for vocal soloists or SATB choir and orchestra or reduced orchestra Serenade to Music is sublime - one of the most stunningly beautiful musical creations of the 20th century. This choral meditation on the nature of music and its power to enrapture is a setting of text from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. This tender and much-loved work was composed in 1938 in honour of Sir Henry Wood. It was written for 16 soloists and orchestra but may also be sung by four soloists and chorus, or by mixed-voice chorus. This beautifully presented edition includes an introduction by Michael Kennedy. Also available for full orchestra without choir.

About the Author
Ralph Vaughan Williams, born in Gloucestershire on 12 October 1872, read History at Cambridge and went to the Royal College of Music where his teachers were Parry, Wood, and Stanford. Vaughan Williams believed in the value of music education and wrote practical competition pieces, serviceable church music, and with the 49th Parallel (1940-41) he found a new outlet in writing for film. His profoundly disturbing Symphony No.6 (1948) received international acclaim with more than a hundred performances in a little over two years. His great sensitivity to the 20th-century human condition, his flexibility in writing for all levels of music making, and his unquestionably great imagination combine to make him one of the key figures in 20th century music. Ralph Vaughan Williams had a long association with Oxford University Press; over 200 publications are available in the Oxford catalogue.


Book Information
ISBN 9780193360020
Author Ralph Vaughan Williams
Page Count 24
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 92g
Dimensions(mm) 279mm * 215mm * 2mm