuchfreedominthe

interpretationofthespecificmetronomicchangesthroughoutthework.

Intermsoftheorchestration,thebrilliantwritingmakesforanenjoyableand

relativelyaccessiblescorefortheplayers.Inthesamelightasthevocalists,the

orchestrawillnavigatethroughchallengingrhythmicareas,especiallyastempos

shiftandquicken.Thetruechallengeoftheorchestrationcomesintherequirements

formusicianswhichwillbediscussedbelow.

Thechallenges,thoughworththeeffort,mustbeconsideredwhen

programmingFortheFallen.Overall,thenumbersrequiredoftheorchestraisa

37CyrilBradleyRootham,“FortheFallen.”

challengeforanybudgetorresource-deprivedorganizationbutanecessaryfactor

forthesuccessoftheperformance.Aminimumoftwenty-sixplayersisnecessaryto

coverallparts.Thebrassplaysavitalroleinthematiccontentandharmonictexture

ofthework,sotheabsenceoftheseinstrumentswoulddiminishtheeffectof

Rootham’sorchestration.Thesizeofthepercussionsectionissignificantbutcanbe

coveredbyoneortwomusiciansonmultipleinstruments.

Theavailabilityofscoresandresourcesontheworkisalsoalimitingfactor

ofperformance.AlistairJones,formerconductor(1984-2015)oftheChiswickChoir

inLondon,haswrittenabriefessayonhisjourneyintoperformingFortheFallen.

Mr.Jones’squotebelowgivesinsightintothedifficultyoflocatingthenecessary

resourcesforperformance.“NowherewasaworkIknewIhadtoperformandset

aboutresearchingtheperformingmaterials.Itwillnotsurprisemembersofthe

BMSthatthiswasnotaneasytask.IdiscoveredthatStainer&Bellhadsome

Roothaminitshirelibraryandthelibrarianwasveryhelpfulinascertainingthatthe

publisherofFortheFallenhadbeenNovello.ImadeafruitlesscalltoNovello

ChesterandwastoldthattheyhadneverheardofRootham!Othersourcesalso

confirmedthatNovellohadbeenthepublisherwhentheworkwentintoprintin

1915.Amemberofmychoralsociety,TheChiswickChoir,obtainedacopyofthe

vocalscore–herefusestotellmethesource,andthisNovellocopyisitselfof

interest.ItwasclearlyusedbyamemberoftheCUMSchorusatthepremier.Ithas

thedateandperformanceinformationinscribedinaneathandatthetopofthefirst

page;Firstperformed14thMarch,1919,inGuildhall,Cambridge,byC.U.M.S.and

signedH.Shaw.”38SeeAppendixIforadetailedinterviewofMr.Jones’spreparation

ofthework.

ChilternMusic,apartoftheCathedralMusicpublishingcompanyintheUK,

currentlyoffersprintedvocalscoresoftheworkforamoderateprice.Cathedral

Musicspecializesinsellingandpublishingoutofprintordifficulttofindchurch

music.Thisremainstheonlyprintedvocalscoreofthepiece,andobtainingcopiesis

simpleenoughthroughtheCathedralMusicwebsite.

Continuinginthediscussionoftheprintedmusicchallenges,oneofthe

largestissuesistheavailabilityofthefullscoreandinstrumentalparts.Currently,

thereisnotypesetversionofthefullscoreofFortheFallen,onlycopiesofthe

handwrittenmanuscript.ThoughobtainingacopyofthisthroughCathedralMusicis

simple,navigatingthroughthescoreforaperformancecouldprovequitedifficult.

ThoughRootham’shandwritingisrelativelyneat,thecopiedversiontendstoblur

andpixilatenotesandscoremarkingsfromthecomposer.DanRoothamhas

mentionedhisdesiretocompleteatypesetversionofthisworkinthefuture,thus

aidingintheperformanceforfuturechoralmusicians.

ThecurrentrecordingsofFortheFallenavailablearealsominimal.In2011,

theChiswickChoirrecordedanamateurperformancewithorchestraandthis

recordingisavailablethroughthewebsite.Theonlyprofessionalrecordingofthis

workwasrecordedin1987bytheSinfoniaChorus,BBCNorthernSingers,the

NorthernSinfoniaofEnglandunderthedirectorofRichardHickox.Bothofthese

38AlistairJones,“ResurrectingRoothamandParry—AVoyageofDiscovery,”MusicWeb

International,http://www.musicwebinternational.com/classrev/2011/Apr11/Rootham_Parry.htm.Accessed12Dec.2017.

resourceshaveproventobevitalinthisstudy,aseachhaveprovidedrealistic

outcomesofvariouslevelsofperformers.

