Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes
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Composed
| 1940
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Published
| 1956
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Recorded
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Date
| 29 October 1941
(
1941-10-29
)
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Conductor
| Eric Fogg
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Performers
| BBC Northern Orchestra
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The
Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes
is a composition for
symphonic orchestra
, based on traditional Welsh
nursery tunes
and
lullabies
, composed by
Grace Williams
in 1940. Although not typical of Williams' work it brought her to prominence and is the composer's most popular work.
I had a thorough grounding in Welsh airs and Welsh folk songs when I was a child and teenager, and they found their way into some very early works, now withdrawn, and of course into the Fantasia.
?
Grace Williams, Interview with Heward Rees
The orchestration includes the
harp
to add a Welsh flavour and
percussion
to evoke memories of childhood.
Composition history
[
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]
It is not clear when Williams started to compose the
Fantasia
but
Benjamin Britten
records a meeting with Williams to discuss "her new Welsh variations" on 24 March 1938.
Williams claimed that "I tossed it off (i.e. the sketch of it) in an evening" ? in a letter to
Idris Lewis
(musical director of
British International Pictures
)
in June 1942.
The last page of the score is annotated "Feb 9th 1940".
The
Fantasia
may have been modelled on
Sir Henry Wood's
Fantasia on British Sea Songs
, or the fantasias on folk tunes by
Vaughan Williams
, Williams' teacher, where a number of familiar tunes are joined with original music.
Structure and instrumentation
[
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]
The work lasts about 11 minutes and is in one movement using eight Welsh tunes.
The beginning and end use the quicker tunes which frame a middle section which uses the slower, wistful tunes.
Each tune is stated and discussed, and followed by a transition into the next tune. The work finishes with a return to the initial theme.
The tunes, in order, are:
- Jim Cro
[a]
? also known as
Dacw Mam yn Dwad
(Here's mummy coming)
[b]
- Deryn y Bwn
(The Bittern)
[c]
- Migildi, Magildi
(nonsense words imitating the sound of a hammer on an anvil)
- Si lwli mabi
(Sleep my baby)
- Gee Geffyl Bach
(Gee-up, little horse)
- Cysga Di, Fy Mhlentyn Tlws
(Sleep, my pretty child)
- Yr eneth ffein ddu
(Where are you going, my pretty maid?)
- Cadi Ha
(Summer Katie)
[d]
The
Fantasia
starts at a lively pace (
allegro vivo
) with the tune (
Jim Cro
) played on the
trumpet
.
[e]
The trumpet, now
muted
, introduces
Deryn y Bwn
(the rhythm of the original tune is adapted to match that of
Jim Cro
).
Migildi, Magildi
starts on the
glockenspiel
(one bar), then the
strings
(one bar), the glockenspiel again (one bar), and strings again (one bar), before the
oboe
completes the tune.
[f]
The slower middle section, marked
molto tranquillo
(very calmly), begins with
Si lwli mabi
on
flute
;
followed by
Gee Geffyl Bach
on
french horn
;
and ends with
Cysga Di, Fy Mhlentyn Tlws
(on oboe and
bassoon
).
The last section returns to the lively pace of the opening with a reprise of
Jim Cro
before
Yr eneth ffein ddu
is introduced on oboe and
violins
.
The last new tune (
Cadi Ha
) is also introduced on trumpet,
before the
Fantasia
finishes with a return to
Jim Cro
.
The
Fantasia
is written for a full orchestra:
- Woodwind
: 2 flutes (II +
piccolo
), 2 oboes, 2
clarinets
, and 2 bassoons
- Brass
: 2 trumpets, 4 french horns, and 3
trombones
(2 tenor and 1 bass)
- Percussion
:
timpani
, 2 players (
side drum
,
cymbals
,
tambourine
,
triangle
, and glockenspiel)
- Strings
: harp, violins,
violas
,
cellos
, and
double bass
Performance
[
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]
The
Fantasia
was given its first performance by the
BBC Northern Orchestra
conducted by
Eric Fogg
on 29 October 1941 in a broadcast by the
BBC
.
Performances throughout Wales followed (with premieres by the
National Youth Orchestra of Wales
and
Welsh National Opera
in 1946) and the good reception led to the first recording a few years later.
Another performance of
Fantasia
by the National Youth Orchestra of Wales (NYOW) in 1952 was followed by performances of works by Williams in 1953, 1954, and 1955 (
Penillion
? which was commissioned and premiered by NYOY).
Tension between Williams and the orchestra's management resulted in Williams refusing permission to allow the NYOW to perform her works. A change in management was followed by a performance of
Fantasia
by the orchestra in 1968.
A commercially successful recording of
Fantasia
(with works by other Welsh composers) by the NYOW followed in 1969 and sold 20,000 copies in less than a year.
Reception and reviews
[
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]
The immediate popularity of the
Fantasia
, especially in war-time Wales, helped Williams to become more widely known, and it is still her most popular work and an important part of her output.
