His "knighting" was by the Holy Spirit of God, whether the great composer sought or knew that, or not. Natural genius raised to the transcendent level...

Classic FM have recently started playing this piece!

He was offered a knighthood, but refused it, preferring, it seemed, his doctorate. He did, however, accept the Order of Merit, which is a personal gift of the sovereign.

@@sidpheasant7585 It's intersting that he always described himself as "a cheerful agnositc" though he certainly strikes me as a spiritual person.

@@johnglasspool6785 His work is vastly spiritual and much of it specifically designed for church. Yet He also believed something mysterious about the land, I think. Bizzarely perhaps, from our p.o.v., he went to fight in WW1 despite being beyond the age limit. He was with the stretchers (of course he would be), but then with the Guns that made him deaf! He aso led a military band (of course he would!) Perhaps that was a utopian-socialist side of him? But if we have faith, and if we see the way things are, we KNOW the Holy Spirit would not permit a great number of pieces we have in church through to this day develop in the hands of somebody who did not care (for) what he was doing. It's just inconceivable. Years later British atheist (and former choirboy) Simon Le Bon helped generate that beautiful, divine, healing masterpiece called "Ordinary World", with its very non-random religious-sounding lyrics. Don't even know if this a slightly "playful" side to the Holy Spirit, but the result is anyway something replete with love and beauty. Likewise Holst's "Planets", and of course was Her Late Majesty's funeral, when our so very non-spiritual country suddenly found itself a beacon of meaning and unity and gratitude and order in the evil craziness of 2022! Not random at all, all of this...

🥲🥲absolutely

And the same feeling from England to Japan. I always believe there is kindred connection between these two islands.

@@TheManOfSteel89 Thank-you so much to your wonderful and impressive comments Currently everywhere in Japan is covered with the faint scent and the color of light pink of cherry blossoms The cherry blossoms are in full bloom everywhere , where is on the banks of rivers , on the hills , in the private gardens , in the parks , on the mountains and in the streets . Someday please visit Japan Marvellous scenery , amazing landscape , wonderful cityscape , splendid old buildings , Japanese delicious foods and heartfelt hospitality wait for you . Be on the alert for Covid - １９ Good luck ！

Some of my happiest times were walking in the Japanese hills and also finding the same peace in the temple gardens. The people were so good to me. I was at home. Most nights I slept in the hills.

​@@TheManOfSteel89 Don't ask me to explain why but l've always had that same feeling...

Thank you , Japan and England have much in common especially for the love of music,literature,and countryside.

Thank you, your words exactly express my feelings 🕊

Well, I cannot echo the sentiment not being from England but I heartily acknowledge the sentiment. My friend, there will be a new Heaven and Earth, and May it be that the Lord God will indeed renew England.

Beautiful comment. And obviously, Vaughan-Williams loved England with all his heart and soul.

@@arnoldronning5471 aa

An England that seems to be slipping away now I feel 😢

My exact feelings. Just love this piece of music.

Be cheered, I still work on farms, love my sheep and cattle xx

Thanks, as always, for your kind comment Lee. I'm glad you're enjoying the channel.

Not at all. This score is uplifting and provides great comfort and strength. I don’t sense a ‘hippyish’ time in the slightest! A glass of vino is the course :)

Mark - I'm a bit late in replying! But you are right - enjoy your vino!

I think though ol Ralph had that 'touch' he's grown on me over the years and I literally am taken away to somewhere beautiful

Glad you enjoyed it Douglas. I suspect some of Vaughan Williams' music probably has been used in films; certainly he wrote the score for "The 49th Parallel", a wartime propaganda film, which I've uploaded elsewhere at kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ndacn9N5stTbmYE.html&ab_channel=DavidHarris

Also, the music for "Scott of the Antarctic" was paralleled in his Antarctic Symphony (not quite sure which came first).

Dan - you nailed it - 'higher reality'

absolutely a lost world, you feel you could walk into the pictures..

@@andycollinge3996 Dear God, if only.

....and from another time altogether. 🍸🍸🍸

It's a pleasure Peter, I'm glad you enjoyed the video and thought the paintings complemented the music. As you imply, music like this can raise us from the quotidian, if only for a while.

Glad you enjoyed it Sandy and thanks for your kind comment.

It's a pleasure, I'm glad you enjoyed it Rusty. And thank you for your personal insights into the piece.

David Harris Thank you, David, so much. My “personal insights” mean little: This piece makes me weep with its beauty and depth. 💔

@@shodanart Exquisitely expressed, Rusty

Wow

Mr. Walker, For many years, I have felt the fender passages of this nostalgic piece mellow its way into the gyri of my brain. I listen to it often and, now that you have expressed its bearing "... sadness that comes with ... love and loss ..." I more fully grasp how and why its emotionally charged strains take me back into my son's delightful childhood, invoked all the more by his untimely, tragic death at age 50. thank you for your insight.

