Six Studies in English Folk Song

Six Studies in English Folk Song is a piece of chamber music written by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1926. It is a collection of six English folk songs set for cello and piano. Each song follows the same format: presentation of the tune in the solo line, followed by a full iteration of the folk song in the piano with an ornamented solo line.

Originally written for cellist May Mukle and piano, Vaughan Williams wrote that his aim in setting the songs was for them to be “treated with love.”[1] It has been transcribed by the composer and others for violin, viola, English horn, clarinet, bassoon, alto sax, and tuba.[2]

Never straying from his English roots, Vaughan Williams sought to organically weave elements of his native music into all of his compositions, rather than imitate it. One of the earliest researchers in ethnomusicology, he traveled the British countryside recording and transcribing folk music directly from its source.

## Movements[edit]

Six Studies in English Folk Song is composed of these movements:[2]

1. Adagio ('Lovely on the Water') in E modal minor
2. Andante sostenuto ('Spurn Point') in Eb
3. Larghetto ('Van Diemen's Land') in D modal minor
4. Lento ('She Borrowed Some of Her Mother’s Gold') in D
5. Andante tranquillo ('The Lady and the Dragoon’) in G
6. Allegro vivace ('As I walked over London Bridge') in A modal minor

## References[edit]

1. ^ Sierra Society Program Notes Archived 2010-04-12 at the Wayback Machine
2. ^ a b "6 Studies in English Folk Song, for cello and piano". Ralph Vaughan Williams: Chamber Works. Classical Archives. 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2011.

## External links[edit]

* Six Studies in English Folk Song: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
* Vaughan Williams Memorial Library Online
* Galaxy Music Publishing

* v
* t
* e

Ralph Vaughan Williams

List of compositions

Opera|

* Hugh the Drover
* Sir John in Love
* The Poisoned Kiss
* Riders to the Sea
* The Pilgrim's Progress

Ballet|

* Job: A Masque for Dancing

Orchestral works|

* A Sea Symphony (Symphony No. 1)
* A London Symphony (Symphony No. 2)
* Pastoral Symphony (Symphony No. 3)
* Symphony No. 4 in F minor
* Symphony No. 5 in D major
* Symphony No. 6 in E minor
* Sinfonia antartica (Symphony No. 7)
* Symphony No. 8 in D minor
* Symphony No. 9 in E minor
* In the Fen Country
* Norfolk Rhapsodies
* Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
* Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus
* The Story of a Flemish Farm
* Concerto Grosso

Concertante|

* The Lark Ascending
* Flos Campi
* Piano Concerto
* Suite for Viola and Orchestra
* Oboe Concerto
* Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra
* Tuba Concerto

Chamber music|

* Romance for viola and piano
* Six Studies in English Folk Song

Choral music|

* A Cambridge Mass
* Five Mystical Songs
* Fantasia on Christmas Carols
* O clap your hands
* Mass in G minor
* Sancta Civitas
* Magnificat
* Five Tudor Portraits
* Dona nobis pacem
* Serenade to Music
* An Oxford Elegy
* Folk Songs of the Four Seasons
* Three Shakespeare Songs
* O taste and see
* Hodie

Vocal music|

* Songs of Travel
* "Whither Must I Wander"
* On Wenlock Edge
* Four Hymns
* Ten Blake Songs
* Four Last Songs

Incidental music|

* The Wasps
* The First Nowell

Film scores|

* 49th Parallel (1940 drama film)
* Coastal Command (1942 film)
* The Flemish Farm (1943 war film)
* Stricken Peninsula (1945 propaganda film)
* The Loves of Joanna Godden (1946 historical drama film)
* Scott of the Antarctic (1948 film)
* Bitter Springs (1950 film)
* The England of Elizabeth (1955 documentary)

Other compositions|

* English Folk Song Suite
* Sea Songs

Namesakes|

* Vaughan Williams Memorial Library

Related articles|

* Anglican church music
* Bath Bach Choir
* Curse of the ninth
* English Folk Dance and Song Society
* The English Hymnal
* The Oxford Book of Carols
* Society for the Promotion of New Music
* Songs of Praise

Category

Portal:

* Classical Music

Authority control databases

National|

* United States

Other|

* MusicBrainz work

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template