Ralph Vaughan Williams was an English composer in the early 20th century.
This Friday at 8 p.m. on Classical MPR, you'll hear a live broadcast of the Minnesota Orchestra. One of the pieces featured on its spring-themed program is The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams.
In that piece, Vaughan Williams utilizes the pentatonic scale, a scale found in folk songs around the world.
In other compositions, Vaughan Williams used scales from medieval chant, bringing a singular sound to his classical compositions.
Hear demonstrations of these scales alongside music by Ralph Vaughan Williams on today's Learning to Listen on Classical MPR.
Program Playlist
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Symphony No. 8, 4th movement
London Symphony Orchestra
Bryden Thomson
Chandos 8828
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Sine Nomine "For All The Saints"
Choir of Worcester Cathedral
Christopher Robinson
Chandos 6550
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Oboe Concerto, 1st movement
English Chamber Orchestra
Daniel Barenboim
Neil Black, oboe
DG 419748
Thomas Tallis
O Come in One to Praise the Lord
New York Polyphony
Avie 2186
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
The London Chamber Orchestra
Christopher Warren-Green, cond and Violin
Virgin 90819
Ralph Vaughan Williams
The Lark Ascending
The London Chamber Orchestra
Christopher Warren-Green, cond and violin
Virgin 90819
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