The Passing of King Arthur

The Passing of King Arthur Program Notes

By Arthur F. Edwards Annotator, Los Angeles Master Chorale Psalmus Hungaricus Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)  In 1923, Zoltán Kodály, Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960), and Béla Bartok (1881-1945) were commissioned to compose works celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the unification of Buda and Pest. Kodály, having heard that Bartok was planing a Dance Suite, put aside his own purely instrumental plans and decided to use a sixteenth century version of Psalm LV (by Mihály Végh of Kecskemét). Psalmus Hungaricus is scored for solo tenor, chorus, 3 flutes, pairs of oboes, clarinets, and bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, cymbals, harp, and strings. The archaic flavor of the text is reflected by the music, especially in the opening lines of the chorus, modeled on the melodic idiom of the sixteenth century Hungarian minstrels. The horizontal and vertical elements of Kodály's style are consummately balanced in this work. Its architecture shows a freely treated rondo pattern: variations on the melody and (more often) the rhythm of the main theme. The texture varies from chant-like monody to a complex polyphonic cloud of sound supporting the anguished psalmist; from the cataclysmic eruption of the full orchestra to an exquisite adagio in which the strings are divided into twenty-five parts layering sordini upon flageolets (harmonics) upon pizzicato upon area upon which are superimposed the sonorities of woodwinds and harp. The Passing of King Arthur Elinor Remick Warren Of all the epic tales of chivalry, the legend of the Knights of the Round Table as retold in Malory's Mort d' Arthur most seized the medieval imagination. Many centuries later it formed the source material for Alfred Lord Tennyson's ldy/fs of the King (1842). A king and hero who lived around the time of the fifth and sixth centuries, the historical Arthur (Arturus, Artos ???) was either a last Romanized Briton or the first Celtic overlord of all Britain.  Woven among the legends, there is definite evidence that King Arthur was the first to envision and materialize the dream of a unified British Isles. He put down the warring nobles, organized a benevolent central government, and at last brought peace and harmony to the hopeless savagery of the time. Alas, however, Arthur was undone by his own goodness when Sir Modred, a treacherous, ambitious knight whom he had previously pardoned from a richly deserved death sentence, finally split the realm asunder. It is on this final section of Tennyson's Idylls of the King that Elinor Remick Warren based The Passing of King Arthur. The legend as painted so vividly by Tennyson inspired her to write a musical setting of great warmth and beauty which, in style, builds on the foundation of the English impressionists Holst, Delius, and Vaughan Williams. The work might be classified as a secular oratorio or choral symphonic poem, for the orchestra as well as the chorus and soloists portray the dramatic story in music rather than serving as accompanists for the text. Thematic motives are identified with King Arthur, the sword Excalibur, the King's death, the three Queens, and other story points. They recur with variations repeatedly throughout the composition. A poignant orchestral Intermezzo, featuring a solo bass clarinet, connects the dramatic first half to the more spiritual second half which ends with a majestic and stirring climax in fugue form. The score calls for 3 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, harp, timpani, percussion, and strings. Certain portions of the score call for a small choir within the large chorus; toward the end the chorus is divided and used antiphonally. There is a trio of women's voices portraying the three Queens. There are a cappella sections and often the voices are used instrumentally, without words. The chorus sings the narration, two male soloists the roles of King Arthur and his youngest knight, Sir Bedivere. The Passing of King Arthur was given its premiere performance in 1940 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra with the Los Angeles Oratorio Society, Albert Coates conducting. It was presented by the Roger Wagner Chorale in 1954, Roger Wagner conducting. The soloists on that occasion were William Olvis and Robert Weede. The solo trio consisted of young chorale members: Marilyn Horne, Patricia Beems, and Phyllis Wilkins. It should be noted that the orchestra personnel manager in 1940, 1954, and 1971 has been Philip Kahgan.