(1901

011-1956)

Key Points
W
Z Primarily a song composer

Z Idiosyncratic style
Z Great admirer and, later, friend

of Vaughan Williams
Z Deeply connected with the

English countryside

A Melancholy Childhood

W
Z Youngest of 5 Children
Z Introverted, avid reader
Z The first of his brothers to die did so days before
Finzi's 11th birthday
Z Enthusiastic music pupil, tried to learn "2-3 sonatas a
week"
Z Discouraged by Stanford
Z Farrar and Edgar both killed within a fortnight
during the final months of the war. Finzi was 17

Further Study
W
Z Further composition study with church organist
Edward Bairstow and counterpoint expert R.O.
Morris.
Z Moved to Gloucestershire to be inspired by the
countryside, eventually settling in London.
Z Befriended Arthur Bliss and other young composers
Z Well-received premier of "A Young Man's
Exhortation" (Hardy)

Joy
W
Z Taught at RAM 1930-33
Z Married Joyce "Joy" Black in
1933 and moved to Aldbourne in
1935
Z Lifelong companion
Z Artist, Poet, Sculptor, founder of
Finzi trust
Z Died 1991

Country Life
W
Z Built home at Ashmansworth beginning in 1937
Z Founded and conducted Newbury String Players,
which flourished in the war
Z Published scholarly editions of 17th- and 18thcentruy English works
Z Cultivated and catalogued a 300 or so English apple
tree varieties
Z First performance of masterpiece "Dies Natalis"
delayed a year because of the war
Z Worked in Ministry of Transport '41-'45

Twilight Years
W
Z Worked to promote/publish music of Gurney and
Parry
Z Continued to compose and premiere pieces with
local groups. Three Choirs Festival was a favorite.
Z Diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in 1951
Z During 1956 Gloucester Festival, after successful
premiere of In terra pax, Finzi caught chicken pox
and later died.

Musical Style
W
Z Unconnected to mainland Europe, unlike many
others of his time
Z Deeply influenced by Vaughan Williams,Parry,etc.
Z Extremely text-based composer
Z Melodies generally vary from line to line based on
text, little to no repeat. Criticized for a dearth of
memorable tunes
Z One note per syllable with almost no exception
Z Generally diatonic, traditional-ish harmonic
language

Musical Style cont.

W
Z He was never himself a great pianist,and you can tell
sometimes in his piano writing
Z Somewhat contrapuntal
Z All his songs came from his personal reaction to the
text. He did not employ "word painting" per se, but
was very concerned with text delivery

"To a poet a thousand years hence"

W
Z First heard poem set to music by Clive Carey in 1919
Glastonbury Festival
Z According to Grove, written sometime in the 1920's.
Published in a potpourri set posthumously with 5
other songs, composition dates ranging from the 20's
to '56
Z Buried under Ashmansworth's foundations as his
compositional creed

"To a poet a thousand years hence"

W
I who am dead a thousand years,
And wrote this sweet archaic song,
Send you my words for messengers
The way I shall not pass along.

How shall we conquer? Like a wind

That falls at eve our fancies blow,
And old Maeonides the blind
Said it three thousand years ago.

I care not if you bridge the seas,

Or ride secure the cruel sky,
Or build consummate palaces
Of metal or of masonry.

O friend unseen, unborn, unknown,

Student of our sweet English tongue,
Read out my words at night, alone:
I was a poet, I was young.

But have you wine and music still,

And statues and a bright-eyed love,
And foolish thoughts of good and ill,
And prayers to them who sit above?

Since I can never see your face,

And never shake you by the hand,
I send my soul through time and space
To greet you. You will understand.