Postcard from London
London – a multi-cultural melting pot, whose sights, sounds and populace have provided inspiration to composers from Henry Purcell to Ralph Vaughan Williams, Handel to Hendrix. Birthplace of Thomas Arne, York Bowen, George Butterworth, Ethel Smyth, Kaikhosru Sorabji and many more; home to Haydn, Holst, Bridge, Ireland and others, London is celebrated in music, from pieces written for the royal court to works which evoke London's landmarks and street scenes, its places and people.
Read more…- Gibbons•The Cries of London MB 22/67•1. God give you good morrow
- McTell•Streets of London (arr. for guitar)•I. Streets of London
- Butterworth•The Banks of Green Willow for Orchestra (1913)•
- Haydn•Symphony No. 104 in D major Hob. I:104 “London”•I. Adagio – Allegro
- Haydn•Symphony No. 104 in D major Hob. I:104 “London”•II. Andante
- Haydn•Symphony No. 104 in D major Hob. I:104 “London”•III. Menuet. Allegro – Trio
- Haydn•Symphony No. 104 in D major Hob. I:104 “London”•IV. Finale. Spiritoso
- Coates•London Suite (1932) “London Everyday”•3. Knightsbridge: March
- Sherwin•A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (arr. for wind ensemble)•I. A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square
- Purcell•Funeral Sentences and Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary Z 860 / Z 27 / Z 17 / Z 58C•The Queen's Funeral March. Sounded before her Chariot
- Purcell•Funeral Sentences and Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary Z 860 / Z 27 / Z 17 / Z 58C•Canzona
- Ireland•Ballade of London Nights (1930)•
- Purcell•Come Ye Sons of Art Z 323•No. 2 Ritornello 'Come ye sons of art' (Tenor, Chorus)
- Purcell•Come Ye Sons of Art Z 323•No. 3 Duet 'Sound the trumpet' (Tenor I, Tenor II)
- Bridge•Canzonetta H. 169 (1926) "Happy South" (Version for Piano)•Allegretto molto moderato e rubato
- Bowen•Berceuse in D major op. 83•Berceuse for Piano in D major op. 83
- Grainger•Handel in the Strand (Version for Orchestra)•Fast and merry
- Handel•Water Music HWV 348-350•XII. Alla Hornpipe (HWV 349/12)
- Walton•Crown Imperial (A Coronation March) (1937)•Allegro reale
- Purcell•Hail, Bright Cecilia! Z 328•No. 13 Chorus 'Hail, bright Cecilia, hail to thee!'
- Elgar•Cockaigne (In London Town), Overture op. 40•
- Arne•Alfred: Gracious Heav'n, O Hear Me!•I. Gracious Heav'n, O Hear Me!
- Handel•Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV 351•I. Ouverture. Adagio – Allegro – Lentement – Allegro
- Handel•Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV 351•II. Bourrée
- Handel•Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV 351•III. La Paix. Largo alla Siciliana
- Handel•Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV 351•IV. La Réjouissance. Allegro
- Handel•Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV 351•V. Menuet I
- Handel•Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV 351•VI. Menuet II
- Wood•London Cameos for Orchestra (1947)•1. The City. Miniature Overture
- Wood•London Cameos for Orchestra (1947)•2. St. Jame's Park in Spring. Intermission
- Wood•London Cameos for Orchestra (1947)•3. A State Ball at Buckingham Palace. Finale
- Ireland•London Pieces (1920)•1. Chelsea Reach
- Ireland•London Pieces (1920)•2. Ragamuffin
- Ireland•London Pieces (1920)•3. Soho Forenoons
- Gordon•Van Gogh (1991)•London
- Ireland•A London Overture for Orchestra (1936)•
- Bax•London Pageant (1937)•
- Vaughan Williams•Symphony No. 2 (1913-1914) “A London Symphony”•I. Lento - Allegro risoluto
- Vaughan Williams•Symphony No. 2 (1913-1914) “A London Symphony”•II. Lento
- Vaughan Williams•Symphony No. 2 (1913-1914) “A London Symphony”•III. Scherzo (Nocturne). Allegro vivace
- Vaughan Williams•Symphony No. 2 (1913-1914) “A London Symphony”•IV. Finale. Andante con moto - Maestoso alla marcia - Lento - Epilogue. Andante sostenuto
London has always been a vibrant centre for music making, and its outstanding orchestras and performers continue to draw composers and musicians to the city. Haydn, who first visited London on New Year's Day in 1791, wrote a dozen richly-scored 'London' symphonies during his two visits. Mozart visited London as a young child and wrote his first symphony there as well as a clutch of charming piano miniatures. Chopin also visited London in 1848, the year before he died, where he played for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert - and complained about the British weather.
Vaughan Williams' London Symphony includes the calls of street vendors and the chimes of Westminster Abbey, evokes Hampstead Heath on a Sunday afternoon, and depicts the flow of London's great river, the Thames. Eric Coates, whose London Suite pays a musical homage to various London locations, is said to have drawn inspiration for one of his marches from the distinctive red London pillar box, and he was most happy working amongst the sounds and excitement of London. Elgar's Cockaigne Overture also celebrates the vibrancy and noisy excess of London while Katherine Norman's 'London' (2012) also uses the myriad sounds of London's streetlife, including the rattle and hiss of the Underground, to create a vivid portrait of everyday life in this great city.