The Captain's Apprentice: Ralph Vaughan Williams and the Story of a Folk Song

by Caroline Davison

***AS READ ON BBC RADIO 4***A beautifully written exploration of the world of Edwardian folk music, and its influence on the composer Ralph Vaughan WilliamsIn January 1905 the young Vaughan Williams, not yet one of England's most famous composers, visited King's Lynn, Norfolk, to find folk songs 'from the mouths of the singers'. He had started collecting in earnest little more than a year before but was now obsessed with saving these indigenous tunes before they were lost forever. An old fisherman, James 'Duggie' Carter, performed 'The Captain's Apprentice', a brutal tale of torture sung to the most beautiful tune the young composer had ever heard.The Captain's Apprentice is the story of how this mysterious song 'opened the door to an entirely new world of melody, harmony and feeling' for Vaughan Williams. With this transformational moment at its heart, the book traces the contrasting lives of the well-to-do composer and a forgotten King's Lynn cabin boy who died at sea, and brings fresh perspectives on Edwardian folk-song collectors, the singers and their songs.While exploring her own connections to folk song, via a Hebridean ancestor, a Scottish ballad learnt as a child and memories of family sing-songs, the author makes the unexpected discovery that Vaughan Williams has been a hidden influence on her musical life from the beginning - an experience she shares with generations of twentieth-century British schoolchildren.Published for Vaughan Williams's 150th birthday in August, this evocative, sensitive look at the great composer will also be read on BBC Radio 4. 'Her gift is a work of love and infinite care' KEGGIE CAREW, author of Dadland'I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and its weaving of biography, social history and folk song' STEVE ROUD, author of Folk Song in England

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

400 pages, Hardcover

Published August 25, 2022

Reviews

[Dominic H · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a desperately lightweight attempt to throw new light on Vaughan Williams and give some context to the folk songs he collected, particularly those, such as 'The Captains's Apprentice' which furthered VW's compositional development and provided direct thematic inspiration for famous works (here the Norfolk Rhapsody No 1). But really anytime anything potentially interesting arises there is an abrupt cut, either to the author visiting the same streets or buildings or something autobiographical, which is jarring and relatively uninteresting (this is apparently the only way to sell biographical books now).

I am beginning to despair of books which advertise on their covers (as this does) 'As read on BBC Radio 4'. For approachability read superficiality. Anybody who knows anything about VW will not find this book worth their time I'm afraid.

[Daniel Mitterdorfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to know more about RVW’s use of folksong in his music, you’ll find limited material here. The story surrounding the background of one of the folksongs is the focus here, the untangling of its knotted history. Extremely well-researched, the narrative is a compelling one.

[Jonathan Lancashire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of research all shoved in. The music references sent me to some great places on YouTube and the cover illustrations alone are worth a star.