"Two Pursuits" [Robert Hugill]

"Two Pursuits" [Robert Hugill]

First line of lyrics: A voice said "Follow, follow"

Part of: "Quickening"

Hugill, Robert; music (English, born 1955)

Rossetti, Christina Georgina; text (English, 1830-1894)

2001 [copyright]

genre: song cycle|song

solo: mezzo-soprano

instrumentation: viola|piano

initial sharps/flats: five flats

initial time signature: 4/4

origin: United Kingdom

male composer

English

Rossetti poem(s): "Two Pursuits"

Place in the larger work: The third song of six in the song cycle called "Quickening," settings of Rossetti poems. The songs include 1. "Song"; 2. "Bitter for Sweet"; 3. "Two Pursuits"; 4. "Remember"; 5. "Withering"; 6. "The First Spring Day."

Composition history: "It was only relatively recently that I started reading Christina Rosetti's poetry. Having concentrated on setting a small group of poets that appealed to me, I was concerned to try pastures new for a further song cycle. Also, having had copyright difficulties with a recent choral piece, I was anxious to choose texts that were out of copyright. A number of extended sessions browsing in Waterstones led to my considering setting Elizabeth Barrett-Browning and Christina Rosetti. On first reading, all of Christina Rosetti's poems that I selected for setting were of a similar melancholy cast (like the first song in the cycle). But further exploration led me to realise that I could create a sequence of poems in which the gloomy anticipation of death gradually prefigures joyful anticipation of the life to come is paralleled by winter's gradual prefiguring of a future spring. Thus, though the cycle has a predominantly melancholy tone, it progresses towards the final joyful conclusion" (Hugill).

Tempo markings: quarter note = 90; "allegro"

Performance history: "Quickening was premiered on 16th November 2001 at Lauderdale House, Highgate, London by David Greiner (counter-tenor), Amanda Chancellor (viola) and Paul Webster (piano)" (Hugill).

Recordings: "Quickening: Songs by Robert Hugill to Texts by English and Welsh Poets." Lyrics by Christina Rossetti, performance by Anna Huntley, mezzo-soprano, Rosalind Ventris, viola, William Vann, piano. 2017.

Format 1: musical score

4 pages (pp. 9-13); performance time 2 minutes

Other data reference(s): Hugill, Robert. "Christina Rossetti in Music project." Received by Mary Arseneau. 24 August 2020.

Cataloguer: Emily McConkey, University of Ottawa

musical score: Robert Hugill

Record: CRM-twopursuits-hugill

File(s): CRM-twopursuits-hugill.pdf

"© Robert Hugill, London, 2001." This score is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The score appears on the website by kind permission of composer Robert Hugill.

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