Boughton Rutland Boughton

Rutland Boughton (23 January 1878 – 25 January 1960) was an English composer who became well known in the early 20th century as a composer of opera and choral music.

His oeuvre includes three symphonies, several concertos, part-songs, songs, chamber music and opera (which he called "music drama" after Wagner). His best known work was the opera The Immortal Hour. His Bethlehem (1915), based on the Coventry Nativity Play and notable for its choral arrangements of traditional Christmas carols, also became very popular with choral societies worldwide.

Among his many works, the prolific Boughton composed a complete series of five operas of Arthurian mythos, written over a period of thirty-five years: The Birth of Arthur (1909), The Round Table (1915–16), The Lily Maid (1933–34), Galahad (1943–44) and Avalon (1944–45). Other operas by Boughton include The Moon Maiden (1918); Alkestis (1920–22); and The Ever Young (1928–29).

Through the Boughton Trust (see below), many of his major works have been recorded and are available on disc including The Immortal Hour, Bethlehem, Symphony No 1 Oliver Cromwell, Symphony No 2 Deirdre, Symphony No 3, Oboe Concerto No 1, string quartets and various chamber pieces and songs.

In addition to his compositions, Boughton is remembered for his attempt to create an "English Bayreuth" at Glastonbury, establishing the first series of Glastonbury Festivals. They ran with enormous success from 1914 until 1926.

Compositions (selective list)

Dramatic

Music-Drama

• The Birth of Arthur (1909)
• The Immortal Hour (1912–13)
• Bethlehem (1915)
• The Round Table (1915–16)
• Alkestis (1920–22)
• The Queen of Cornwall (1923–24)
• The Ever Young (1928–29)
• The Lily Maid (1933–34)
• Galahad (1943–44)
• Avalon (1944–45)

Shorter dramatic works

• The Chapel in Lyonesse (1904)
• Agincourt (1918)
• The Moon Maiden (1918)

Ballet

• Death Dance of Grania (1912)
• Snow White (1914)
• The Death of Columbine (1918)
• May Day (1926–27)

Incidental music

• Dante and Beatrice (c. 1902)
• The Land of Heart's Desire (1917)
• Little Plays of St Francis (1924–25)
• Isolt (1935)

Orchestral

• A Summer Night, symphonic poem (1899, revised 1903)
• The Chilterns, symphonic suite (1900)
• Britannia, symphonic march (1901)
• Variations on a Theme of Purcell (1901)
• Imperial Elegy: Into the Everlasting, symphonic poem (1901)
• Troilus and Cressida (Thou and I), symphonic poem (1902)
• School for Scandal, overture (1903)
• Symphony No. 1, Oliver Cromwell (1904–05)
• Love in Spring, symphonic poem (1906)
• Three Folk Dances, for string orchestra (1912)
• The Round Table, overture (1916)
• The Queen of Cornwall, overture (1926)
• Symphony No. 2, Deirdre (1926–27)
• Three Flights for Orchestra (1929)
• Winter Sun (1932)
• Overture to the Arthurian Cycle (1936)
• Symphony No. 3 in B minor (1937)
• Rondo in Wartime (1941)
• Orchestral Prelude on a Christmas Hymn (1941)
• Reunion Variations (1945)
• Aylesbury Games, suite for string orchestra (1952)

Concertante

• Concerto for oboe and strings No. 1 in C (1936)
• Concerto for oboe and strings No. 2 in G (1937)
• Concerto for flute and strings (1937)
• Concerto for string orchestra (1937)
• Concerto for trumpet and orchestra (1943)

Chamber music

• Violin Sonata (1921)
• String Quartet No. 1 in A, The Greek (1923)
• String Quartet No. 2 in F, From the Welsh Hills (1923)
• Trio for flute, oboe and piano (1925)
• Oboe Quartet No. 1 (1932)
• Three Songs without Words, for oboe quartet (1937)
• String Trio (1944)
• Oboe Quartet No. 2 (1945)
• Piano Trio (1948)
• Cello Sonata (1948)

Choral music

• The Skeleton in Armour, for chorus and orchestra (1898, revised 1903)
• Sir Galahad, for chorus and orchestra (1898)
• The Invincible Armada, for chorus and orchestra (1901)
• Two sets of Choral Variations, for unaccompanied chorus (1905)
• Midnight, symphonic poem for chorus and orchestra (1907)
• The City, motet for unaccompanied chorus (1909)
• Six Spiritual Songs, for unaccompanied chorus (1910)
• Six Celtic Choruses, for unaccompanied chorus (1914)
• The Cloud, for chorus and orchestra (1923)
• Pioneers, for chorus and orchestra (1925)
• Child of Earth, cycle for unaccompanied chorus (1927)

Songs

• Songs of the English (1901)
• Four Faery Songs (1901)
• Six Songs of Manhood (1903)
• Five Celtic Songs (1910)
• Songs of Womanhood (1911)
• Songs of Childhood (1912)
• Symbol Songs (1920)
• Four Everyman Songs (1922)
• Three Hardy Songs (1924)

(NOTE: Details of all compositions can be obtained from The Rutland Boughton Music Trust – see below)