The Lark Ascending

Composer: VAUGHAN WILLIAMS, Ralph
  • Vaughan Williams composed The Lark Ascending, a “Romance for Violin and Orchestra,” in 1914. He revised the composition in 1920.1
  • Vaughan Williams took this piece’s title from “The Lark Ascending,” a poem by Victorian-era writer, George Meredith.2
    • Meredith’s poetry is known for its philosophical depth and frequently drew upon nature imagery. Vaughan Williams shared this love of nature and wrote many works centered around the natural world. Given the musicality of Meredith’s poem, it’s no wonder that the piece inspired a stunning piece of music.
    • Fun fact – Vaughan Williams was the great-nephew of Charles Darwin.3
    • Primary themes in the poem include the interconnectedness of all living things, and the joy and freedom of the natural world (amid an increasingly industrialized society).
  • Vaughan Williams dedicated this piece to English violinist Marie Pauline Hall, who had been a violin student of Edward Elgar, and who also played the first recording of Elgar’s Violin Concerto.4

Sources

  1. Hugh Ottaway and Alain Frogley, “Vaughan Williams, Ralph,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed May 21, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000042507.
  2. “The Lark Ascending (Vaughan Williams, Ralph),” IMSLP, accessed May 21, 2021, https://imslp.org/wiki/The_Lark_Ascending_(Vaughan_Williams%2C_Ralph).
  3. “RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS,” SF Classical Voice, accessed June 20, 2024, https://www.sfcv.org/learn/composer-gallery/ralph-vaughan-williams.
  4. “The Lark Ascending (Vaughan Williams, Ralph),” IMSLP.

Cut IDs

12397 15991 17654 17663 23314 40912 41856 42161 43765 49484 49978