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English String Music

Or, to give its full title, Barbirolli Conducts English String Music, the music in question being Edward Elgar's 'Introduction and Allegro for Strings' & 'Serenade in E minor'; and Ralph Vaughan-Williams' 'Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis' & 'Fantasia on "Greensleeves"'. It's a 1970 reissue of a recording made seven years earlier where Sir John Barbirolli conducted the Sinfonia of London. A stiffly formal note on the back cover warns that "this record is intended for use only on special sterophonic reproducers. If you are doubtful of the suitablity of your reproducer for playing this record, we recommend you to consult your record dealer."


When I play this record on my stereophonic reproducer, it's nearly always just Side 2 - the one with the Vaughan-Williams pieces - that I put on. There are a few of Elgar's works I enjoy, but those included here have yet to grab me. On the other hand, Vaughan-Williams' 'Tallis Fantasia' has long been a favourite. I used to have it on a 2CD set of his orchestral works - a sort of 'greatest hits', which fell by the wayside somewhere or other, so I was delighted to happen upon this LP in a charity shop a few years ago.

The Tallis Fantasia is based on & elaborated from one of nine tunes, sometimes known as the 'third mode melody', contributed by Tallis to a psalter (psalm-book) compiled by Archbishop Matthew Parker in 1567. Vaughan-Williams included the melody in an English Hymnal published in 1906. The music's uplifting grandeur, then, must be intended to incline our sprits Heavenwards, but even a surly atheist like me can borne aloft by it, and find ample solace in it.

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