The ''Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes'' is a composition for

symphonic orchestra A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

, based on traditional Welsh nursery tunes and

lullabies A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowled ...

, composed by

Grace Williams Grace Mary Williams (19 February 1906 – 10 February 1977) was a Welsh composer, generally regarded as Wales's most notable female composer, and the first British woman to score a feature film. Early life Williams was born in Barry, Glamo ...

in 1940. Although not typical of Williams' work it brought her to prominence and is the composer's most popular work. The orchestration includes the

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

to add a Welsh flavour and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

to evoke memories of childhood.

Composition history

It is not clear when Williams started to compose the ''Fantasia'' but

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

records a meeting with Williams to discuss "her new Welsh variations" on 24 March 1938. Williams claimed that "I tossed it off (i.e. the sketch of it) in an evening" – in a letter to

Idris Lewis Idris Lewis (21 November 1889 – 15 April 1952) was a Welsh conducting, conductor and composer. He worked on the film scores of a number of productions during the 1930s, when he was employed by British International Pictures. He was the Direc ...

(musical director of

British International Pictures Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appro ...

) in June 1942. The last page of the score is annotated "Feb 9th 1940". The ''Fantasia'' may have been modelled on Sir Henry Wood's

Fantasia on British Sea Songs Fantasia on British Sea Songs or Fantasy on British Sea Songs is a medley of British sea songs arranged by Sir Henry Wood in 1905 to mark the centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar. For many years it has been an indispensable item at the BBC's Last N ...

, or the fantasias on folk tunes by

Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

, Williams' teacher, where a number of familiar tunes are joined with original music.

Structure and instrumentation

The work lasts about 11 minutes and is in one movement using eight Welsh tunes. The beginning and end use the quicker tunes which frame a middle section which uses the slower, wistful tunes. Each tune is stated and discussed, and followed by a transition into the next tune. The work finishes with a return to the initial theme. The tunes, in order, are: *''Jim Cro'' – also known as ''Dacw Mam yn Dwâd'' (Here's mummy coming) *''Deryn y Bwn'' (The Bittern) *''Migildi, Magildi'' (nonsense words imitating the sound of a hammer on an anvil) *''Si lwli mabi'' (Sleep my baby) *''Gee Geffyl Bach'' (Gee-up, little horse) *''Cysga Di, Fy Mhlentyn Tlws'' (Sleep, my pretty child) *''Yr eneth ffein ddu'' (Where are you going, my pretty maid?) *''Cadi Ha'' (Summer Katie) The ''Fantasia'' starts at a lively pace (''allegro vivo'') with the tune (''Jim Cro'') played on the

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

. The trumpet, now

muted Protein Muted homolog is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''MUTED'' gene. Function This gene encodes a component of BLOC-1 (biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex 1). Components of this complex are involved in the biogenesi ...

, introduces ''Deryn y Bwn'' (the rhythm of the original tune is adapted to match that of ''Jim Cro''). ''Migildi, Magildi'' starts on the

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

(one bar), then the

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

s (one bar), the glockenspiel again (one bar), and strings again (one bar), before the

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

completes the tune. The slower middle section, marked ''molto tranquillo'' (very calmly), begins with ''Si lwli mabi'' on

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

; followed by ''Gee Geffyl Bach'' on

french horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

; and ends with ''Cysga Di, Fy Mhlentyn Tlws'' (on oboe and

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

). The last section returns to the lively pace of the opening with a reprise of ''Jim Cro'' before ''Yr eneth ffein ddu'' is introduced on oboe and

violins The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

. The last new tune (''Cadi Ha'') is also introduced on trumpet, before the ''Fantasia'' finishes with a return to ''Jim Cro''. The ''Fantasia'' is written for a full orchestra: *

Woodwind Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...

: 2 flutes (II +

piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

), 2 oboes, 2

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

s, and 2 bassoons *

Brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

: 2 trumpets, 4 french horns, and 3

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

s (2 tenor and 1 bass) *Percussion:

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...

, 2 players (

side drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used in ...

cymbals A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three Edge (geometry), edges and three Vertex (geometry), vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, an ...

, and glockenspiel) *Strings: harp, violins,

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

s, and

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

Performance

The ''Fantasia'' was given its first performance by the

BBC Northern Orchestra The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting symphony orchestra and is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Philharmonic is a department of the BBC North Group division based at MediaC ...

conducted by

Eric Fogg Charles William Eric Fogg (21 February 190319 December 1939) was an English composer, conductor and BBC broadcaster. His early works were influenced by Igor Stravinsky, though his later pieces owe more to Granville Bantock and Richard Strauss and ...

on 29 October 1941 in a broadcast by the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

. Performances throughout Wales followed (with premieres by the

National Youth Orchestra of Wales The National Youth Orchestra of Wales (NYOW, cy, Cerddorfa Genedlaethol Ieuenctid Cymru) is the national youth orchestra of Wales, based in Cardiff. Founded in 1945, it is the longest-standing national youth orchestra in the world. Organisat ...

