Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus

Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus is a work for harp and string orchestra by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The composition is based on the folk tune "Dives and Lazarus", which is known by different titles according to region; :

• "The Star of the County Down" (Ireland)
• "Gilderoy" (Scotland)
• "The Thresher"
• "Cold blows the wind"
• "The Murder of Maria Martin" (Norfolk)

Vaughan Williams composed the work on commission from the 1939 World's Fair in New York City. The first performance was at Carnegie Hall in June 1939, conducted by Sir Adrian Boult. Boult also directed the first UK performance in November 1939 in Bristol.

The folk tune was also arranged by Vaughan Williams as a hymn tune "Kingsfold", appearing most commonly as "O Sing a Song of Bethlehem, but also as "I Heard the Voice of Jesus."

Sections

The structure, key and tempo markings for the work are as follows:

• Introduction and Theme: Adagio, B modal minor
• Variant I: B modal minor
• Variant II: Allegro moderato, B modal minor
• Variant III: D modal minor
• Variant IV: L'istesso tempo
• Variant V: Adagio, B modal minor

References

Links

• Web page on Ralph Vaughan Williams, entry of Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus
• Michael Kennedy, biographer