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The Captain's Apprentice: Ralph Vaughan Williams and the Story of a Folk Song
***WINNER OF THE NEW ANGLE PRIZE FOR LITERATURE***
***WINNER OF THE HWA NON-FICTION AWARD***
A beautifully written exploration of the world of Edwardian folk music, and its influence on the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams
In January 1905 the young Vaughan Williams, not yet one of England's most famous composers, visited Norfolk to find folk songs 'from the mouths of the singers'. 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.
With this transformational moment at its heart, the book traces the contrasting lives of the well-to-do composer and a forgotten cabin boy who died at sea, and brings fresh perspectives on folk-song collectors, the singers and their songs.
***AS READ ON BBC RADIO 4***
'A quirky, fascinating read. Davison excels in evoking English landscapes' Sunday Times
'Animated, entertaining... Presenting a richly complex picture of a subject that can all too easily be shrouded in a sentimental haze' Daily Telegraph
***WINNER OF THE HWA NON-FICTION AWARD***
A beautifully written exploration of the world of Edwardian folk music, and its influence on the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams
In January 1905 the young Vaughan Williams, not yet one of England's most famous composers, visited Norfolk to find folk songs 'from the mouths of the singers'. 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.
With this transformational moment at its heart, the book traces the contrasting lives of the well-to-do composer and a forgotten cabin boy who died at sea, and brings fresh perspectives on folk-song collectors, the singers and their songs.
***AS READ ON BBC RADIO 4***
'A quirky, fascinating read. Davison excels in evoking English landscapes' Sunday Times
'Animated, entertaining... Presenting a richly complex picture of a subject that can all too easily be shrouded in a sentimental haze' Daily Telegraph
- GenresMusicNonfiction
384 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 25, 2022
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38 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 10, 2023
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.
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.
March 7, 2023
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.
October 5, 2023
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.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews