Symphony No. 4 in F Major

Main page for Boyce’s 8 Symphonys in 8 Parts

• This symphony was originally the overture to The Shepherds’ Lottery (librettist: Moses Mendez), a sung afterpiece on a pastoral subject, which premiered in 1751.¹
  • An afterpiece is short, light entertainment programmed after a more serious play, to lighten the mood and attract more audience.
• Story: in a May Day tradition, shepherds draw the names of their future wives from an urn; drama ensues.²

1. Bruce and Ian Bartlett, “Boyce, William,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed August 8, 2019, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000040029.
2. Keith Anderson, liner notes to William Boyce: Eight Symphonies, Op. 2, Aradia Ensemble, Kevin Mallon, Naxos 8.557278, CD, 2005.