Peter Warlock

Bethlehem Down

Orchestration:
Strings (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Bass)
There are few orchestral pieces amongst the works of Peter Warlock who wrote chiefly vocal items. Several of his carols have become firmly established in the seasonal repertoire of singers and choirs; none more so than Bethlehem Down. The idea for the piece was conceived by the writer of the words, Bruce Blunt, on a pub crawl with Warlock between The Plough at Bishop's Sutton and The Anchor at Ropley in Hampshire in 1927. Warlock set the words to music in a couple of days and the finished carol was first published by The Daily Telegraph newspaper in their Christmas Eve edition. Warlock and Blunt consumed the proceeds from this venture over the subsequent holiday!This version for strings stretches the original four verses to five and seeks to make the the piece as effective for strings as it is for choirs. No harmonic changes have been made although the voicing has naturally been varied for textural reasons .
Duration: 4 minutes
A PACK comprises one full score and strings 4/4/3/4/2