Saturday, December 15, 2018



FANTASIA on CHRISTMAS CAROLS
For Chorus and Orchestra
by 
Ralph Vaughan-Williams (1872-1958)




~ § ~


Ralph Vaughan Williams c. 1920



Some familiar carols appear in fragments subtly embedded here and there in the choral and orchestral textures. Listen carefully, and you may be able to spot them. It doesn't matter if you do or don't, because the whole piece is a grand and glorious pastiche or quodlibet of extrardinarily high quality.

~ § ~

14 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. You really are QUITE incorrigible!

      A regular Peck's Bad Boy!

      Astonishing in light of the arrant impertinence you display that our high regard for you does not diminish. ;-)

      MERRY CHRISTMAS!

      <];^}> HO hO HO!

      Delete
  2. ...of low quality contemporary Christmas offerings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A Charm invests a face
      Imperfectly beheld —
      The Lady dare not lift her Veil
      For fear it be dispelled —

      But peers beyond her mesh —
      And wishes — and denies —
      Lest Interview — annul a want
      That Image — satisfies —


      ~ Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

      I believe the short poem above may provide a better explanation of Emily's meaning than the young man's strained analysis of the more abstract piece you offered.

      Subtle implications planted gently in the subconscious by a true artist awaken slowly in the mind, expand and grow with the passage of years.

      Awareness brought about through poignant imagery and the power of suggestion has a far more lasting effect than any vulgar blast of "unvarnished truth" expressed either didactically, or emotionaly with anger or derision.

      MERRY CHRISTMAS!

      Delete
    2. veiled Beauty.... i like it". :)

      Delete
    3. ...or in "Lacanian" terms:

      The Veil offered as "fetish object" to distract the viewer and block the "male gaze" allowing the woman to remain within her subjectivity and not transition to "object"...

      ;)

      Delete
    4. ...objet petit a, the object cause of desire (aka -VJJ).

      ;P

      Delete
  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS, but please don't try to spoil OUR celebration of this most Blessed Season just because you don't happen to be in the mood. That, sir, in case you've forgotten your manners is RUDE.

      Either BE of Good Cheer
      Or get the hell OUT of here!


      <];^}> HO HO HO!

      Delete
  4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We wish yiu a MERRY CHRISTMAS, but PLEASE address the topic of the post, if you wsh to avoid being deleted.

      Meanwhile,

      BE of GOOD CHEER,
      The NATIVITY is NEAR!
      .

      Delete

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