The Ship o’ the Fiend, Op. 5

Composer: MACCUNN, Hamish
  • MacCunn’s 1887 concert overture, The Ship o’ the Fiend, Op. 5, is based on the ballad, “The Daemon Lover” (anonymous authorship). The ballad is thought to be from the 17th century.
    • MacCunn printed the ballad in the score, solidifying the music’s narrative arch.1
    • Read the ballad here. The ballad warns of the divine punishment awaiting a woman who breaks her marriage oath, ultimately resulting in her demise.
  • The overture premiered in 1888 with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer (age 19).2

Sources

  1. John Purser, Notes in accompanying booklet, MacCunn: Land of the mountain and the flood & other orchestral works performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Martyn Brabbins, Hyperion 66815, 1995, compact disc.
  2. “Ship o’ the Fiend, Op.5 (MacCunn, Hamish),” IMSLP, accessed November 13, 2024, https://imslp.org/wiki/Ship_o’_the_Fiend%2C_Op.5_(MacCunn%2C_Hamish).

Cut IDs

20983 25602