Presents
Rutland Boughton
Celtic Prelude for Piano Trio
Rutland Boughton (1878-1960) was born in the English town of Aylesbury. He studied composition at the Royal College of Music in London with Charles Villiers Stanford and subsequently pursued a career as a teacher, composer and conductor. He wrote for most genres and became known early on for his operas. He did not start to write chamber music until he was in his 40s. His first venture into the genre was the Celtic Prelude for Piano Trio.
The Celtic Prelude dates from 1921 and was subtitled "Land of Heart's Desire", which was the title of a play by the Irish poet William Butler Yeats and is also on the coat of arms of the Irish county Sligo. The play tells the story of the visit to a newly married bride by a fairy child who entices the bride to leave the physical world.
"You shall go with me, newly married bride
And gaze upon a merrier multitude...and their Land of Heart's Desire
Where beauty has no ebb, decay no flood,
But joy is wisdom. Time an endless song.
The fairy kisses the bride who dies and goes to the Land of Heart's Desire. Boughton dedicated the work to the Fiddlers of Doncaster, a town in south Yorkshire, who presumably were a then contemporary well-known folk music group which seems to have left no trace. The music is not particularly programmatic and does not seem to follow the plot of the play so much as featuring attractive Irish melodies. The work begins with a majestic theme which is alternates with a very Irish folk melody.
Long out of print, this, emotive work makes an ideal program choice where a shorter piece is required. It can also be recommended to amateur players.
Parts: $14.95
