Ralph Vaughan Williams - Flos campi (3/3)

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Flos Campi
suite for solo viola, small chorus and small orchestra (1925)

Flos Campi is a composition by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, completed in 1925. Its title is Latin for "flower of the field". It is neither a concerto nor a choral piece, although it prominently features the viola and a wordless choir. The piece is divided into six movements, played without pause, each headed by a verse from the Song of Solomon:

I. Sicut Lilium inter spinas, sic amica mea inter filias...Fulcite me floribus, stipate me malis, quia amore langueo. ("As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters...Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples; for I am sick with love.") [Lento]

II. Jam enim hiems transiit; imber abiit, et recessit; Flores apparuerunt in terra nostra, Tempus putationis advenit; Vox turturis audita est in terra nostra. ("For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.") [Andante con moto]

III. Quaesivi quem diligit anima mea; quaesivi illum, et non inveni...'Adjuro vos, filiae Jerusalem, si inveneritis dilectum meum, ut nuntietis et quia amore langueo'...Quo abiit dilectus tuus, O pulcherrima mulierum? Quo declinavit dilectus tuus? et quaeremus eum tecum. ("I sought him whom my soul loveth, but I found him not...'I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him I am sick with love'...Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee.") [Lento - Allegro moderato]

IV. En lectulum Salomonis sexaginta fortes ambiunt...omnes tenentes gladios, et ad bella doctissimi. ("Behold his bed [palanquin], which is Solomon's, three score valiant men are about it...They all hold swords, being expert in war.") [Moderato alla marcia]

V. Revertere, revertere Sulamitis! Revertere, revertere ut intueamur te...Quam pulchri sunt gressus tui in calceamentis, filia principis. ("Return, return, O Shulamite! Return, return, that we may look upon thee...How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O Prince's daughter.") [Andante quasi lento]

VI. Pone me ut signaculum super cor tuum. ("Set me as a seal upon thine heart.") [Moderato tranquillo] ~ Wikipedia

Philip Dukes, viola
Richard Hickox/Northern Sinfonia & Chorus

Category:

Music

Tags:

• ralph
• vaughan
• williams
• flos
• campi
• flowers
• field
• suite
• solo
• viola
• samll
• chorus
• choral
• choir
• small
• chamber
• orchestra
• song
• of
• solomon
• philip
• dukes

[proudaltome]

So beautiful it makes me weep.

[Tonyblack261]

I've been going crazy trying to find this piece. They used it in a BBC drama/documentary called 'Spanish Flu:The Forgotten Fallen'.

[bakert7000]

This is very nice and I need to the bass part. It is quite challenging singing without words.

[Frozenhotdogger]

What a beautiful piece!! Thank you for uploading and expanding my horizons...

[sarskees95]

שִׂימֵנִי כַחוֹתָם עַל-לִבֶּךָ

[andhaiden]

That is so beautiful.

[Stormchaser728]

Indeed. I'm glad someone finally put the whole piece up.

[RobertCEvans]

Splendid! Many thanks!