Let us now praise famous men

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Lillian Newton
MUS_CLAS 205 Conducting 1 Spring 2021

Overview
Composer
Ralph Vaughan Williams was an English composer born in Gloucestershire, England in 1872
(Encyclopedia Britannica). Vaughan Williams grew up in his mother’s family home beginning at the age
of two after his father died. His Aunt Sophy gave him lessons in music from an early age, and Vaughan
Williams composed is first work by the age of six. (Connock). Apart from music, he was also a large fan
of literature from a young age, which would lead to some of his greater musical accomplishments later in
life, especially in relation to Shakespeare. Later in life, Vaughn Williams became good friends with
composer Gustav Holst, who inspired him greatly throughout his life.

In his musical life, Vaughan Williams had disagreements with his family over what type of
instrumentalist he should be in his early teen years – he wanted to be a string player on violin or viola, but
his family thought he should be an organist. After leaving boarding school, he received extended
schooling in music. As a child, he was fond of J.S. Bach, however later, through his teacher Sir Hubert
Parry, Vaughan Williams became familiar with the works of Beethoven as well. It was Parry who
introduced and inspired him to create English choral music. In his work as an organist at St. Barnabas
church, Vaughan Williams became very familiar with “good and bad church music” (Connock). This
combination would lead this composer, a self-proclaimed agnostic or atheist, to write religious masses
and hymns.

Vaughan Williams was enlisted in the military as part of the 2/4th London Field Ambulance in 1915. This
was a four-year term; however, he was out of the trench warfare by 1917 and continued composing from
there. (Connock). Some of his post-war compositions were linked to the war in some way and were used
as an outlet for his time in active duty. This compositional period ended in 1928, following an opera that
he wrote. Let us now praise famous men was written in 1923, amidst this post-war period (IMSLP). The
piece is hymn-like and utilizes the text from the King James Bible, Ecclesiasticus 44. Implications within
the text about heroes who are not traditionally famous, however they were soldiers names will not be
forgotten by the people they loved, connecting to Vaughn Williams’ time in the military with the soldiers
he saw die.

Composition
In research, not much can be found about the logistics of the piece. There is no information about Vaughn
Williams’ intentions with the piece and even finding the date published is difficult. Many sources
recognized Vaughan Williams as a composer who utilized this text, but that is all. What can easily be
found, mostly through recordings and publications of the piece itself, is that Let us now praise famous
men was originally written to be sung in unison, most likely by a men’s choir. The capitalization of the
title, or lack-thereof, insinuates that it is borrowed text, much as hymns are commonly named by a line
within themselves. The words in this piece are borrowed from a biblical verse, which also explains the
lack of capitalization if taken as exact from the verse.

This version of Let us now praise famous men is written for four voices, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass,
and a keyboard instrument that is not indicated, but most likely organ or piano. This arrangement was
done by Maurice Jacobson and copyrighted in 1959, the year after Vaughn Williams died. This
arrangement was published by G. Schirmer and is Octavo number 11070, with the indication for a unison
version as octavo number 8384.

Historical Perspective
This piece was composed in the post-World War I era of England. Though the peach treaties were drawn
up four years prior, the community all around was still feeling the aftermath. Religion was a largely
accepted support at this time, in many places. Sacred music continued to persevere and Let us now praise
famous men was certainly a religious work that may have brought comfort in the time of uncertainty that
followed the war.

Score Analysis
Melody
Let us now praise famous men is written in four vocal parts, SATB, with a piano or organ
accompaniment. The melody primarily lies in the soprano voices, with a small shift to the alto voices for
three bars when none of the other voices are singing. The piece consists of four main phrases of differing
lengths. The overarching phrases are from ten to fourteen measures long, including any points of just
accompaniment. If just looking at the length of the melodic phrases, the lengths span from nine measures
to thirteen. Another thing to acknowledge within these melodic phrases, are the three measures where
only the alto line is written (Figure 1). While this is the melody at this point in the piece, it is what creates
the largest difference in phrase length. Each of these phrases may also be split into subphrases which are
about equal in length within their phrases, the exception being the final phrase due to the three measures
following the end of the melody.

Figure 1. Alto line melody in measures 30-33.

This piece begins and ends in the key of Eb major, however, there are several modulations throughout
that cause the piece to sound in different keys. The melody also simply continues, there is very little
repetition in this melody line, however there are small and mostly rhythmic allusions in each of the
phrases that keep the piece feeling connected (Figure 2). This shows the through-composed nature of the
piece overall, as both the text and melody changes throughout. The modulations occur around the
midpoint and end of each phrase, resulting in a total of seven modulations throughout the piece. Phrase
two sounds in the keys of C major and Bb major, phrase three sounds in the keys of G and Gb major as
well as briefly Eb major, and the fourth phrase sounds in the keys of Gb and Eb major. The piece has an
overall major quality to it.

Figure 2. Rhythmic connections between phrases A and B.

It is important to not ignore the countermelody and accompaniment, as they contribute greatly to the
piece. This arrangement is one of few that utilizes a countermelody rather than unison voices over the
keyboard instrument accompaniment. Some aspects of the alto, tenor, and bass lines are in unison with
the soprano’s melody line, however most often that is not the case. The motivic contour of the melody is
followed somewhat in the countermelodies, only occasionally moving in contrary motion in one of the
voice parts, more often moving in parallel or oblique motion. There are two instances in which the
countermelody lands on the end or beginning of a subphrase at a different point than the melody, and this
is usually mirrored in two of the voice parts (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Offset subphrase endings and beginnings, measures 5-7 and 17-19.

Harmony
The harmony in this piece is difficult to sort out at first glance. The overall tonality of the piece presents
in major and contains seven modulations, all to major keys. Because of the through-composed nature of
this piece, there are not many obvious cadential points. The most common cadence to find when looking
at the harmonic analysis is a bVII to I motion when the piece modulates. This cadence also completes the
piece within the voices and a simple imperfect authentic cadence completes the piece in the piano (Figure
4). Though it is uncommon to find an imperfect authentic cadence ending a piece, there is still a finality
as it has finally modulated back to the original key and the last four bars prolong the tonic function.
Figure 4. Chord progression in piano line measures 45 – 49.

The texture of the harmony is homophonic. The accompaniment in the piano has many non-chord tones
that make it hard to analyze each chord individually. This piece also contains a lot of iii chords within the
first phrase, which is quite unusual; however, paired with the voices, the harmony which the iii chord
creates gets lost. Because of the number of modulations within the piece, most of the bars take on a tonic
or predominant function. The first modulation occurs from Eb major to C major. Leading into this
modulation, there is a IV-V motion in Eb which prepares the ear for a cadence back to I, however it
functions more like a bVI-bVII-I movement as the key modulates to the parallel major of the original
key’s relative minor (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Modulation from Eb to C major, measures 9-12.

Rhythm
Let us now praise famous men is primarily in common time, or 4/4 meter. The quarter note gets the beat
at a tempo marked Andante con moto, generally at the middle to upper range of seventy-two to one
hundred eight beats per minute because of the con moto description. The quarter note has the beat for the
entirety of the piece. There are changing meters throughout as well. At the ends of phrases, Vaughan
Williams utilized 2/4 to propel the piece forward (Figure 6). Near the end, at measure forty-three, the
piece transitions to a 3/2 bar where the accompaniment changes and gives the aural illusion of a slowed
tempo for two measures (Figure 7).
Figure 6. 2/4 bar at the end of the first phrase, measures 9-12.

Figure 7. 3/2 bars, measures 43-46.

