Songs of the Sea (Stanford) explained

Songs of the Sea is a cycle of five songs for baritone, male voice chorus, and orchestra, to poems by Henry Newbolt. It was composed by Charles Villiers Stanford, was premiered at the 1904 Leeds Festival, and was published as his Op. 91.

Songs of the Fleet is a companion cycle of five songs for baritone, mixed chorus, and orchestra, also to poems by Newbolt. It was premiered at Leeds in 1910, and was published by Stanford as his Op. 117.

Overview

According to music critic Geoffrey Crankshaw:

"Drake's Drum" may be the best known of the ten songs. It relates to the legend that Sir Francis Drake, naval hero under Elizabeth I of England, on his deathbed in the Spanish Main, asked that his drum be taken to England. He promised that should it be beaten in the hour of England's gravest need, he and his fleet would reappear in the English Channel to repel the invaders; as they did the Spanish Armada in 1588. It has been recorded by, among others, Peter Dawson, John Shirley-Quirk and Sir Thomas Allen; either in the original version, or in an arrangement for voice and piano.

Songs of the Sea

Songs of the Sea was written for Harry Plunket Greene, a renowned baritone in his day. He gave the first performance, at the 1904 Leeds Festival. The texts are:^[1]

1. "Drake's Drum"
2. "Outward Bound"
3. "Devon, O Devon, in Wind and Rain"
4. "Homeward Bound"
5. "The Old Superb" ^[2]

A complete performance takes about 18 minutes.

Haydn Wood (1882-1959), best known for his light music, made an orchestral arrangement of Songs of the Sea, known variously as Stanford Rhapsody and as Westward Ho.^[3]

Songs of the Fleet

Greene was also connected with Songs of the Fleet, premiered at the 1910 Leeds Festival. The texts are:^[4]

1. "Sailing at Dawn"
2. "The Song of the Sou'wester"
3. "The Middle Watch"
4. "The Little Admiral"
5. "Fare Well"

A complete performance takes about 26 minutes.

Notable recordings

• 1928/1933 – Peter Dawson with unnamed men's chorus, orchestra and conductor. His Master's Voice B 2743. (78 rpm)^{[5] [6]}
• 1983 - Benjamin Luxon with the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Norman Del Mar. EMI Records ASD 4401.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Songs of the Sea . . 23 January 2017.
2. This references HMS Superb (1798) under the command of Richard Goodwin Keats in Nelson's chase of the French fleet in 1804-5 to the West Indies and back. See; Hannah, P., A Treasure to the Service, Green Hill, 2021 Ch.8.
3. Web site: YORKSHIRE, THE ISLE OF MAN, PICARDY AND LONDON: THE MUSIC OF HAYDN WOOD . Len . Mullinger . 23 January 2017.
4. Web site: Songs of the Fleet . . 23 January 2017.
5. at 45worlds
6. at 45worlds