Carol Symphony
Carol Symphony is a collection of four preludes, written by Victor Hely-Hutchinson in 1927.
| Carol Symphony | |
|---|---|
| by Victor Hely-Hutchinson | |
| Year | 1927 |
| Period | 20th-century classical music |
| Genre | Symphony |
| Form | Chorale prelude |
History
It had its first performance on 26 September 1929 at a promenade concert at the Queen's Hall which was broadcast live on the BBC's 2LO, with other music by Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Percy Pitt. It was conducted by the composer.
Structure
It is based on four Christmas carols, given additional orchestration and counterpoint arrangements. The four movements are written to be played uninterrupted consecutively.
Movements
- The first movement (Allegro energico) is based on O Come All Ye Faithful. It is in the style of a Bach chorale prelude.
- The second movement is a scherzo (Allegro molto moderato) on God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, similar to the Russian Balakirev compositions.
- The third movement (Andante quasi lento e cantabile) is a slow movement whose outer sections are based on the Coventry Carol, with a central interlude on The First Nowell.
- The finale (Allegro energico come prima) recapitulates material from the first movement, and also uses Here We Come A-Wassailing before concluding with a re-statement of O Come All Ye Faithful similar to a style of Charles Villiers Stanford in a fugal structure.
Usage as theme music
Two sections from the First Nowell section were used for the 1943 Children's Hour adaptation of John Masefield's The Box of Delights. The work was later used as the opening and closing titles of the 1984 BBC Television adaptation of the same novel. It featured a recording conducted by Barry Rose in 1966 of the Pro Arte Orchestra at Guildford Cathedral. During World War II, the book had been adapted for radio on the BBC's Children's Hour, and Hely-Hutchinson's same music had been used. Prof Hely-Hutchinson later became the BBC's Director of Music, in 1944, until his death in 1947.
During the 1940-1950s, the first movement was used to assist tuning into the BBC's Home Service station before the start of the morning transmission during the Christmas period.
Recordings
- Metropole Symphony Orchestra, Dolf van der Linden (conductor) recorded by Paxton Records (LPT 1002). Reissued 2015 by Guild 'Light Music' on GLCD 5233
- Pro-Arte Orchestra, Barry Rose at Guildford Cathedral recorded by EMI in 1966 (HMV Classics and EMI)
- City of Prague Symphony Orchestra, Gavin Sutherland recorded by Naxos (NA 7099)
External links
Video clips
- Box of Delights DVD
- First Noël conducted by Christopher Bell with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
- Hawkshead in the snow