The
Fantasia
has been described as "deliciously scored, whimsical, touching and light-hearted by turns".
Guy and Llewelyn-Jones note that the use of percussion emphasises the "colours and imagery of childhood" and the harp "adds some strong Celtic flavour".
Cotterill notes that "The Fantasia's greatest achievement, however, in spite of its necessarily fragmented nature and thematic diversity, is that it retains a sophisticated level of cohesion that Hen Walia [an earlier work] fails to approach by more confidently deploying its traditional material."
Mathias describes it as "a work of bold and colourful tonal contrasts".
By contrast, Boyd notes that "the harmonizations are often heavy and conventional, and the structure loose".
He also compares the orchestration unfavourably with that of
Hoddinott
's
Welsh Dances
(Set 1 ? 1956; Set 2 ? 1969) and
Mathias
's
Celtic Dances
(1972).
The
Fantasia
remains popular with performers both young and old.
Williams' attitudes to the
Fantasia
[
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]
Williams clearly felt affection for
Fantasia
:
It was never meant to be taken seriously. I like the little work well enough ? lovely Welsh tunes ? but, but, but______
?
Grace Williams, a letter to Idris Lewis in June 1942
and:
I
can
give something of myself to folksong fantasias + such things ? yes I know they are derivative but they've got a splash of me in ? because I really + truly love those traditional tunes.
?
Grace Williams, Letter to Daniel Jones, 4 February 1950
but feared that its success might limit the BBC's enthusiasm for new works (as had happened with
Hen Walia
earlier in her career).
In 1957 Williams successfully lobbied for
Penillion
(1955)
rather than the
Fantasia
("that old work") to be scheduled for the 1958
Proms
season.
[g]
In 1968 the National Youth Orchestra of Wales ran a competition to attract young composers but failed to find any suitable compositions, so planned to return to the
Fantasia
. Williams suggested various composers but none had entered the competition so, to Williams' dismay, the
Fantasia
was scheduled again including a performance at the
Eisteddfod
that year.
[h]
This led to another recording (along with other works by Welsh composers).
Recordings
[
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]
The
Fantasia
was first recorded in 1949 by the
London Symphony Orchestra
, conducted by
Mansel Thomas
, paid for by the Welsh Recorded Music Society (later to become the Welsh Music Guild), and released on a 78 rpm record.
It was the first recording of a work by a female Welsh composer.
The recording was later included in the
Decca
catalogue.
Recordings include:
- London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mansel Thomas (78 rpm, 1949 and on LP, 1950,
Decca
AK1999-2000 and LX3025)
- National Youth Orchestra of Wales
conducted by Arthur Davison (LP, 1969,
Music for Pleasure
SMFP2129)
- London Symphony Orchestra conducted by
Sir Charles Groves
(
Grace Williams
(also includes
Carillons
,
Penillion
,
Trumpet Concerto
, and
Sea Sketches
), LP, 1974,
HMV
ASD3006 and CD, 1995,
Lyrita
SRCD323)
[i]
)
- Royal Ballet Sinfonia
conducted by Andrew Penny (CD, 1999,
Naxos
8.225048)
Notes
[
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]
- ^
A card game popular with miners
- ^
The tune bears a close resemblance to
Yankee Doodle
- ^
Deryn y Bwn
is not included in the list of tunes Williams prefaced in the score, but has been identified by Boyd.
- ^
A song linked to May Day celebrations in North East Wales. The "Katie" is a man dressed as a woman who leads the celebrations.
The Cadi Ha festival dates back 200 years, but lapsed after World War I until it was revived in 1998 at
Holywell
.
- ^
The trumpet was one of Williams' favourite instruments.
- ^
After the trumpet, the oboe (and the cor anglais) were the particular favourite orchestral instruments of Williams.
- ^
As of January 2016
[update]
Fantasia
has not been included in a Prom concert.
- ^
By happy coincidence the Eisteddfod that year was held in Williams' home town of
Barry
.
- ^
Remastering of the old recordings and CD release were made with the support of the
Arts Council of Wales
References
[
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]
Sources
[
edit
]
- "Grace Williams"
.
Discover Welsh Music
. Cardiff: T? Cerdd ? Music Centre Wales. 2015. Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes. Archived from
the original
on 24 April 2016.
- Boyd, Malcolm (1995). "The Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes".
Grace Williams
(CD booklet). Burnham, Buckinghamshire:
Lyrita
.
OCLC
883978208
.
UPC
: 502092603234.
- Wright, David (1989).
"Grace Williams"
(PDF)
.
wrightmusic.net
. Retrieved
25 January
2016
.
External links
[
edit
]
- "Grace Williams"
.
Discover Welsh Music
. Cardiff: T? Cerdd ? Music Centre Wales. 2015. Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes. Archived from
the original
on 24 April 2016.
Includes a viewable score of the
Fantasia