The bass line of the accompaniment throughout has a rhythmic ostinato that does not change until
measure thirty-eight and returns after bar forty-four. This ostinato consists of quarter notes repeating in
mostly the same contour beneath and remains steady throughout each modulation. (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Rhythmic ostinato in accompaniment, measures 1-8.

Dynamics
Block dynamics are used throughout this piece. There are no instances of dynamic contrast between voice
parts, however the written dynamics focus on phrasing the music and adding swells that a conductor
might add in the interpretation. The dynamics climax at the ends of phrases following subito changes as
well as many crescendos and decrescendo markings. There are subito piano and subito pianissimo
markings that highlight the text as well as the density of the voices – where there are fewer voices
entering, the dynamic is smaller. The dynamics in this piece range from pianissimo to fortissimo and
dynamic markings occur frequently throughout.

Form and Structure

This piece is through-composed, resulting in few strong cadences and little to no repetition. The repetition
utilized in this piece is mostly rhythmic and is used to unify the phrases, making them sound as one piece.
The phrases change with the modulations that occur, usually two times per phrase. Each phrase begins in
unison, setting the ear up for new material.

SECTION MEASURE EVENT AND SCORING

A 1-11 Voice and melody entrance in measure 2, Eb Major
12-13 Modulation to C major
B 14-17 Unison entrance in voices
18-22 Modulation to Bb major, alto and tenor voices enter before soprano
and bass voices
23 Modulation to G major
C 24-30 Unison entrance
31-33 Modulation to Gb major, alto voices enter with melody
34 Other voices enter with melody
35-37 Modulation to Eb major
D 38-40 Unison entrance
41-45 Modulation to Gb major
46-49 Modulation to Eb major, final chord in voices enters

Orchestration
The orchestration of this piece is not abnormal. The music is set up like a standard Soprano, Alto, Tenor,
and Bass arrangement with some form of keyboard instrument accompaniment. This instrument is not
specified, which is unusual, but can be assumed to be piano or organ. From listening to recording of the
original piece, this is often used as a church hymn which would insinuate that the organ would be the
instrument of preference to accompany the choir.

Stylistic Considerations
When conducting this piece, it is important to note that it is very hymn-like in nature and is often used in
English churches as a hymn due to the text coming from the bible. There is a certain quality to it that
alters the hymn feeling – that being, it is not in a strophic form as often seen in hymnals. This piece
comes from a post-war era and in a more modern period of music and composition. With the post-war and
hymn-like structures, this piece was not intended to be performed rubato. Vaughan Williams was very
clear with his dynamic contour and, while some interpretation will come into play, this is something that
is meant to be performed in a more specific way.
Textual Analysis and Text Interpretation
Let us now praise famous men is set to the text of bible verses from the King James Bible. This version of
the bible was an English translation specifically for the Church of England. Vaughan Williams excludes
part of the original text in his piece. Each of the lines with direct connotations to religion have been left
out, as well as phrases that may not have been necessary to contextualize the piece. This text, without the
lines concerning religion, can be related back to soldiers during the time Vaughan Williams served. The
famous men he speaks of are the war heroes who fought in the war, the leaders of the troops, and the men
in power that joined the war for what they thought was right.

Let us now praise famous men, R. Vaughan Williams

Text from Ecclesiasticus XLIV

Let us now praise famous men, Let us praise the men who fought for us and the
and our fathers that begat us. fathers that gave us life.
such as did bear rule in their kingdoms, These men are known for their strength as they
men renowned for their pow’r, carried the burden of war.

Leaders of the people by their counsels,
and by their knowledge.
such as found out musical tunes,
and recited verses in writing:
All these were honoured in their
generations,
and were the glory of their times.
And some there be, which have no
memorial;
who are perish’d as though they had
never been.
The leaders kept them safe because of their
knowledge and perseverance,
the knowledge memorized like the words to a
well-known song.
.
They were honored in their time for their duty
and were appreciated for their service.
Some were not given the same honor and
appreciation from society because they died at
war.