Innowayisittheauthor’sintentiontomakeRootham’sFortheFallen

appeareasyorsimple.Itisinundatedwithmomentsofchallengeandcomplication.

Nonetheless,itistheauthor’sintentiontoencouragequalityensemblestoconsider

thisworkintheirprogrammingasthechallengeswillyieldrichrewards.

APPENDIX

InterviewwithAlistairJones

WhatcircumstancesledyoutochooseCBR’sFortheFallenforperformance?

AlthoughamusicgraduatefromtheRoyalAcademyofMusic(1961–1964),

andanexperiencedchoralconductor,CyrilBradleyRoothamwasjustanametome.Anadvertisementforhis“BrownEarth”wasfamiliartomeonthebackcoverofthevocalscoreofHolst’s“HymnofJesus.”Ioftenwonderedwhatthemusicwaslike.So–justaname.

Ithinkitwasin2010thatIreceivedtheusualcommunicationfromAmazon(UK)saying“youboughtthis–soyoumightlikethis”–amongsttheCDcoversondisplaywasoneofmusicbyCBRconductedbyRichardHickoxandcontaining“FortheFallen”.Iwasalwaysonthelookoutfornewmusicformychoralsociety–TheChiswickChoir,soIorderedtheCDlittlerealizingthatIwasinforalifechangingexperience.

WhentheCDarrivedIplayedonmycaraudioandwasstunnedbywhatIheard.WhenIgothome,Iplayedthechoralpieceagain(Ihadnoscoretofollow)anddecidedimmediatelythatwehadtoperform“FortheFallen.”Themusicspokedirectlytomymusicalheart–Icouldnotletitgo!Whatweretheperformingforcesyouused?Howmanysingers?Didyoumeetalloftheorchestralneeds?

AsatthattimeIhadnoscore,eithervocalorFull,Icouldonlyguessattheforcesrequired.Searchingformaterialwasnottoodifficult,thoughNovello’s,theoriginalpublisherconfessedtoknowingnothingofthework!Acolleaguefromthechoiralsodidsomeresearchandfoundavocalscoreinthecatalogueofaspecialistdealer.Thisscorealsocamewithacopyoftheprogramforthefirstperformance,belongingtoachoirmemberbackin1919!Followingthemusicthroughwiththisscoreconfirmedmydeterminationtoperformthework.Thechoralwritingwassplendidandwellwithinthecapabilitiesofmyamateursociety.Butwhatoftheorchestralscore.NothingremainedinNovello’shirelibraryandsoItriedthelibraryofSt.John’sCollege,Cambridge.Hereatonce,wasapositiveresponse.IwasinformedthattheyhadalargecollectionofRoothamscoresandmanuscriptsintheir“SpecialCollections”.ThisincludedthemanuscriptFullScoreandacompletesetoforchestraparts.Tohavethesecopiedforouruserequiredthepermissionofthe“MasterandFellows”ofthecollegebutIwasassuredbythelibrarianthatitwouldbeforthcoming.IwassentanA4sizecopyofthefullscoreformyinformation.Thereitwasallinthecomposer’shand!ThrillingtoseeitforthefirsttimeandtofollowitwhileplayingtheCD.

Wefollowedexactlytherequirementsofthefullscore.Thechoirwasapproximately90singers,andorchestraof2,2,2,4,2,3,1percussionoftimps,Bdrum,Sdrum,Cym,Harpandstrings.Organismarkedadlib.Andplaysonlyalongpedalnoteat1beforefig.9.Thenumberofdesksofstringplayerswas,Ithink,3,3,2,3,2.–22playersinall.Howlongdidyourehearse?Whatwerethespecificsofyourrehearsalschedule(day/timeoftheweek)?

Webeganourweeklyrehearsals(Tuesdayevenings,8pmto10pm)inSeptember2011uptotheconcertonNovember26th.TherewouldbeonerehearsalwiththeorchestraontheafternoonofNov.26.Fortheorchestra,thiswasthereonlyrehearsal!Theconcertwascalled“InMemoriam”andbeganwithFinzi’s“EclogueforPianoandStrings.”“FortheFallen”followedandaftertheintervalweperformedBrahms’s“EindeutschesRequiem.”Abigprogramme,withtheBrahmsasacrowdpuller.Whatdidyoufindmostinterestinginyourresearchbeforepreparingthework?

