Book Description

The life and music of English composer, Gerald Finzi (1901-56) has received relatively little critical study; that which has been done, however, especially regarding the choral and vocal music, often focuses on Finzi's gift for setting words to music. On account of this unique gift, Finzi has been referred to as the English Hugo Wolf. This document focuses on his special ability to interrelate the words and music, and on the set of key factors that helped him develop this talent. A brief biographical study will reveal three major influences on Finzi's life and music: an association with the finest English composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century; a fondness for all things English, including Great Britain's musical heritage, its manner, its unique geography, and its great authors and poets; and a worldview affected by tragic events and losses in his life. Selected anthems will be considered in order to examine generalities of Finzi's compositional traits. Finally, a detailed analysis of his Opus 39, In Terra Pax - Christmas Scene, will be presented. This work for chorus and orchestra was his last choral/orchestral composition and, by some accounts, represents the best of his entire oeuvre. The study, therefore, considers the work as being characteristic of the best of his compositional techniques and discusses those techniques accordingly. This document concludes that Finzi is worthy of consideration among the elite of the English composers of the first half of the twentieth century based on the craft of his compositional technique. The aim of this research document, therefore, is threefold: first, to review Finzi's biography and the most significant influences on his life and compositional style; second, to analyze his compositional style-especially those aspects that pertain to his ability to relate text and musical elements; and finally, to present a conductor's study of a representative work, Opus 39, In Terra Pax.