Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus

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Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus is a work for harp and string orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The composition is based on the folk tune "Dives and Lazarus", which is known by different titles according to region^[1]:

"The Star of the County Down" (Ireland)
"Gilderoy" (Scotland)
"The Thresher"
"Cold blows the wind"
"The Murder of Maria Martin" (Norfolk)

Vaughan Williams composed the work on commission from the 1939 World's Fair in New York City. The first performance was at Carnegie Hall in June 1939, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult. Boult also directed the first UK performance in November 1939 in Bristol.^[2]

The folk tune was also arranged by Vaughan Williams as a hymn tune "Kingsfold", appearing most commonly as "O Sing a Song of Bethlehm,"^[3] but also as "I Heard the Voice of Jesus."

[edit] Sections

The structure, key and tempo markings for the work are as follows:

Introduction and Theme: Adagio, B modal minor
Variant I: B modal minor
Variant II: Allegro moderato, B modal minor
Variant III: D modal minor
Variant IV: L'istesso tempo
Variant V: Adagio, B modal minor

[edit] References

^ Michael Kennedy, The works of Ralph Vaughan Williams. Oxford University Press (London, 1980), p. 278.
^ Simon Heffer, Vaughan Williams. Northeastern University Press (Boston, 2001), p. 98 (ISBN 1555534724).
^ O Sing a Song of Bethlehem