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Shropshire Lad, A (Rhapsody): Full Orchestra, Conductor Score

$20.00 USD
$20.00 USD
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Shropshire Lad, A (Rhapsody) Cover Image
Shropshire Lad, A (Rhapsody): Full Orchestra, Conductor Score

Shropshire Lad, A (Rhapsody): Full Orchestra, Conductor Score

By George Butterworth

Item: 36-A718901
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Description
George Butterworth (1885-1916), an English composer whose life was cut short at the Battle of the Somme, wrote two song cycles based on A SHROPSHIRE LAD, a collection of 63 poems by A.E. Housman. Conceived as an epilogue, the orchestral rhapsody to A SHROPSHIRE LAD is widely considered to be his masterpiece. The London Symphony Orchestra gave the first performance at the Leeds Festival on October 2, 1913 under the direction of Arthur Nikisch. Originally titled THE LAND OF THE LOST CONTENT, it looks back at an idyllic world threatened, perhaps prophetically, by the fear of uncertainty and loss. Instrumentation: 2.2+EH.2+BCl.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp: Hp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set).

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Additional Details
Series: Kalmus Orchestra Library
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
ISBN10: 8-89-270425-7
ISBN13: 979-8-89-270425-0
UPC: 659359778070
SKU: 36-A718901
Instrumentation: 2.2+EH.2+BCl.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp: Hp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set)

More about this title

About the Composer: George Butterworth

George Butterworth (1885-1916) was an English composer and folk song collector whose distinctive voice emerged from the English musical renaissance of the early twentieth century. His brief career was shaped by deep engagement with English poetry and folk traditions, particularly his collaborations with poet A.E. Housman. Butterworth's death at the Battle of the Somme at age thirty-one cut short a compositional trajectory that showed remarkable maturity and originality.

His orchestral works reveal a composer equally skilled in large-scale form and intimate lyricism. Butterworth's harmonic language draws from both English romanticism and impressionistic color, creating textures that feel both rooted in tradition and strikingly personal. A Shropshire Lad (Rhapsody) stands as his orchestral masterpiece, synthesizing his gifts for melodic invention and sophisticated orchestration into a single, cohesive vision.

Why we love this

This rhapsody captures the lyrical essence of Housman's poetry through purely instrumental means, giving your orchestra the chance to shape a large-scale narrative arc with genuine emotional weight. The orchestration is idiomatic and grateful across all sections without sentimentality, and the piece rewards careful attention to balance and phrasing in ways that sharpen ensemble listening. Programming it allows audiences to experience a major work from English music's golden age that rarely appears in concert.

What to expect

The rhapsody unfolds like a remembered landscape, nostalgic and elegiac, moving through moments of pastoral beauty and intimate reflection. There is an underlying tension throughout, a wistfulness that knows loss without abandoning grace, creating an atmosphere both dreamy and deeply human. The orchestral writing carries both restraint and romantic sweep, inviting listeners into an inner world of memory and longing.

Who it's for

This score is essential repertoire for orchestras preparing substantial concert programs and for conductors seeking to program English music from the early twentieth century with authority. College and regional orchestras will find it accessible yet rewarding, while professional ensembles will appreciate its subtlety and sophistication.

How to get the most out of it

  • Shape the primary melody with a singing tone from the strings; this piece lives in lyrical phrases that demand continuous line and warm vibrato across the entire section.
  • Balance the inner voices (violas, second violins, and winds) clearly so that the harmonic progression and countermelody support rather than obscure the main line.
  • Allow tempo to breathe subtly through phrase endings; excessive adherence to a single tempo will flatten the emotional arc of the rhapsody.
  • Listen particularly to the harp and timpani for transparency; their contributions frame important harmonic and structural moments.

How to use it

Program this as a centerpiece on a concert exploring early twentieth-century English composers alongside contemporaries like Elgar and Delius, or pair it with Housman-influenced works for a thematic evening. Its length and emotional arc also make it an effective standalone feature that can frame a concert with considerable artistry.

Skills your students will build

  • Conducting sustained lyrical lines with sensitivity to phrase shape and inner voice clarity
  • Balancing complex harmonic textures across five string parts and a full wind section
  • Shaping a large formal structure (rhapsody) without traditional sectional divisions
  • Interpreting English romantic and impressionistic harmonic language through conductor gestures
  • Ensemble listening in passages requiring transparent counterpoint between melody and accompaniment

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