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Yesterday I went to a concert of 20th century English music played by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.  One of the pieces was The Lark Ascending, by Vaughan Williams.

I found it incredibly lovely.  It has been said of this work: 'By no other composer is the interdependence of man and nature more movingly expressed' (Wilfrid Mellers).

The English Pastoral movement aimed to promote and defend the landscape against the rise of industrialism. Writers who did this included Thomas Hardy, and Vaughan Williams did it with music.


The French composer Olivier Messiaen also had a passion for bird songs and incorporated them into his music.






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  1. Hermes9 September 2011 at 19:44

    One of my favourite pastoral pieces. Glad you enjoyed it.

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  2. tina9 September 2011 at 20:57

    Very mellow and stirring at the same time.

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  3. Diana Studer10 September 2011 at 07:56

    (AScending - just between us)

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  4. Sue Catmint10 September 2011 at 19:59

    Hi Hermes, thanks for the comment.

    Dear Tina, yes, I also found it quite melancholy.

    Dear Diana, thanks so much - what a silly billy I was.

    cheers, catmint

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  5. Gardener in the Distance11 September 2011 at 00:12

    Hi there Catmint,
    I went to the same concert at the Melbourne Recital Centre tonight, and was absolutely wowed. ALL of it was excellent. The Lark Ascending - you could hear a pin drop - and the William Walton/Edith Sitwell was incredible - a sort of Modernist T S Eliot meets Lewis Carroll.

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  6. Stephanie11 September 2011 at 17:48

    Nice music and sound of the birds chirping! Love all three works. Thanks catmint for sharing these beautiful musics. Hope you have a great weekend!

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  7. Pauline12 September 2011 at 23:38

    Beautiful, beautiful music of Vaughan Williams, almost felt I was there with you - wish I could have been, definitely my sort of music.

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  8. Sue Catmint13 September 2011 at 09:02

    Dear Faisal, it was a truly memorable concert. That is a great way to describe the quirkiness of the Walton / Sitwell piece. I did think of Alice.

    Hi Steph, so pleased you like the music.

    Hi Pauline, somthing else we have in common: 1. Wimbledon 2. Vaughan Williams appreciation,

    cheers, catmint

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  9. Wendy15 September 2011 at 12:43

    that's just lovely. I heard a piece on NPR the other day about music themed after bees. that was very interesting! i wonder if the whole collection of songs is on their website.

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  10. Wendy15 September 2011 at 12:44

    Awesome! here it is!
    http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2011/08/25/139857016/the-bees-knees-music-with-a-definite-buzz

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  11. Rohrerbot15 September 2011 at 13:42

    That is incredibly beautiful. Thank you for sharing! I'm going to find this little gem and download.

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