Glad you enjoyed it Rusty. One of VW's earlier pieces, which, rather surprisingly, he withdrew. I can't see why myself.

@@davidharris2844 Thank you for the reply, David. I’m listening again. Thank you for posting this fine piece. It’s so interesting that creatives have such doubt in their works. I’ve been a fine artist since 1971. I look back at an occasional photo that survived of a work of art some forty years ago that I’d decided to destroy. And, now four decades later wonder why I was so critical and wish I had it back.

@@shodanart Hi Rusty, nice to hear from you again. I think it's probably a good thing to have a certain amount of self doubt, without it complacency and arrogance would creep in. Having said that, I agree with you that people can be over critical of themselves, and I too regret having got rid of some of my youthful efforts, (in my case bits of writing). Perhaps we tend to be more concerned with how others see us and anything we might create when we are younger.

Glad you enjoyed the video Deborah and thank you for your kind comment. The Serenade in A Minor is one of Vaughan Williams' early pieces and, remarkably, one which he actually withdrew. It's hard to imagine why. Best wishes.

@@davidharris2844 hi David, just wondering what RVW withdrew this piece from? Do you mean his general repertoire?

@@jamess7048 Hi James, as far as I know the Serenade, without the Romance, was first played in 1901, but then withdrawn by the composer in 1908, after a performance in London. The Romance was added later, but, again as far as I know, never played. It was his first orchestral work and it is possible he intended to come back to it. I believe this 2012 cd release is its premiere recording.

Pleasure, glad you're finding a few you like.

Pleasure, glad you enjoyed it Karen.

All too easy, in this day and age, to long for an imagined idyllic lost past - I know I do sometimes. Pleased you enjoyed the video anyway John.

That's because it is what we were made for John. Hang onto it.

David Harris If it was a stark choice David between the workhouses and terrible working conditions of the Industrial revolution, or the beautiful paintings of the British countryside, I know where I would rather be, imagined or otherwise! That comment aside, I always very much like and appreciate your KZfaq classical music videos with perfect complementary artwork.Thankyou.

Visit West Wales. You will find a place lost in time. No trains, few buses and no pavements. We still plough and Harrow with horses on our farm and the only sounds we hear are the birds, the wind and the animals. Our farm built in 1537. Not much has changed apart from glass in the windows and intermittent electricity. We still rely on oil lamps. 😍

Hi Tony, glad you are managing to find a few videos to enjoy on the channel.

Glad you enjoyed it Deborah. Some of the paintings do have a rather idyllic feel about them, probably not terribly accurate depictions of the times. I suspect, in reality, there was a fair bit of poverty and hunger in the countryside. Best wishes.

@@davidharris2844 Oh, undoubtedly the peasant farmers were poor unlikely to have had educated opportunities, but hard working most likely simple people with daydreams too. One can romanticize the bucolic existence tho. The paintings are superb when a bit of color appears in their wardrobe against the natural colors of the landscape. I am smitten with the skies as I used to spend a lot of time on my skies. So real looking.

Pleasure, glad you enjoyed it Laura.

@@davidharris2844 I still am a year later. So lovely.

@@lauradavidson4326 That's nice to learn, thanks for letting me know Laura. It's such an affecting piece of music.

Vă mulțumim pentru comentariul dvs. amabil Adela, mă bucur că v-a plăcut videoclipul.

Je suis content que vous ayez apprécié la vidéo Francis, c’est certainement un beau morceau de musique.

Thank you so deeply. You are a true writer: you agile and heartfelt words give the glow of empathy and love to this music -- and indeed, sanctify it with the blessing and truth that live forever and justify our lives.

Phyllis Hamilton - Thank you for your kind words, the rich tones of RVW are captured here in their meaning, we who understand, all feel it.

England my England

Not forever. Life is fragile but resilient and may it be that humanity will recognize that they are stewards of the Earth, not its owners.

Arnold Ronning - we are all ‘passengers on a journey’, a few gifted and talented people do manage to achieve greatness and leave perpetual imprints of their existence for the benefit of mankind, Shakespeare and Bach spring to mind, but not forgetting RVW of course. Most of us, on the other hand unfortunately slide into obscurity.

One of mine too. I think it's a marvellous piece of music, by turns haunting and stirring.

me too I love the little high flute / pipe at 4:44

Vaughan Williams does not really compose pieces of music, Mr. Evans,but, instead, takes you along a path through a landscape of which he has painted pictures.

