Vaughan Williams's "Job, A Masque for Dancing"

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Vaughan Williams - Job, A Masque for Dancing



-Music-

The music for the ballet, titled Job: A Masque for Dancing, was written by the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. Vaughan Williams called it a "masque" because he disliked the word "ballet", but the work has no connection with the genre of masque. He began writing the score after the idea for the ballet was initially proposed to the Russian ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev, who rejected it. As a result, the music was first written for a larger orchestra than could be accommodated in a conventional theatre pit and had its premiere in concert form in October 1930 at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, with Vaughan Williams conducting. When the ballet was eventually produced, the music was orchestrated for a small orchestra by Constant Lambert.

Vaughan Williams dedicated the score to the conductor Adrian Boult in 1934, after the composer had learned that the Bach Choir, which Boult had directed, raised funds towards the engraving of the full score of Job for publication as a parting gift to Boult. Boult made four commercial recordings of the work, including the first recording in 1946 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra; his fourth and final recording was taped in 1970 with the London Symphony Orchestra

O.A. Weltzien has written a detailed analysis of Blake's illustrations and Vaughan Williams' score. F.W.D. Ries published an article containing reminiscences by Keynes of the original production and the later 1948 production.

[Information taken from Wikipedia]

For me, this is one of the crowning achievements of RVW's entire career as a composer. I think it's a masterwork and shows RVW in full maturity. How do you feel about this work? What are some of your favorite performances?

[Karl Henning]

Wonder what kick RVW had against ballet…

[Elgarian]

I approach this from what may be an unusual angle, having had acquaintance with Blake in general, and his Job engravings in particular, long before I ever heard RVW's music inspired by the series. Blake's engravings are among the very greatest achievements in the history of printmaking, I'd say, and indeed make  profound and inexhaustible artistic statements about the human condition. Coming from that position, I've always felt (I stress that this is a purely personal perspective) that RVW's music for Job is slightly disappointing - in the sense that one of the greatest achievements in the history of Western visual art raises a (perhaps unreasonable) expectation for a musical response of equivalent stature. And wonderfully evocative though RVW's music is, it isn't quite (I suppose) one of the greatest achievements in the history of music. So for me it exists, inevitably to some degree, in the shadow of the overwhelming greatness of the work that inspired it.

I say this not to diminish RVW's music (which I love and admire), but just to present what may be an unusual perspective.

[Karl Henning]

Most interesting, Alan.

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I certainly can understand Alan's opinion. I mean those William Blake prints are spectacular. My question is what music could live up to that kind of standard? Regardless, RVW's Job is a fine work and has inspired me for many years.

[Mirror Image]

Wonder what kick RVW had against ballet...

I'm not sure but it's kind of unusual because I always thought of ballet as a positive thing, but perhaps in RVW's view, and this is complete guess, he wanted the title to stand out more and/or he was so afraid of the word "ballet" and all of the connotations that come along with it whether positive/negative, he called it a masque instead.

[Elgarian]

My question is what music could live up to that kind of standard?

Good question! I suppose the remarkable thing is that RVW came as close as he did.

Do you have a particular favourite performance? (I have three recordings - the one in the Boult EMI Classics box, the one in the Andrew Davis box, and the Lloyd-Jones on Naxos. All three seem to me to be distinguished and rewarding performances.)

[Christo]

My question is what music could live up to that kind of standard?

My own question would be of another kind. How come that a person like me, who happen to love RVW's music and has done so for over 30 years, could never really warm to his Job? Why isn't Job as important to me as e.g. most of the symphonies? I could never really explain, but there it is. 

[Sergeant Rock]

My own question would be of another kind.

I have the same question. Apparently it's never grabbed me because I seldom think of playing it instead of one of the symphonies. And I don't know why. I'll listen to it this afternoon. Maybe all will be revealed.


Sarge

[Elgarian]

I have the same question. Apparently it's never grabbed me because I seldom think of playing it instead of one of the symphonies. And I don't know why. I'll listen to it this afternoon. Maybe all will be revealed.

For what it's worth, Sarge (and I know we all have different approaches to these things), I don't normally listen to it without having the Blake images to hand. One could argue that the music should stand alone, but this is a special case. Also, I'm strongly drawn towards composite art forms and in this case it's effectively possible to create one's own. And who could fail to have their experience of the music influenced by an image like this (below)?

[Sergeant Rock]

For what it's worth, Sarge (and I know we all have different approaches to these things), I don't normally listen to it without having the Blake images to hand.

I have many art books but nothing by Blake. Do you know of any website that has all the images?

Sarge

[Karl Henning]

 Quote from: Elgarian on Today at 09:22:33 AM

For what it's worth, Sarge (and I know we all have different approaches to these things), I don't normally listen to it without having the Blake images to hand. One could argue that the music should stand alone, but this is a special case. Also, I'm strongly drawn towards composite art forms and in this case it's effectively possible to create one's own. And who could fail to have their experience of the music influenced by an image like this (below)?

>

 
Utterly marvelous. Like brushwork on canvas.

[Mirror Image]

My own question would be of another kind. How come that a person like me, who happen to love RVW's music and has done so for over 30 years, could never really warm to his Job? Why isn't Job as important to me as e.g. most of the symphonies? I could never really explain, but there it is. 

