Why Beauty Matters XII: A Shropshire Lad, by George Butterworth

"A Shropshire Lad” by George Butterworth is a beautiful and poignant musical setting of poems by A.E. Housman. Butterworth’s compositions capture the pastoral and melancholic themes of Housman’s poetry, reflecting on the fleeting nature of youth, love, and the countryside.

Key Aspects of Butterworth’s “A Shropshire Lad”:

Musical Interpretation: Butterworth’s music enhances the emotional depth of Housman’s words, using lyrical melodies and rich harmonies to evoke the English countryside and the bittersweet themes of the poems.

Historical Context: Composed in the early 20th century, the work is often seen as a reflection of pre-World War I England, capturing a sense of nostalgia and loss.

Personal Connection: Butterworth himself was deeply connected to the themes of the poems, and his own life was tragically cut short in World War I, adding a layer of poignancy to the music.

The Composer

Lt. George Butterworth MC numbered among many promising young British composers whose lives were snuffed out in the First World War (shot by a German sniper, his body never recovered amongst the carnage, hence the poppies in the first slide). He died in 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. An immense loss to his family and friends, and to British music, his compositions were of the first rank.

His "Shropshire Lad" Rhapsody - a sort of orchestral postlude to his earlier song cycle "A Shropshire Lad" – employs a normal sized symphony orchestra, and was first performed on 2 October 1913 at the Leeds Festival, conducted by Arthur Nikisch. It was influential upon Vaughan Williams (A Pastoral Symphony), Gerald Finzi (A Severn Rhapsody) and Ernest Moeran (First Rhapsody).

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Conductor: Sir Neville Marriner
(c) DECCA 1975 468-802-2