From Pub to Pulpit: Celebrating Yorkshire’s influence on Vaughan Williams
From Pub To Pulpit, a musical extravaganza, exploring Williams' journey from folk music to hymn tunes and featuring acapella folk group Broomdasher and trio Coracle Band, will be held at Huddersfield Town Hall, on Thursday, June 8 – buy tickets HERE.
Williams, arguably Britain’s favourite composer, left an indelible mark on the world of music with his work including The Lark Ascending, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and the melody for iconic hymn, To Be a Pilgrim (Monks Gate: He Who Would Valiant Be).
A vicar’s son he was born in Gloucester in 1872 and raised in Surrey, but Yorkshire played a major part in his career.
And to celebrate, marking his milestone anniversary year, singers from across the county will gather to turn folk songs into hymns in a rousing concert at Huddersfield Town Hall, on June 8, 7.30pm to 9.30pm.
From Pub to Pulpit, an evening of audience participation, will be led by the Town Hall Organ, Holmfirth Choral Society, acapella folk group Broomdasher and instrumental trio Coracle.
FREE PROGRAMME: From Pub To Pulpit online programme to sing along to all the songs – CLICK HERE.
The singers and musicians will team up with school children from across Leeds the next day, for a day-long event including workshops and a performance at Leeds Cathedral, on Friday, June 9.
The English composer, whose works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions, was a well-known collector of folk songs who borrowed tunes he collected from labourers around the country, for the melodies of some of the best hymns in the 1906 English Hymnal.
From Pub to Pulpit tour director John Palmer outlined how Yorkshire was responsible for several influential musical moments in Williams’ career.
The biggest link was the premiere of Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony, which he conducted himself as the opening concert of the Leeds Music Festival on 12 October 1910 - his 38th birthday.
The 350 singers in the chorus came from Leeds, Dewsbury and Huddersfield.
The ivy-walled vicarage at Hooton Roberts, near Rotherham, was the place where Williams composed his first published piece in 1901, the universally famous song Linden Lea. It features of Broomdasher’s album, Ingrave Epiphany – BUY HERE.
For Huddersfield Choral Society, Williams specially composed Dona Nobis Pacem for their 100th anniversary concert, in October 1936.
Holmfirth Anthem, based on town choirmaster John Perkin’s arrangement, was re-arranged as a Yorkshire Wassail by Williams in 1906.
A Westerdale farmhouse in 1904 is where he heard labourer and church section, William Knaggs, sing the saucy Kiss Me in the Dark, when he was staying at Dent, near Scarborough. It later appeared in a collection of folk songs.
Leeds Festival also saw the 1907 premiere of Williams’ Toward the Unknown Region, at Leeds Town Hall.
John said: “The Yorkshire connections are so influential to Vaughan Williams’ composing history that we were determined to come here and celebrate his birthday.
“We’re singing in cathedrals, significant churches, folk festivals and historically renowned venues revered for choral singing and it’s exciting to be here too.”