Their bodies are buried in peace; These men now are resting peacefully and will
But their name liveth for evermore. never be forgotten by those who knew them.

Interpretation and Rehearsal Preparation

Interpretation
In performing this piece, the tempo should be taken at the higher end of the Andante con moto range,
about ninety-six to one hundred eight beats per minute. Though this is a hymnlike tune, it is a more
joyous one and the quicker tempo gets that feeling across. Also, this provides more contrast when the
piece is intentionally slowed at the largamente section and will prevent it from a dragging feeling. When
there is only an eighth rest separating phrases, it is important to not hold the end of the phrase further than
the beginning of beat four to give the necessary separation. Regular articulations are fitting for this piece;
however, slightly more legato articulations for the voices in the last phrase will add to the more mournful
mood presented in the lyrics. The written dynamics work well with phrasing but continuing the
crescendos and decrescendos for more time would be beneficial. The subito dynamics should be a large
contrast regardless of the distance between them and the previous marked dynamic.
Anticipated Conducting Challenges
The layout of Let us now praise famous men is fairly straightforward and the challenge is not in the time
or tempo. When it comes to conducting challenges, conducting the changing meters will be something to
pay particular attention to. Conductors should look ahead in the score and anticipate when the meter
changes from 4/4 to 2/4. The conductor must know what pattern to conduct by the last beat of the pattern
before at the latest. The time change to 3/2 should be conducted in a subdivided three pattern because of
the aural tempo shift, even though the tempo remains with the marking quarter equals quarter. Another
challenge comes where the piece is marked largamente. Here the tempo changes somewhat drastically
and the conductor must prep the change in time. Here it is useful to subdivide because of the slowed
tempo. Conductors should also be careful to remain confident even if the ensemble is uncertain due to
modulations.

Rehearsal and Preparation

The modulations in this piece are difficult to prepare for, musicians should prepare in advance to hear the
intervals necessary. Some tuning issues may occur with landing on tight harmonies. The soprano line has
a misprint on the second beat of measure eight, showing a quarter note instead of a half note, which might
cause issues if the performers did not look at the other parts as well, the conductor should be sure to warn
performers of this error to avoid the group moving at different times in this section.

There are instances of divisi in the bass, tenor, and alto parts through the duration of this piece.
Performers should divide in these places based on balance within the ensemble, according to the
conductor’s discretion. In the case of a small ensemble where a division may not be possible, the lower
notes in all divisi should be prioritized due to doubled notes in other parts as well as maintaining the
harmonies. In measures forty and forty-one, the alto line divides into octaves; however, the performers
may take whichever octave is more comfortable for them.

Recordings and Additional Resources

Vaughan Williams, Ralph. (1923). Let us now praise famous men [Recorded by The Choir of Christ
Church Cathedral]. On Great Cathedral Anthems, Vol. 10. Dublin: Priory Records. (2020).

Vaughan Williams, Ralph. (1923). Let us now praise famous men [Recorded by The Choir of Winchester
Cathedral]. On O Clap Your Hands. Winchester: Decca Music Group Limited. (1992).

Vaughan Williams, Ralph. (1923). Let us now praise famous men [Recorded by Cardiff Festival Choir].
On 23 Hymns of Vaughan Williams. Cardiff: Griffin Records. (2010).
Appendix 1: Synthesis Analysis Chart
References
BBC. (n.d.). History : British History Timeline. BBC.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/timeline/worldwars_timeline_noflash.shtml.

Connock, S. (2021, March 5). Life of Vaughan Williams. Ralph Vaughan Williams Society.
https://rvwsociety.com/comprehensive-biography/.

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (1998). Ralph Vaughan Williams. Encyclopædia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ralph-Vaughan-Williams.

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men (Vaughan Williams, Ralph). IMSLP. (2015).
https://imslp.org/wiki/Let_Us_Now_Praise_Famous_Men_(Vaughan_Williams%2C_Ralph).