''Summer's Last Will and Testament'' is a choral

masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masq ...

or cantata by

Constant Lambert Leonard Constant Lambert (23 August 190521 August 1951) was a British composer, conductor, and author. He was the founder and music director of the Royal Ballet, and (alongside Ninette de Valois and Frederick Ashton) he was a major figure in th ...

, written between 1932 and 1935, and premiered in 1936. It is scored for chorus and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

, with a baritone solo also featured in the last of its seven movements. It is based on the play of the same name by

Thomas Nashe Thomas Nashe (baptised November 1567 – c. 1601; also Nash) was an Elizabethan playwright, poet, satirist and a significant pamphleteer. He is known for his novel ''The Unfortunate Traveller'', his pamphlets including ''Pierce Penniless,'' ...

, written around 1592. Lambert considered the work his

magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

, and it is his largest work in any genre.David Mason Greene, Greene's Biographical Encyclopedia of Composers
/ref> However, it attracted little attention at its 1936 premiere and had only one or two other performances in Lambert's lifetime (he died in 1951). It has received only one complete commercial recording to date, released in 1992. This, along with a general resurgence of interest in Constant Lambert's music, has led to the work being reexamined, and performances are starting to take place. The ''Guardian'' critic said the 1992 recording had made available to the public "a masterpiece buried for far too long". In 1949, Lambert said to Sir Frederick Ashton: "I like ''Summer's Last Will and Testament'' the best of all my work".

Malcolm Arnold Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold (21 October 1921 – 23 September 2006) was an English composer. His works feature music in many genres, including a cycle of nine symphonies, numerous concertos, concert works, chamber music, choral music and music ...

called it "one of the undiscovered treasures of the English choral repertoire".

Background and premiere

''Summer's Last Will and Testament'' was written between 1932 and 1935, a period in which Lambert was busy with his conducting and orchestration duties with Sadler's Wells, conducting the London premiere of Kurt Weill's ''

The Seven Deadly Sins The seven deadly sins is a classification of vices used in Christian teachings. Seven deadly sins may also refer to: Art * ''The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things'', a 1485 painting by Hieronymus Bosch * '' The Seven Deadly Sins of Moder ...

'' (under the title ''Anna-Anna''), and completing his book ''Music Ho!''. Lambert's friend, the conductor and composer Hyam Greenbaum provided support, ostensibly with the choral parts, but also with advice on the composition. Lambert inscribed the vocal score he gave to Greenbaum: "To Hyam Greenbaum (who as far as I remember wrote most of this work) from Constant Lambert".Lloyd, Stephen. ''Constant Lambert, Beyond the Rio Grande'' (2015) p 221
/ref> The work was premiered at the Queen's Hall in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 29 January 1936. The Philharmonic Choir, the

BBC Symphony Orchestra The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...

and the baritone soloist Roy Henderson were conducted by the composer. The concert was sparsely attended.

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

had died just over a week before, and the sombre mood of the country was undoubtedly inimical to a work replete with references to plague, disease and death, and to the persistent aura of fatalism which affected much of Lambert's music. Although this tepid response could well have been anticipated under the circumstances, Lambert considered he had failed as a composer, and completed only two major works in the remaining sixteen years of his life. The piece lasts about 55 minutes. It was dedicated to his then wife Florence Chuter (aka Florence Kaye), whom he had married in 1931.

Movements

The sections of ''Summer's Last Will and Testament'' are: * Intrata (orchestra alone) * Madrigal con ritornelli: ''Fair Summer droops'' (orchestra and chorus) * Corante: ''Spring, the sweet Spring'' (orchestra and chorus) * Brawles: ''Trip and go, heave and ho!'' (orchestra and chorus) * Madrigal con ritornelli: ''Autumn hath all the Summer's fruitful treasure'' (orchestra and chorus) * Rondo burlesca: ''King Pest'' (orchestra alone) * Saraband: ''Adieu, farewell earth's bliss!'' (orchestra, baritone solo and chorus) ''King Pest'' is also an allusion to

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

's story of the same name.

Orchestration

''Summer's Last Will and Testament'' is scored for the following forces: * baritone solo * chorus SATB * 3 flutes * 3 oboes * 3 clarinets * 3 bassoons * 4 horns * 3 trumpets * 3 cornets * 3 trombones * tuba * timpani * percussion * 2 harps * strings A version also exists with the orchestral parts arranged for piano four-hands.

Recording

''Summer's Last Will and Testament'' has had only one complete commercial recording. This was released in 1992 by

Hyperion Records Hyperion Records is an independent British classical record label. History Hyperion is an independent British classical label that was established in 1980 with the goal of showcasing recordings of music in all genres and from all time period ...

, with David Lloyd-Jones conducting the

English Northern Philharmonia The Orchestra of Opera North (or English Northern Philharmonia as recording name) is the orchestra that plays for the Opera North. It was founded as the English Northern Philharmonia, and changed its name during the period when Steven Sloane was O ...

, the Leeds Festival Chorus, and baritone soloist William Shimell. The recording took place in the

Leeds Town Hall Leeds Town Hall is a 19th-century municipal building on The Headrow (formerly Park Lane), Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Planned to include law courts, a council chamber, offices, a public hall, and a suite of ceremonial rooms, it was built be ...

, and was produced by

Christopher Palmer Christopher Francis Palmer (9 September 194622 January 1995) was an English composer, arranger and orchestrator; biographer of composers, champion of lesser-known composers and writer on film music and other musical subjects; record producer; and ...

. Palmer's liner notes compare the plague to AIDS, from which Palmer himself would die just three years later. Tapes of a 1965 broadcast conducted by Sir

Malcolm Sargent Sir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent (29 April 1895 – 3 October 1967) was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works. The musical ensembles with which he was associated include ...

also exist,Music Web International
/ref> and there were two notable revivals broadcast during the 1980s and 1990s by the

BBC Concert Orchestra The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British concert orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five BBC orchestras which is not a full-scale sym ...

and Brighton Festival Chorus conducted by

Norman Del Mar Norman René Del Mar CBE (31 July 19196 February 1994) was a British conductor, horn player, and biographer. As a conductor, he specialised in the music of late romantic composers; including Edward Elgar, Gustav Mahler, and Richard Strauss. H ...

(10 May 1986), and by the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by

Sakari Oramo Sakari is a given name, and may refer to: * Sakari Kukko (born 1953), Finnish saxophonist and flutist * Sakari Kuosmanen (born 1956), Finnish singer and actor * Sakari Oramo (born 1965), Finnish conductor * Sakari Pinomäki, Finnish mechanical and ...

(5 October 1999). The penultimate movement, the Rondo burlesca subtitled ''King Pest'', written for orchestra alone, has sometimes been performed separatelyGrove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th ed, 1954, Eric Blom, ed. and has been recorded separately (by

and the

English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. The orchestra regularly tours in the UK and internationall ...

, released in 2007).

References

{{reflist Choral compositions Cantatas Masques 1936 compositions Compositions by Constant Lambert