Littleresearchwaspossiblebeforetherehearsals/performanceastheworkwasunknownandthecomposerlongforgotten.DanRootham,thecomposer’sgrandson,wasabletofillinsomebiographicalandotherdetails.Itwasinterestingtodiscoverwhatinformationtherewas,especiallyasIhadbeenanorganscholaratCambridgeUniversitymyself.IhavealwaysfounditimportanttogetagoodbackgroundtoanyworkIwastoconduct,informationthatIpassedonthechoirwithintherehearsals.Goodforthemtoo.

TheconcertprogrammeofthepremierbyCUMS(CambridgeUniversityMusicSociety)wasinterestingandrevealing.1919,oneyearaftertheGreatWar,andtheconcertcontainedBeethoven’s5thsymphony,“AShropshireLad”byButterworth(ayoungBritishcomposerwhodiedinthetrenches),Rootham’s“FortheFallen”andParry’sgreatode“BlestPairofSirens.”Thatitseemedtobeaprogrammeofreconciliationwasverypertinenttoourownattitudetoperformingthisgreatwork,alongsidetheBrahmsRequiem.

Inourconcert,Rootham’sgrandson,Dan,sanginthechoirandpresentwasagreatgranddaughterofthepoetLaurenceBinyon.SheconfessedaftertheconcerttopreferringtheRoothamtotheElgarsettingofthetext!ToprintthetextoftheBinyonpoeminourprogramme,wehadtoobtainpermissionfromtheExecutorsoftheBinyonEstatewhichwasthatSocietyofAuthors.

Whatresourcesdidyouhaveavailable?Scores?Typesetorthehandwrittencopies?

Thequestionofperformingmaterialhaspartlybeenansweredabove.ImportantlythevocalscoreswerecopiedfromtheoriginalscorebyRichardBarnesofCathedralMusic.TheSpecialCollectionslibrarianofSt.John’sCollege,Mrs.KathrynMcKee,alsosenthimdigitalcopiesofalltheorchestralmaterialonadisk.Hepreparedthebandpartsfromthese.Listafewofthemostdifficultpedagogicalaspectsofpreparingthework?

Preparinganewworkinrehearsalisalwaysdifficult.Withachoirofamateursingers,howeverenthusiastic,presentingaworkofanunknown20thcenturycomposerisalwaysaproblem.Onehastostartwiththen100%enthusiasmoftheconductor!Iconstantlyhadtopersuadethechoirthattheyweredealingwithalittleknownmasterpiece.

Iconcentratedonthebeautifulmelodicsettingsofthelinesoftext.Inworkingontheselines,Icontinuallyworkedonthesound/toneforeachline.OneofthereasonsIthought“FortheFallen”somasterlywasCBR’sabilitytofindthemostaptlineofthemusicforthewords.Thisstartsfromtheverybeginningofthevocalmusic–Sop.“Withproudthanksgiving”.Thisiscomparativelyeasywhenthevocallinesassolotoonevoice,inthiscasesopranos.

Whenthemusicbecomesmorecontrapuntal,eg.5afterfig.3,fig.7,andfig.8Iwouldalwaysrehearsethelinesindividually,gettingothervoicestofolloworevenhumtheirownlines.Themusicatfig.8“Andthegoingdownofthesun”isespeciallyimportant,,notjustforthetext,butforsingingthiswonderfularchingmelodywiththerightbeautyoftone.

Fig.10wasalwaysaproblem,gettingthechorussingerstosingwhatis,essentially,recitativeintime,together.Theonlywaytodothiswastorepeatitoverandover.ThebarsfollowingatFig.11alsoneededmuchrehearsal,,notforthenotesbutforensemble,beatingaslow6inabar.

PickinguptheAllegro5afterfig.12neededconstantrehearsaltogetaconfidententrance.

Perhapsthemostdifficultchoruswasthefinalonefromfig.14.HereitwasessentialforeachparttoknowitslineperfectlyinordertomakeCBR’scounterpointwork.Hisdynamicshereareimportant.

Inmyresearch,itseemsthatthechoralwritingcomeswithelementsofsimplicityandcomplexity.Doyouagreewiththis?Canyoupinpointspecificmomentsinthechoralwritingthatprovedmostdifficult?

