Sir William Walton's "Spitfire Prelude" (1943)

Walton's piece from 1943, a tribute to the men who flew in the Battle of Britain. This is simply an attempt to showcase that music with some images.

No copyright infringement is intended. This, is but a tribue to Sir William, but also to those Few

please forgive the somewhat patriotic perhaps overly-so image this presents. Just...perhaps got carried away.

A note, Spitfire Prelude can be heard in the 1942 film "First of the Few" which of course is the story of the Spitfire.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• London
• Battle of Britain
• Churchill
• William Walton
• classical
• music

[SimonWelburn]

Along with Elgar's Nimrod this makes me weep with the emotion it exudes. The subject and composers are mighty fine.

[Bondek1996]

@SimonWelburn definitely does have that power to make tears come to the eyes. Listening to this and the Fugue does that. More's the pity we don't have Walton today.

[irkibby]

That's just made my arm hair stand on end.

[Bondek1996]

@irkibby thank you. It was mainly to show off the music but in some ways, to pay a tribute to the Few.

[AndrewMcCheyne]

There's something reassuring about the shape of a Spitfire.

[TheRobertTaggart]

Boscher Basher - brilliant !

[Jenjenilou]

Stunning.

[MrAFLANDERS]

Knightly heroes; gallantry and grace-...fearless and courageous...up against the odds they gave it their all and turned the tide of battle against a brazen and evil enemy bent on destroying freedom and democracy-if we are so unfortunate as to never see young men like this again-we can consider ourselves fortunate indeed to have walked among them and lived in their time.

[bluepheonex1989]

Simply beautiful.

In ways this really rather vile society we live in now could never achieve.