Overture to a Masque

Composer: ALWYN, William
  • Alwyn completed Overture to a Masque in 1940; however, it would be several decades before the piece was performed for the first time.
    • Overture to a Masque was meant to premiere in September 1940 as part of conductor Sir Henry Wood’s farewell season; however, due to the bombing of London, the government closed all theaters and concert halls.
    • Following the chaos of WWII, the piece was subsequently believed to be lost. It wasn’t until 1991 that Sir Henry Wood’s annotated score for the premiere was discovered in the London Symphony Orchestra archive.1
    • Overture to a Masque is one of many of Alwyn’s scores that were suppressed by the war and only revived after the composer’s death.2
  • Overture to a Masque is a single-movement work consisting of three distinct thematic sections. The piece was written in the style of a dance and utilizes a pipe and tabor, which was popularly used in Elizabethan times.3
    • A masque was a popular form of entertainment in 16th and 17th century England, involving elaborate costumes, scenery, music, and verse. You can think of it as a mobile theatrical production presented at the monarch’s court.

Sources

  1. Mary Alwyn, “Overture to a Masque” in accompanying booklet, Alwyn: Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 2 / Overture to a Masque / Elizabethan Dances performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Hickox, CHAN 9935, 2001, compact disc.
  2. Meryvn Cooke, “Alwyn, William,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed October 4, 2022, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000000715.
  3. Mary Alwyn, “Overture to a Masque” in accompanying booklet, Alwyn: Piano Concertos Nos 1 & 2 / Overture to a Masque / Elizabethan Dances.

Cut IDs

43355