Yes,Iagree,thecomposer’stexturesgofromsimplesololinesforvoicepartsandthengointocontrapuntalwriting.SomewhereIreadthatthisabilityofthe

composertochoosetherightmomenttomovefromonetexturetoanotherwaspartofhisgenius.

IhavepointedoutthemostdifficultmomentsinQ.6–butIcanrepeatthatthevocalrecitsatfig.10weredifficulttogetaconfidentsoundandintime.ImustadmitthatIdidnotencouragemuchfreedomintherhythm.Whatwerethemostrewardingmomentsforyouastheconductorofthework?Thefinalconcert?Therehearsals?Anythingspecific?

Mostrewarding?Well,Ilovedputtingtheworktogetherinrehearsal.Butthegreatestrewardcamewiththeorchestralrehearsal,hearingthechoiragainsttheorchestralsoundratherthantherehearsalpiano.Therewere3momentsIrememberwithmuchenjoyment,firstinrehearsalandtheninthefinalconcert.

1. Thefirstrealcontrapuntalpartat5afterfig.3–therearesomelovelydissonantmomentsinthevocallinewiththeaccompanimentthatalwayspulledattheheartstrings.

2. Fig.8–themarvellousmelodystartingwiththebassesandgoingthroughall4voices.Puremagic.

3. Thefinal5barsofchoruson“Totheend,theyremain.”Igotthechoirtodoagreatcrescendouptothefinalffbutwithenoughbreathlefttocrescendoevenmoretotheendofthebar.

Canyougiveyouroverallopinionofthework’svalueandwhyitshouldbeconsideredonmoreprograms?Maybeyoufeeldifferently?Diditbecomeaspersonaltoyouasitdidtome?

WheneverIdiscoveredanewworksuitableformychoir,italwaysbecameapersonalcrusadetogetmysingerstoenjoyitwholeheartedlyasIdidmyself.Andthen,ofcourse,totransmitthisinperformancetoouraudience.Giventhetimewhentheworkwaswrittenandthetimeofmemorialinwhichwearenow,Iamreallysurprisedthatithasnotappearedinlotsofchoralconcerts.Thereasonisnothingtodowiththequalityofthismarvelousmusic,butthefactthatno-oneisinapositiontomarkettheworkandsendoutinformationtochoirsandchoralsocietiesalloverthecountry.

Preparingthisworkforperformanceandultimatelyconductingitwithorchestralforceswasahugethrillforme.Ofcourse,thisshouldbesoforanymusic,but“FortheFallen”wasenormouslyspecialandIlistentotherecordingofourconcertwithpride–eventhoughtherearemomentsthatshouldhavebeenbetter.Butwithonlyoneorchestralrehearsal(andtheBrahmstofollow)Ifeelwedidwell.Onlyoneotherwork,Iwouldsay,affectedmesomuchandthatwasElgar’s“TheDreamofGerontius”.Itisironicthatthese2composersbothsetthesameBinyontext.IlovetheRoothamversionmore–much,muchmore.

PARTII

PROGRAMNOTES

“DonaNobisPacem”BMinorMassJohannSebastianBach

DonaNobisPacemistheclosingmovementoftheMassinBMinorbyJ.S.

Bach.Composedovermanyyears,beginningin1733,andendinginthelastyearsof

Bach’slife,TheMassinBMinorservesasacompendiumofsortsofBach’scomplete

styleandrepertoire,usingmaterialfromallfacetsofhiscompositionaloutput.The

DonaNobisPaceminparticularusesatechniquethatwaspopularintheDresden

massesoftheeighteenthcentury,andthatisinternalborrowing,orborrowing

materialfromanotherareainthesamework.Inthiscase,themusicfortheDona

NobisPacemisidenticaltothatofapreviousmovement,theGratiasagimustibi.This

servedasaneconomicalandartisticdecisionforBach,asthemusictookonthe

samepeacefulcharacternecessarytosetthisclosingtextoftheMass.

ThedoublefuguenatureofthemusicposedproblemsasBachwould

typicallyassigneachfuguesubjectanewsectionoftext,butinthiscase,heonlyhad

threewordstoworkwith.Hereorderedthetextatmomentstomakesurethatthe

textalignedwiththemusicmostfittingforthatword.Ifpacemwouldhavelanded

withoneofthelongmelismas,itwouldgoagainstthecharacteroftheword.Thisis

oneofthemanyindicatorsofthemagnitudeofBach’sgenius,asdothenumerous

othercompositionalintricaciesfoundintheMassinBMinor.

