First published at 05:55 UTC on June 1st, 2021.
A Somerset Rhapsody, H. 87, Op. 21 by Gustav Holst
Holst completed the first version of this work in 1906, as an orchestral poem based on English folk songs from the region of Somerset, in particular tunes by composer Cecil Sharp. Holst decided to …
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A Somerset Rhapsody, H. 87, Op. 21 by Gustav Holst
Holst completed the first version of this work in 1906, as an orchestral poem based on English folk songs from the region of Somerset, in particular tunes by composer Cecil Sharp. Holst decided to revise the work in 1907 before the premiere performance, which took place in 1910 at the Queens Hall in London. Holst once described the ‘narrative’ of this work with the following:
“Into a quiet country scene comes the sound of approaching soldiers. A youth who is courting a girl is persuaded to enlist and go to war. The soldiers march into the distance and the pastoral quietness returns. The girl is left alone.”
The work is comprised of a single movement.
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