Composer

:

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Compose Date

:

1903 - 1906

Publication Date

:

1908

Average_duration

:

1:29

As I Walked Out is a song cycle composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1937. The piece was premiered on 17th November 1937 at the Wigmore Hall in London, with the composer himself accompanying the singer, the tenor Roy Henderson. The cycle consists of nine songs, each of which is based on a traditional English folk tune. The songs are arranged in a specific order, with each one telling a different story. The first song, "As I Walked Out One Morning," sets the tone for the cycle. It is a simple, pastoral tune that describes the beauty of the English countryside. The second song, "The Lover's Ghost," is a haunting ballad about a woman who is haunted by the ghost of her dead lover. The third song, "The Roadside Fire," is a lively tune about a group of travelers who stop to warm themselves by a fire on the side of the road. The fourth song, "The Unquiet Grave," is a melancholy ballad about a man who visits the grave of his dead lover. The fifth song, "The Lawyer," is a humorous tune about a lawyer who tries to outsmart a farmer. The sixth song, "The Soldier," is a poignant ballad about a soldier who is leaving his lover to go to war. The seventh song, "The Last Time I Came O'er the Moor," is a haunting tune about a woman who is waiting for her lover to return from the moors. The eighth song, "The Willow Song," is a beautiful ballad about a woman who is lamenting the loss of her lover. The final song, "The Miller of Dee," is a lively tune about a miller who is content with his simple life. As I Walked Out is a quintessentially English piece of music, with each song drawing on traditional English folk tunes. The cycle is characterized by its simple, pastoral melodies and its evocative storytelling. Vaughan Williams' use of traditional folk tunes gives the piece a timeless quality, and it remains a beloved work in the English choral repertoire.

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