《The Lark Acending》

Vaugham William (1872-1958)

Vaugham William was a British composer. He initially began working on the structure of "The Lark Acending" in 1914, originally using Ludwig van Beethoven‘s (1770-1827) title "Romance" for the piece. The eventual title of "The Lark Acending" was inspired by a George Meredith (1828-1909) poem, which William placed before the piece when it was published. He dedicated the piece to British violinist Marie Hall (1884-1956) , who played the piece with pianist Geoffrey Mendham in 1920. After its premiere, a music critic working for the New York Times said William ignored the contemporary methods of doing things and was following his own dream, which shows the pervasive free and unrestrained sense the piece offers. It starts out at Andante sostenuto. The violin part that starts after the orchestra plays two measures neatly and quietly is not written out in the score, but rather presented in the free form of a cadenza, expressing the vast unhindered sense of birds soaring through the sky. A pentatonic mode is found throughout the piece, allowing it to escape any overt sense of having a tonal center, along with the rubato fluctuations of tempo, displaying the impressionistic style William belonged to. "The Lark Acending" is a favorite violin piece for many violinists. The famous Viotti-Marie Hall Stradivari violin from the Chi Mei Museum‘s collection was used in this recording. It was the violin Marie Hall played when she premiered the piece; thus, this is a rare experience in which a famous instrument, famous music and famous people come together to create a beautiful moment.