and

Welsh National Opera Welsh National Opera (WNO) ( cy, Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru) is an opera company based in Cardiff, Wales; it gave its first performances in 1946. It began as a mainly amateur body and transformed into an all-professional ensemble by 1973. In its ...

in 1946) and the good reception led to the first recording a few years later. Another performance of ''Fantasia'' by the National Youth Orchestra of Wales (NYOW) in 1952 was followed by performances of works by Williams in 1953, 1954, and 1955 (''Penillion'' – which was commissioned and premiered by NYOY). Tension between Williams and the orchestra's management resulted in Williams refusing permission to allow the NYOW to perform her works. A change in management was followed by a performance of ''Fantasia'' by the orchestra in 1968. A commercially successful recording of ''Fantasia'' (with works by other Welsh composers) by the NYOW followed in 1969 and sold 20,000 copies in less than a year.

Reception and reviews

The immediate popularity of the ''Fantasia'', especially in war-time Wales, helped Williams to become more widely known, and it is still her most popular work and an important part of her output. The ''Fantasia'' has been described as "deliciously scored, whimsical, touching and light-hearted by turns". Guy and Llewelyn-Jones note that the use of percussion emphasises the "colours and imagery of childhood" and the harp "adds some strong Celtic flavour". Cotterill notes that "The Fantasia's greatest achievement, however, in spite of its necessarily fragmented nature and thematic diversity, is that it retains a sophisticated level of cohesion that Hen Walia n earlier workfails to approach by more confidently deploying its traditional material." Mathias describes it as "a work of bold and colourful tonal contrasts". By contrast, Boyd notes that "the harmonizations are often heavy and conventional, and the structure loose". He also compares the orchestration unfavourably with that of Hoddinott's ''Welsh Dances'' (Set 1 – 1956; Set 2 – 1969) and Mathias's ''Celtic Dances'' (1972). The ''Fantasia'' remains popular with performers both young and old.

Williams' attitudes to the ''Fantasia''

Williams clearly felt affection for ''Fantasia'': and: but feared that its success might limit the BBC's enthusiasm for new works (as had happened with ''Hen Walia'' earlier in her career). In 1957 Williams successfully lobbied for ''Penillion'' (1955) rather than the ''Fantasia'' ("that old work") to be scheduled for the 1958

Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

season. In 1968 the National Youth Orchestra of Wales ran a competition to attract young composers but failed to find any suitable compositions, so planned to return to the ''Fantasia''. Williams suggested various composers but none had entered the competition so, to Williams' dismay, the ''Fantasia'' was scheduled again including a performance at the

Eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, a ...

that year. This led to another recording (along with other works by Welsh composers).

Recordings

The ''Fantasia'' was first recorded in 1949 by the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

, conducted by

Mansel Thomas Mansel Treharne Thomas, (12 June 1909 – 8 January 1986) was a Welsh composer and conductor, who worked mainly in South Wales. He was one of the most influential musicians of his generation, known as a composer, conductor and adjudicator. He ...

, paid for by the Welsh Recorded Music Society (later to become the Welsh Music Guild), and released on a 78 rpm record. It was the first recording of a work by a female Welsh composer. The recording was later included in the

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

catalogue. Recordings include: *London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mansel Thomas (78 rpm, 1949 and on LP, 1950,

AK1999-2000 and LX3025) *

conducted by Arthur Davison (LP, 1969, Music for Pleasure SMFP2129) *London Symphony Orchestra conducted by

Sir Charles Groves Sir Charles Barnard Groves CBE (10 March 191520 June 1992) was an English conductor. He was known for the breadth of his repertoire and for encouraging contemporary composers and young conductors. After accompanying positions and conducting v ...

(''Grace Williams'' (also includes ''Carillons'', ''Penillion'', ''Trumpet Concerto'', and ''Sea Sketches''), LP, 1974,

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

ASD3006 and CD, 1995,

Lyrita Lyrita is a British European classical music, classical music record label, specializing in the works of List of British classical composers, British composers. Lyrita began releasing LP album, LPs in October 1959 as Lyrita Recorded Edition f ...

SRCD323)) *

Royal Ballet Sinfonia The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is the orchestra of Birmingham Royal Ballet. The Sinfonia appears with Birmingham Royal Ballet in its home town, in London and around the United Kingdom, UK, and frequently appears with The Royal Ballet at the Royal Ope ...

conducted by Andrew Penny (CD, 1999,

Naxos Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best abr ...

8.225048)

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

* Includes a viewable score of the ''Fantasia''
Conductor's score and parts on hire
–

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

Short extract of the ''Fantasia''
– BBC Music {{DEFAULTSORT:Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes Compositions for symphony orchestra Compositions by Grace Williams 1940 compositions Fantasias (music)