Arthur Somervell - Compositions

Compositions

• Operettas: The Enchanted Prince; Princess Zara; Knave of Hearts (Novello); Golden Straw (Curwen); Thomas the Rhymer.
• Orchestral works: Thalassa Symphony in D minor (Boosey); Helen of Kirconnel (Novello); In Arcady (Suite for small orchestra)(Donajowski)
• Choral: Mass; Power of Sound; The Charge of the Light Brigade; Elegy (Chorus and orch.)(Novello); Song of Praise (chorus and orch.)(Metzler); To the Vanguard; Passion of Christ (chorus and orch.)(Boosey); Mass in D minor (Ricordi).
• Concertstuck for violin and orchestra (Augener, 1913). Normandy, symphonic variations for piano and orchestra (1911, Augener). Highland concerto, pianoforte and orchestra (1920). Violin Concerto (1930).
• Chamber music: Quintet for clarinet and strings; Suites, studies and pieces for violin and piano (Augener, Weekes, Williams and Ashdown); Variations for 2 pianos (Augener); pianoforte pieces (Augener; Williams; Leonard; Lucas; Hatzfield; Ashdown; Boosey; Bosworth; Weekes).
• Song-cycles: Maud (1898); A Shropshire Lad (1904); James Lee's Wife (1908); A Broken Arc (1923); Love in Springtime (1901). (Boosey). Windflowers, Cycle for vocal quartet (Boosey).

• Songs: Six songs by Robert Burns (1885-86); Four songs of Innocence (1899); Singing Time, songs for small children (1899): (Boosey; Moore; Lucas; Leonard; Dunn; Gill; Asherberg; Ashdown; Enoch; Forsyth). Part-songs: (Boosey; Ashdown; Novello).
• Musicological and Musical Education works: Rhythmic Gradus for pianoforte (Bosworth); Exercises in sight-reading, etc. (Curwen); Sight-reading, 6 vols (Swan); Sight-reading exercises (Augener); Charts of the rules of Harmony and Counterpoint (Clarendon press).

The "Thalassa" Symphony in D minor (The Sea Symphony), received its world premiere recording in 2011 for CD label Cameo Classics, nearly 100 years after its composition. Written in 1912, the second movement, 'Elegy', commemorates Robert Falcon Scott's death in the Antarctic that year. The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by its Musical Director, Michael Laus. The symphony (of nearly 37 minutes duration) is coupled with two other premiere recordings of British orchestral works, Alexander MacKenzie's Tone Poem, 'La Belle Dame sans Merci', and Josef Holbrooke's Pantomime Suite op.16 on CC9034CD.