@@awaitthegroom do you also like the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus by Stuart Mitchell from his 7 Wonders Suite. I love them both, especially because of the woodwind

Pleasure, glad you enjoyed it Julian.

It's a pleasure Thom. It's one of Vaughan Williams' early pieces, which he withdrew for some reason.

Hi Deborah, glad you're still enjoying the channel. Ah, lovely Sussex. I grew up there in a little place called Rottingdean. I live in a very beautiful part of the north east now, but I still pine for the gentle downs and the song of the lark that seemed to be ever present. Still, you can't have it all. Anyway, best wishes to you and your brother, and thanks for your continuing support. David

Glad you enjoyed it Samuel.

Pleasure. It's a wonderful piece of music, I agree. Hope all's well and that you're still penning away.

Pleasure, glad you enjoyed the video.

Isn't it wonderful how music can stir the imaginings? I'm really pleased that you enjoy my channel and thanks for the kind comment.

Yes exactly as Thomas Hardy would say.

Ah the power of music and art. It clears the fog and soothes the troubled mind. Glad you enjoyed it.

Dzięki za piękny wiersz Jan.

Pleasure, he's one of my favourites too. And I think this is a particularly wonderful piece of music.

Pleasure, glad you enjoyed it Mark.

Brilliant

@@michaelcunningham3540 Thank-you so much to your reply ！ How is your great country ？ Japan , especially Tokyo is cruel and hustle and bustle with the Coronavirus infection . In Tokyo , there are no pedestrians in the main street . Just talking is infected within 2 meters . Be careful with Coronavirus infection . Don't be careless . Good luck ！

Pleasure as always Malena. Hope you enjoyed your lunch.

​​​​@@davidharris2844 I am the grateful one....!!🌴💚🌿🎵🌻✨️🍷...cheers

Really pleased you enjoyed it. It is a beautiful piece of music.

So pleased you enjoy the channel Ewa. You can't go far wrong with beautiful music and beautiful paintings.

Glad you enjoyed it Jonathan. It's one of VW's very early works, which, for some reason, he withdrew. Can't think why, because it is, as you say, beautiful.

@@davidharris2844 I'm a birdwatcher David but cannae go far at the moment re the virus. April is THE month for me but only doing local, no driving walks. Heartbraking really because it saved my life but no Padley, Upper Derwent, Win hill etc at the mo. Only see my little lady once a week in her back garden because she's self isolating with her son. So these vids are wonderful compensations of my & England's magnificent countryside. VW, Van morrison, Gainsborough, Mozart, The Dubliners etc, I'm taking all these treasures with me as I hang in there, walking locally. God bless the NHS, amazing people. Your contributions are invaluable too David..

Hi Jonathan and thanks for your kind comment. I wouldn't describe myself as a birdwatcher, but I certainly like watching birds and try and get out every day to do so. I'm lucky in that the place where I live is surrounded by nice walks, it must be difficult for people who live in towns and cities at the moment. Still, the countryside isn't going to go away, we just have to be patient.

@@davidharris2844 Hi David, just a quick update. Been to all my aforementioned places, even saw the lammergeier at Derwent. North cave, Potteric, etc, like old friends. Just supping some Tullamore dew & revisiting vids from early spring which helped enormously. I trust you're well etc..

@@jonathanwilkinson1461 Hi Jonathan, glad you've been getting out and about again, you never feel the worse for a bit of fresh air. It's strange how these oddities crop up from time to time, but they don't always fare so well. I saw a hoopoe once when I was living on the south coast, but I heard on the news a week or so later that it had died in a spell of cold and wet weather - shame. Anyway, best wishes for now.

Glad you enjoyed it Marty. It's one of VW's early pieces and strangely, to my ears at least, he wasn't overly pleased with it and withdrew it.

An early piece which VW, apparently, wasn't satisfied with, as he withdrew it. Can't see why myself. Hope all's well.

Glad you enjoyed it Jan.

Well a because clarinet is contributing to the whole picture, and when somebody compliments this piece, the clarinet is automatically included.

Yes, Kara I was thinking about that clarinet when I came across your question. The clarinet stands out as does the English horn in is making this piece adding to its haunting charm. ❤️

Kara Heckford - I agree Kara the clarinet, in particular does make sparkling and important contributions to ‘tensions’ created here within the music. It’s bird-song like responses add tonal distance, it’s as though nature’s voices are calling to each other across a valley in conversation with the English Horn and other instruments. The combined effect is emotional and deeply moving..

@Kara H I was immediately drawn to the lovely clarinet as I played clarinet for many years and never came close to this perfection.

Pleasure, glad you enjoyed it Tyron.

Pleasure, glad you enjoyed it.

And to you and yours Jan. Best wishes.