AscenditDeusJacobHandl

JacobHandl(1550-1591)isalesserknownRenaissancecomposer,bornin

whatispresentdaySlovenia.Heismostlyknownforhissacredmusic,which

utilizesthepopularVenetianpolychoralstylethatwassoprevalentthroughoutthe

Renaissanceera.Hehadasignificantchoraloutputincludingtwentymasses,three

passions,374motets,andonehundredsecularworks.Hismotetswerecollectedin

fourbooksentitledOpusMusicum.

AscenditDeusisajubilantexpressionofjoysaying“Godhasgoneupwitha

merrynoise,andtheLordwiththesoundofthetrumpet.Hegavegiftstomen.

Alleluia.”UsingstandardRenaissancetextpaintingtechniqueandimitativetextures,

Handlcreatesabuoyantmotetmimickingthetextperfectly.“Thesoundofthe

trumpet”comescompletewithimitativelinesleapinginperfectfifthstomodelthe

trumpetblowing,whiletheclosing“Alleluia”isatapestryofinterweavinglines,

expressingGod’speoplesingingAlleluia.Infact,the“Alleluia”textalsoutilizes

melismastoheightentheflurryofactivity.Thisfive-voicemotetshowcasesthe

masteryoftheimitativemotetthatremainsthestaplegenreoftheRenaissance.

Teomehe-laul(Serf’sSong)andTantsulaul(DancingSong)FromMeestelaulud(Men’sSongs)

VeljoTormis VeljoTormis(1930-2017)isoneofthegreatchoralmusiciansoftheModern

era.BorninEstonia,heisresponsibleforbringingtheEstonianchoralstyletothe

forefrontalongwithfellowcomposer,ArvoPärt.Thestylerepresentsthelong

historyofchoralsingingwithstrongthemesofEstonianfolktraditionanda

minimaliststylethatseemstorepresentthemysteriousnatureoftheirhomeland.

Tormishascomposednearlytwohundredchoralworks,somewhichresidein

collectionsofworks,othersaremoreextensiveandstandalone.Thesetfromwhich

thesetwopiecesaretakeniscalledMeestelauludor“Men’sSongs.”

Teomehe-laulorSerf’sSongcarrieswithittheminimaliststyleTormisisso

famousfor.Itsetsthetoneforthepoetrydescribingamanwhoisanxioustopass

onintoEternity.Tormisusesthedroneofthelowbassesandbaritonestocreate

thisominousyetsoothingmoodwhilethetenorscarrythetextandmelodyintheir

lowregister.Aseachversecomes,thedynamicanddivisishiftdramaticallytoadd

totheweightofthetext.

Inshockingcontrast,TantsulaulorDancingSongincludesarowdy6/8time

signature,whistling,andstompstoenhancethishumorousstoryofamanwho

thinkshimselfafinedancer.TheGmajorisabrightcontrastcomparedtotheC#

minorofthepreviousSerf’sSong.AswithalltheworksinMeestelaulad,thepieces

usesextremedynamiccontraststosetthetoneforthetext.Theaccessibilityofboth

oftheseworksmakeforapowerfuladditiontoanymen’schorusprogram.

Go,LovelyRoseZ.RandallStroope

AmericanbornZ.RandallStroope(b.1953)hasbecomeoneofthegreat

choralnamesacrosstheworld.Hiscompositionalstylespansfromsimpleunisonto

difficultdivisi,makinghimaccessibleandchallengingforchoirsofeveryrange.

Thisparticularwork,Go,LovelyRose,isasettingofthepopularEdmund

Wallerpoem.StroopeoriginallysetthisforSATBchorusandpiano,andthis

particulararrangementisforTTBBchorusandpiano,givingthetextthatmuch

morepowerasthemenareabletoserenadetheirloves.Utilizinghislushharmonic

palettemadeupofmodernprogressionsandmovingmelodies,theworkclimbs

dynamicallyaseachverseprogresses.Theworktendstoreachitsapexinthecenter

ofthework,asdomanyofStroope’sworks.TheDbmajorkeyisworthnotingin

thatitsitssoproperlyforthemaletessitura,adecisionthatStroopewassuretobe

awareof.ThepiecealsoboastsatextstressthatStroopehighlightsbythechanging

ofmeterandrhythmicintricacies,somethingfortheconductortobeawareofand

attempttocapture.

