Ralph Vaughan Williams

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Ralph Vaughan Williams was nearly seventy when he wrote his first film music. In 1940 the conductor Muir Mathieson persuaded him to contribute to 49th Parallel (1941), a war film by Michael Powell. Documentaries followed, among other things, and The Story of a Flemish Farm (1943). His best-known film work is Scott of the Antarctic (1948). For it he used a wordless soprano, women's chorus, organ and a wind machine to depict the icy expanse. He later reworked that music into his Sinfonia antartica (1952). His film style is the same as in his symphonies: modal harmony, folk-song-like melodies and a broad string sound.

Listening

• 
  Prelude · BBC Philharmonic & Rumon Gamba, 1941
• 
  The Flag Flutters in the Wind · BBC Philharmonic & Rumon Gamba, 1943
• 
  Scott of the Antarctic: Main Titles · BBC Philharmonic & Rumon Gamba, 1948

Works

• 194149th Parallel
• 1948Scott of the Antarctic

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• Film Music Map^NL Map
• The Dream Factory: Film Reel 3^NL Reader

Mentioned in other articles

• British concert composers (Denham and Ealing) GenreRalph Vaughan Williams later used his score for Scott of the Antarctic (1948) for his Sinfonia antartica.

See also

• British concert composers (Denham and Ealing)