On the cusp of the hundredth anniversary of its premiere at the Gloucester Three Choirs Festival, Faber Music is proud to publish a much-needed new edition of Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis. The new edition corrects the original engraver’s mis-interpretations of many of Vaughan Williams’ intentions and other mistakes in the Curwen Edition, to give a clearer score, which combined with a new set of parts with new rehearsal numbers, will give greater clarity and understanding to the work’s many followers. The score is available 0-571-53196-2 at £19.99. Parts are available from the Hire Library.
Composed in 1910, the Fantasia was one of the first major successes for the young Vaughan Williams. It so impressed Herbert Howells and Ivor Gurney (then young organ scholars) that they spent the night walking the streets of Gloucester fired up with excitement. The work’s magic has not dimmed since and it has become one of the most iconic works in the literature of English music.