You shouldn't feel bad about it, Christo. There are works by all our favorite composers that we don't particularly enjoy. Like, in the case of RVW, I don't enjoy his Piano Concerto much at all. I also think very little of his operas, but Sir John in Love may be the best one of the lot. The Pilgrim's Progress had some good moments but not enough to sustain any kind of interest from me. My mind wandered quite a bit.

[Elgarian]

I have many art books but nothing by Blake. Do you know of any website that has all the images?

Sarge

Sarge, the Blake Archive has fairly high quality scans of the engravings, here:

http://www.blakearchive.org/exist/blake/archive/copy.xq?copyid=bb421.1&java=yes

If you want to see the watercolours that formed the basis of the engravings (which are coloured of course), you can see 'em here, with a breathtaking example below ('When the Morning Stars Sang Together') just to whet your appetite:

http://www.blakearchive.org/exist/blake/archive/copy.xq?copyid=but550.1&java=yes



More convenient than these, but probably providing lower quality pictures, is the table of images in the relevant Wikipedia page (scroll down to about halfway) where you can see the watercolours and engravings all together, here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blake%27s_Illustrations_of_the_Book_of_Job#The_watercolours

[Sergeant Rock]

Sarge, the Blake Archive has fairly high quality scans of the engravings, here:

http://www.blakearchive.org/exist/blake/archive/copy.xq?copyid=bb421.1&java=yes

If you want to see the watercolours that formed the basis of the engravings (which are coloured of course), you can see 'em here, with a breathtaking example below ('When the Morning Stars Sang Together') just to whet your appetite:

http://www.blakearchive.org/exist/blake/archive/copy.xq?copyid=but550.1&java=yes



More convenient than these, but probably providing lower quality pictures, is the table of images in the relevant Wikipedia page (scroll down to about halfway) where you can see the watercolours and engravings all together, here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blake%27s_Illustrations_of_the_Book_of_Job#The_watercolours

Thanks, Alan. I listened to Handley's version yesterday before I saw your post. I'll listen to Boult or Davis today with the pictures.

Sarge

[Karl Henning]

I've only got the Handley, Sarge. Would you recommend Boult over the Davis, or vice versa?

[Sergeant Rock]

I've only got the Handley, Sarge. Would you recommend Boult over the Davis, or vice versa?

I've listened to Job five times since yesterday: Handley twice, a performance I've had since the 80s, but which, as I've mentioned above, always failed to grab me; Davis twice, which were first listens to a CD I've only had since January; and once to Boult, a maiden listen too.  Not surprising (considering my admiration for the conductor in this repertoire and his lifelong dedication to the composer) Boult is easily my favorite version. He paces the music perfectly--usually slightly faster than Davis--and sounds the most idiomatic. I mean, Job finally sounds to my ears like a VW work  The only thing I found slightly disappointing was the climax (with organ) in Scene VI, the "Dance of Job's Comforters." Boult is underwhelming compared to Handley and especially Davis, whose sonic superiority makes a difference at this point.

I'm finally enjoying the music. The Blake paintings definitely helped me concentrate (thank you, Alan, for the suggestion) as did the fact that each scene, and some dances within scenes, are individually tracked on the Davis and Boult CDs. Handley only has four tracks, making it difficult to follow the "action."

Sarge

[eyeresist]

Wonder what kick RVW had against ballet...

Perhaps an English prejudice against effete Continental carryings-on? "Ballet" sounds delicate and frivolous, and suggests satin frocks and dainty pointed toes; "Masque" sounds solid and heavy, thoughtful and serious, ritualistic and ancient.

[Mirror Image]

I've listened to Job five times since yesterday: Handley twice, a performance I've had since the 80s, but which, as I've mentioned above, always failed to grab me; Davis twice, which were first listens to a CD I've only had since January; and once to Boult, a maiden listen too.  Not surprising (considering my admiration for the conductor in this repertoire and his lifelong dedication to the composer) Boult is easily my favorite version. He paces the music perfectly--usually slightly faster than Davis--and sounds the most idiomatic. I mean, Job finally sounds to my ears like a VW work  The only thing I found slightly disappointing was the climax (with organ) in Scene VI, the "Dance of Job's Comforters." Boult is underwhelming compared to Handley and especially Davis, whose sonic superiority makes a difference at this point.

I'm finally enjoying the music. The Blake paintings definitely helped me concentrate (thank you, Alan, for the suggestion) as did the fact that each scene, and some dances within scenes, are individually tracked on the Davis and Boult CDs. Handley only has four tracks, making it difficult to follow the "action."

Sarge

Excellent, Sarge! I'm glad the music has started to work it's way into your heart. My favorite performance of Job, of the seven I own, is Richard Hickox's on EMI. It's out-of-print, but I'm sure it can be tracked down used for a good price. I have to think Greg (monkey avatar) for his very solid recommendation. This turned out to be the only Job I listen to now.

[Elgarian]

I'm finally enjoying the music. The Blake paintings definitely helped me concentrate (thank you, Alan, for the suggestion) as did the fact that each scene, and some dances within scenes, are individually tracked on the Davis and Boult CDs. Handley only has four tracks, making it difficult to follow the "action."

Glad it worked. I've often wondered if there was scope here for some gifted and sensitive individual to make a movie of the whole piece of music, visually based entirely on the Blake images, interpreting the music using closeups, pans, and so on - making a kind of 'art-ballet'. Of course you can effectively do it yourself with a book in your hand, but hey, I want the easy life, and to have all my grapes peeled.