''From the Bavarian Highlands'', Op 27 is a work for choir and orchestra by
Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...
.
It is a set of six choral songs Elgar wrote under the collective title ''Scenes from the Bavarian Highlands'', as a remembrance of a holiday the Elgars had enjoyed in
Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria (german: Oberbayern, ; ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany.
Geography
Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat o ...
, mostly at
Garmisch
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...
, in the autumn of 1894. The song lyrics were adapted to Elgar's music by the composer’s wife
Alice
Alice may refer to:
* Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname
Literature
* Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll
* ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
with words "adapted from the ''
Volkslied
Volkslied (literally: folk song) is a genre of popular songs in German which are traditionally sung. While many of them were first passed orally, several collections were published from the late 18th century. Later, some popular songs were also ...
er'' and ''Schnadahüpfler''" imitating the spirit of the dances. Alice gave the songs sub-titles in recollection of favourite places visited during the holiday. It was originally arranged with piano (1895) then later arranged with orchestral accompaniment (1896). It was dedicated to Mr and Mrs Slingsby Bethell, the proprietors of the Garmisch
pension
A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...
where the Elgars had stayed.
The songs were published by
Joseph Williams & Co. in December 1895, after first having been rejected by
Novello's.
The songs were first performed on 21 April 1896, by the
Worcester Festival Choral Society
Worcester Festival Choral Society (WFCS) is an independent, SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) choir of around 150 amateur singers that presents classical choral concerts at Worcester Cathedral, Worcester. The conductor is Samuel Hudson (Worcester ...
conducted by the composer
image:Garmisch 5.JPG, Mountains viewed from
Garmisch
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...
The six songs are:
*1. The Dance (Sonnenbichl) - ''Allegretto giocoso''
*2. False Love (Wamberg) - ''Allegretto ma moderato''
*3. Lullaby (In Hammersbach (Grainau), Hammersbach) - ''Moderato''
*4. Aspiration (Bei Sankt Anton) - ''Adagio''
*5. On the Alm
[Composer's note: 'A high mountain-pasture.'] (True Love, Hoch Alp) - ''Allegro piacevole''
*6. The Marksmen (Bei
Murnau) - ''Allegro vivace''
Numbers 1, 3 and 6 were later published as a suite for orchestra with the title
Three Bavarian Dances
Three Bavarian Dances, Op. 27, is an orchestral work by Edward Elgar.
It is an arrangement for orchestra of three of the set of six songs titled '' From the Bavarian Highlands''. The original song lyrics were written by the composer’s wife A ...
.
There have been performances and recordings of both the original version with piano and the revised version with orchestra.
References
Sources
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External links
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{{Authority control
Compositions by Edward Elgar
1896 compositions
Choral compositions