Ralph Vaughan Williams: "A Song of Thanksgiving"

FOR THE TEXT OF THIS WORK, SEE BELOW.
The BBC asked RVW to write a "thanksgiving anthem" to mark the end of World War 2 and this is the result. Originally called "Thanksgiving for Victory", it was later re-named and has been recorded several times. A lesser composer might have regarded such a commission as a mere 'job-of-work' - an occasional piece that would be performed once or twice and then forgotten; but Vaughan Williams, of course, gave it his all and came up with a work of poignant sincerity and emotional power; patriotic but never jingoistic or triumphalist. He selected the text himself from the bible, Shakespeare and Rudyard Kipling.
This performance is to be found on a DUTTON disc. Sir Adrian Boult conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Luton Choral Society and members of Luton Girls' Choir. The soprano soloist is Betty Dolemore and the speaker was Robert Speight. It was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios on 18th December 1951.
SOPRANO SOLO AND CHORUS
Blessed art thou, O Lord God of our fathers; and to be praised and
exalted above all for ever.
And blessed is thy glorious and holy Name; and to be praised and
glorified above all for ever.
Blessed art thou in the temple of thine holy glory; and to be praised
and exalted above all for ever.
Blessed art thou on the glorious throne of thy kingdom, and to be
praised and glorified above all forever.
Song of the Three Holy Children, vv. 29, 30, 31 & 33
SPEAKER
O God, thy arm was here,
And not to us, but to thy arm alone
Ascribe we all. Take it, God, for it is none but thine.
Henry V, Act IV, Sc. 8
CHORUS
Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power and the glory.
Thine is the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and
earth is thine.
Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.
I Chronicles XXIX, v. 2
SOPRANO SOLO
O give thanks unto the Lord because he is gracious:
For his mercy endureth for ever.
Song of the Three Holy Children, v. 67
SPEAKER AND CHORUS
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath
anointed me to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of
the prison to them that are bound, to comfort all the mourn; to
give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
Isaiah, LXI, vv. 1, 2, 3
CHORUS
Go through, go through the gates, prepare ye the way of the people;
cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones.
Lift up a standard for the people.
Behold, the lord hath proclaimed unto the ends of the world,‐say ye,
"Behold thy salvation cometh, Behold, his reward is with him and
his work before him."
And they shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the lord:
and thou shalt be called "Sought out," a city not forsaken.
Isaiah, LXII, vv. 10, 11, 12
SPEAKER
And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former
desolations. And they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations
of many generations.
Isaiah, LXI, v. 4
SPEAKER
Violence shall be no more heard in thy land,
wasting nor destruction within thy borders;
but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
CHORUS
But thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.
Isaiah, LX, v. 18
CHILDRENS' VOICES
Land of our birth, we pledge to thee
Our love and toil in the years to be;
When we are grown and take our place
As men and women with our race.
Father in Heaven who lovest all,
O help thy children when they call.
That they may build from age to age
An undefiled heritage.
CHORUS
Teach us the strength that cannot seek,
By deed, or thought, to hurt the weak;
That, under thee, we may possess
Man's strength to comfort man's distress.
Teach us delight in simple things,
The mirth that has no bitter springs;
Forgiveness free of evil done,
And love to all men 'neath the sun.
ALL VOICES
Land of our birth, our faith, our pride,
For whose dear sake our fathers died;
O Motherland, we pledge to thee,
Head, heart and hand through the years to be.
Rudyard Kipling
SOPRANO SOLO
The Lord shall be thine everlasting light,
And the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Isaiah LX, v. 20

[@natachagrant8]

Thank You Lord!!!

[@JOYMARIAMACK]

THANK YOU "ALL" MIGHTY GOD. AMEN

[@MichaelVanderosen]

...Also had not heard this before... such a magnificent, humbling and fitting Thanksgiving... RVW at his spirited grandest and most heartfelt ... I was born during WWII... many of the children in those pics will be older than I now or passed into the Light...what I find so poignant and painful is where we are today and the tragic socio-political-religious strife still plaguing and pulling us apart in so many places on our planet home... the torch my generation passes on is somewhat tenuous and flickering but alight still with rays of Hope... Thank you Colin for another lovely mix of sound and sight! :-))

[@271250cl]

+Michael Vanderosen Yes, Michael, many composers - asked for an anthem to mark the end of the war - would probably have knocked something off quite quickly, knowing it was unlikely to be performed much once the celebrations were over. But RVW sees to have invested some of his most heartfelt music into this. I was born in the early 50s, so I too felt some affinity with those kids in the pictures. Sadly I wasn't able to use the best recording of the piece which features Sir John Gielgud because the label (Hyperion) won't allow their recordings to be uploaded to KZbin. If you get a chance to hear it, I promise you'll love it. Gielgud is matchless in the role.