Didn’tMyLordDeliverDanielMosesHogan

MosesHogan(1957-2003)wasborninNewOrleans,Louisianawherehe

servedinmanymusicalcapacities,includingasthefounderoftheMosesHogan

ChoraleandtheMosesHoganSingers.Mr.Hoganismostlyknownforhistimeless

spiritualarrangements,ripewithrichrhythmicandharmonictexturesthatare

distinctuponfirstlisten.

TheincrediblypopularDidn’tMyLordDeliverDanielextendstochoirsofall

agesandabilities.Withitsdrivingpulseoftwo,intricaterhythmicwork,and

dramaticdynamicshifts,thisworkcreatesathrillingeventnomatterwhereitfalls

intheprogram.ItcomescompletewithaMosesHogansignatureclosing,complete

withwildlyhighsolos,dramaticpauses,andextendedharmoniesofseventhand

ninths.

NearerMyGodtoTheearr.JamesStevens,adap.LeslieBlackwell

JamesStevensisanAmericanmusicianandarrangerandmostassociated

withtheBrighamYoungUniversityacappellaensemble,VocalPoint.Thisparticular

arrangementbecamepopularasthevideooftheensemblewentviralonYouTube.

Itscontemporarychordprogressions,densevocalwriting,powerfulsolo,and7/8

rhythmicpulsecreateanincrediblejuxtapositionwiththecenturyoldtext.The

Englishhymntext,“NearerMyGodtoThee”ispairedwiththeLatin“Inarticulo

mortis”text,addingtothereverentnatureofthework.TheLatintextandrough

translationbelowshouldaddclarity.

Inarticulomortis AtthemomentofdeathCaelitusmihivires MystrengthisfromheavenDeoadjuvantenontimendum Godhelping,nothingshouldbefearedInperpetuum ForeverDirigenosDomine Directus,OLordAdaugustaperangusta TohighplacesbynarrowroadsSicituradastra SuchisthepathtothestarsExcelsior Everupward

Thetextissupportedbythechant-likeintroduction,settingthesacredtone

forthework.Thesoloistsenterswiththe“NearerMyGodtoThee”textsupported

bythesimpleharmonicprogressionofthedivisimenbelow.The7/8pulsebegins

witharepriseofthe“Inarticulomortis”text,couplewiththe“NearerMyGodto

Thee”performedbythesoloist.Thepiecepressesonindramaticfashionwithdense

divisi,rhythmicdrive,andsoaringsolosthatarecertaintoflooraudiences.

EineKleineOrgelmesse,“LittleOrganMass”FranzJosephHaydn

TheMissaBrevisSanctiJoannisdeDeo,alsoknownasthe"Kleine

Orgelmesse”(LittleOrganMass)byFranzJosephHaydn(1732-1809),isaglorious

musicalcelebrationoftheMass.TheworkwasdedicatedtotheOrderofthe

BrothersofMercy’sPatronSaint,JohnofGod(JoannisdeDeo).Composedcirca

1775,theworkwasformedunderstrictregulationsfromEmperorJosephII,who

implementedseveralreformsthatgreatlyaffectedthesacredchoraloutputofthe

greatClassicalcomposersofthetime,includingHaydnandMozart.

Theworkfeaturesotheruniquecharacteristicsincludingtheuseofthe

“Viennese”or“Salzburg”churchtrio.Thisorchestrationconsistsoftwoviolinsand

continuo(keyboardandbassinstruments),leavingouttheviola,specificallypopular

withtheAustriancomposers.Thenickname“LittleOrganMass”comesfromthe

extendedorgansolofoundintheopeningoftheBenedictusmovement,amovement

whichwasfullyexpandedbasedontraditionsoftheregionandtimeperiod.

Interestingly,theorganparthasnowrittenpedalpart,likelycausedbytheBaroque

organhewasusedtoplayingattheEsterhazyPalace,whichhadnopedalsonit.

TheMassincludesalltextsfromtheMassOrdinary,butinthemost

unorthodoxway.BoththeGloriaandCredoincludeatechniquecalledtelescoping,

wheremultiplelinesoftextaresungsimultaneously,thusallowingfortheentirety

ofthetexttobeimplementedwhileremainingunderthestricttimemusicaltime

framesanctionedbyEmperorJosephII.

