Sea Songs is an arrangement of three British sea-songs by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. It is based on the songs "Princess Royal", "Admiral Benbow" and "Portsmouth". The work is a march of roughly four minutes duration. It follows a ternary structure, with opening material based on "Princess Royal" and "Admiral Benbow", with "Portsmouth" forming the central section before a return to the opening material featuring the first two songs.
The march was arranged for military band in 1923 as the second movement of English Folk Song Suite, and the world premiere of the suite was given at Kneller Hall on 4 July 1923.[1] As a single work, its first performance was given at Wembley during the British Empire Exhibition in April 1924.[2] This work, as well as the English Folk Song Suite, stemmed from Vaughan Williams' admiration for the band of the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall.[3] The work was re-arranged for full orchestra in 1942 by the composer.[4]
The term "sea songs" may also be used to refer to any songs about or concerned with ships and seafarers. Such songs (including sea shanties and other work songs) are most commonly classed as folk music and are a major feature of maritime festivals held at seaports (and some river-ports) around the UK.
- Incipit of "Princess Royal"
![{
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff \relative c' {
\tempo "Allegro" 4 = 120
\clef treble \key f \minor \time 2/4
\partial 8 es''16[( \p des]
c8-.) c16( bes as8-.) es'16( des
c des c bes as8-.) as'-.
f8.([ es16 des8-.) f-.]
es8.([ des16 c8-.) es-.]
des8.[ c16 bes8-. as-.]
g16( as bes g es8-.) es'16( des
c bes c as bes8-.) g-.
as4--
}
>>
}](//upload.wikimedia.org/score/h/z/hz6g9rzu4g7rgv2k66sw9r414g590o7/hz6g9rzu.png)
![{
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff \relative c' {
\tempo "Allegro" 4 = 120
\clef treble \key f \minor \time 2/4
\partial 8 es''16[( \p des]
c8-.) c16( bes as8-.) es'16( des
c des c bes as8-.) as'-.
f8.([ es16 des8-.) f-.]
es8.([ des16 c8-.) es-.]
des8.[ c16 bes8-. as-.]
g16( as bes g es8-.) es'16( des
c bes c as bes8-.) g-.
as4--
}
>>
}](http://upload.wikimedia.org/score/h/z/hz6g9rzu4g7rgv2k66sw9r414g590o7/hz6g9rzu.png)
- Incipit of "Admiral Benbow"
- Incipit of "Portsmouth"
![{
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff \relative c''' {
\tempo "Allegro" 4 = 120
\clef treble \key bes \minor \time 2/4
r4 \mf as(
des4. es8
f[ es des c]
des4 as~
as f)
des'( f,
ges8[ f es des])
es2~
es4
}
>>
}](//upload.wikimedia.org/score/2/g/2gpob5ktazfsw2we2k86icmb6vr8fvk/2gpob5kt.png)
![{
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff \relative c''' {
\tempo "Allegro" 4 = 120
\clef treble \key bes \minor \time 2/4
r4 \mf as(
des4. es8
f[ es des c]
des4 as~
as f)
des'( f,
ges8[ f es des])
es2~
es4
}
>>
}](http://upload.wikimedia.org/score/2/g/2gpob5ktazfsw2we2k86icmb6vr8fvk/2gpob5kt.png)
- ^ Timothy Reynish, notes for British Wind Band Classics, Chandos Records 9697, 1999
- ^ Malcolm Walker, notes for The Essential Vaughan Williams, Chandos Records 241-9, 1999
- ^ Stephen Banfield. Notes for Hickox conducts Vaughan Williams, EMI Classics 5 73986 2, 2000
- ^ Philip Lane, notes for British Light Miniatures, Naxos 8.570332 (released 2007)