[@beverlyheckard8614]

Beautiful images; thank you so much for taking time to prepare this and post it; quite nice to listen to in the afternoon.

[@271250cl]

Glad you liked it, Beverly.

[@dennispearson9287]

This Video is A Masterpiece !!!...The Most Perfect Fusion of Music and Photography I Have Ever Seen On KZbin !!!....I Wish There Was An Oscar Category For " Best Vaughan Williams Video !! Surely This Epic Video Would Be The Hands Down Winner !!!.....Colin Your Complete Mastery of Your Craft Has Elevated this Genre Into A True Art- Form , And Blessing to Millions !!!.....

[@271250cl]

Dennis - So sorry I didn't see this comment earlier. Many thanks for you kind response; it really means a lot to me that people respond so positively to these little videos and feel that they enhance the music a little. Not that this magisterial music needs enhancement!

[@philipchance5454]

Incredible work by RVW. Thank you.

[@dennispearson809]

What a magnificent composition!!! Who else but vaugh Williams could have captured so great a moment in human history with such glorious music !? It is no small wonder that vaugh Williams was summoned eight years later to compose music for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth!! I mean who better to rise to the occasion !!? Wouldn't it be great to hear this composition resounding from st.peters basilica and all the cathedrals of England during the upcoming canonization of cardinal Newman !!!? Think. About. It !!!? The next dream vedeo would be this same composition , but this time with episodes in the life of cardinal Newman!!! Would somebody please step up and make this happen?!!!.

[@billstamford1043]

With the present day playing of RVW I feel that the past sentiments are the only supportive values to retain . If I allow the present excuse for a country to take center stage then all is lost. Thank Goodness for the past, for there is no shame to drift into it's comforting arms to dream wonderious support and love.

[@Stan-ih8wu]

I discovered this piece several months ago and have listened to it dozens of times since. The recording, of a 1992 free concert in Salt Lake City USA featuring Frederica von Stade (soprano), Marion Hanks (speaker), the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Salt Lake Children’s Chorus, and the Utah Symphony Orchestra (Joseph Silverstein), is on the London label. For me, it is a wonderful performance. Thank you, Colin, for this moving video. The heart-rending and hopeful pictures, and your inclusion of the texts, are fitting and nice.

[@271250cl]

+1Stan354 Glad you enjoyed it Stan. That American performance sounds exciting - I'll check it out.

[@Radda001]

This evening, just before sunset time, we lit two Candles and welcomed The Sabbath followed by sharing kiddush wine, cholla bread, a solemn supper and thanksgiving This time we rejoiced and celebrated Shabbat, more enlightened and inspired Shabbat Shalom Colin. Thank you for sharing 'The Song of Thanksgiving''

[@271250cl]

You are most welcome. Wishing you and those you love a very peaceful Sabbath.

[@robertpeters2676]

It's wonderful RVW wasn't an ivory-tower composer who feels "above" music like this. It has an important place in the affections of people who hear it and deserves a place in the repertoire of choirs which sing it.

[@buzzbrayable]

What a magnificent, beautiful performance! And the pictures you chose! Altogether a deeply moving experience. Thank you for posting!

[@271250cl]

Thanks again, Buzz. If you like this sort of thing, do subscribe to my channel where you'll see all my videos listed.

[@bachandefi]

Beautiful music by the genius and breath taking scenes to go with it. Thanks again Colin ; )

[@nikolaiharris937]

This is absolutely splendid, and masterfully joined with powerful and moving photography. Thank you!

[@malcolmosman6111]

A masterful combination of images and music! Quite superb and uplifting! Thank you!

[@pabmusic1]

You always cloak the music in the most glorious (and appropriate) raiment. Thank you. I have loved this for years, playing in it once. RVW was a non-believer, and it probably needed such a person to create a truly universal work. "Forgiveness free of evil done, and love for all men 'neath the sun"...

[@FranciscoFerrerGaliana1930]

Sencillamente ""GRANDIOSO""..¡¡¡

[@WilcoG]

WOW!

[@jantyszka1036]

This is such an admirable piece of music - VW combines a sense of thankfulness for victory and peace with a solemn warning not to let it happen again.

[@MegaHema1984]

it make me cry again.. and now not enough voice to sing the alto part

[@britanniafirst1254]

Thank you God, for being British.

[@paolotrestin5180]

british colonization, during 3 centuries, killed millions of innocent people...a terrible genocide, with the full complicity of the anglican church !!!

[@timh.7283]

Thanks Colin. A piece I hadn't heard before. Almost unbearably poignant at times.

[@271250cl]

Thanks Tim. Yes, RVW invested a lot of very good music into what is, after all, an occasional piece, unlikely ever to be to be played much in modern times.

[@kaybeenullenvoyde9196]

Oh, the poignancie...