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“CathedralMusic.”http://www.cathedral-music.co.uk/Home.aspx,Accessed8May.2018."CyrilBradleyRootham."TheMusicalTimes79,no.1142(1938):307-08.“CyrilRootham.”Wikipedia,WikimediaFoundation,15Oct.2017,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_Rootham.Accessed15Dec.2017.“FortheFallen.”Review.TheMusicalTimes56,no.872,Jan.1915.605.France,John."CyrilRootham."CyrilRootham.ClassicalMusicontheWeb,n.d.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/Rootham/.Accessed16Apr.2017.

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ClarendonPress,1995.Houtchens,Alan,andStout,JanisP.“‘ThisDreadfulWinnowing-Fan’:Rhetoricof

WarinEdwardElgar's‘TheSpiritofEngland.’”TheChoralJournal,vol.44,no.9,1Apr.2004.9–19.

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WarandPeace.”TheElgarSocietyJournal,vol.18,no.6,Dec.2014.4–26.___________.“TheGreatWar(1914-1919):ElgarandtheCreativeChallenge.”The

ElgarSocietyJournal,vol.11,no.1,Mar.1999,pp.9–41.Price,ClaybornWinfield.LostintheRevival:TheSacredChoralMusicofCyrilBradley

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Journal54.no.2(2013):34-48.Rootham,CyrilBradley.FortheFallen.KingCharlesCottage,Racton,Chichester,

WestSussex:ChilternMusic,2011.___________.FortheFallen.PoembyLaurenceBinyon.ManuscriptforChorusand

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Times67.no.1006(1926):1080-1081.Schaarwächter,Jürgen."Rootham,Cyril."GroveMusicOnline.OxfordMusic

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CameronWeatherford EducationTheUniversityofSouthernMississippi 2012MasterofMusicinChoralConductingTeachers:Dr.GregoryFuller,Dr.JohnFlaneryLouisianaCollege 2009BachelorofMusicinChurchMusicTeachers:Dr.FredGuilbert,Dr.CurtHamlett AdditionalStudies AtlantaSummerConductingInstitute Summer2015 Dr.DanielBara,Dr.DeannaJoseph

LouisianaCollege Spring2014TEACHProgramK-12MusicCertification

PrivateConducting Spring2010 Dr.JoshuaZona,conductorRedRiverSymphony PrivateConducting Spring2010 AndrewHunter,conductorLouisianaCollegeMarchingBand ProfessionalExperienceChair,DivisionofFineArts 2017-PresentDirectorofChoralActivitiesLouisianaCollege,Pineville,LAWorshipPastor 2016-2017NicholasvilleBaptistChurchTeachingAssistant 2016-2017UniversityofKentuckyChoralDirector/AdjunctProfessor 2013-2015LouisianaCollege,Pineville,LA

Co-ChairLA-ACDAWomen’sHonorChoir 2013-2016LA-ACDAR&SChairforVocalJazz 2013-2016Co-ChairDistrict2Women’sHonorChoir 2013-2016StateRepresentativeforACappellaEducatorsAssociation 2013-2016ChoralDirector 2012-2016AlexandriaSenorHigh,LouisianaGraduateAssistant 2010-2012TheUniversityofSouthernMississippiAssistantDirectorofMusic 2011-2012FirstBaptistChurchHattiesburgTeachingAssistant Spring2010TiogaHighSchool(Tioga,LA) AwardsandPerformancesACDANationalConductingCompetitionWinner Spring2017FullAssistantshipUniversityofKentuckyFall2016OutstandingYoungMusicEducatorAward LMEA November2015LA-ACDAPerformance AlexandriaSeniorHighSchool October2014TeacheroftheYear AlexandriaSeniorHighSchool 2014-2015LA-ACDAPerformance AlexandriaSeniorHighSchool October2013TeacheroftheYear AlexandriaSeniorHighSchool 2012-2013FullAssistantship TheUniversityofSouthernMississippi 2010-2012ChoralServiceAwardTheUniversityofSouthernMississippi 2010-2012MusicServiceAward LouisianaCollege Fall2009B.B.McKinneyScholarship LouisianaCollege 2007-2009ChurchMusicScholarship LouisianaCollege 2007-2009LeadershipAward LouisianaCollege 2006-2009TOPSAward LouisianaCollege 2005-2009FineArtScholarship LouisianaCollege 2005-2009WMUAward LouisianaCollege 2006DixieMoss-SylvestAward LouisianaCollege 2006

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