The captain’s apprentice

£10.99

‘The Captain’s Apprentice’ is a beautifully written exploration of the world of Edwardian folk music, and its influence on the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Out of stock

Description

A beautifully written exploration of the world of Edwardian folk music, and its influence on the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams

In January 1905 the young Vaughan Williams, not yet one of England’s most famous composers, visited Norfolk to find folk songs ‘from the mouths of the singers’. An old fisherman, James ‘Duggie’ Carter, performed ‘The Captain’s Apprentice’, a brutal tale of torture sung to the most beautiful tune the young composer had ever heard.

With this transformational moment at its heart, the book traces the contrasting lives of the well-to-do composer and a forgotten cabin boy who died at sea, and brings fresh perspectives on folk-song collectors, the singers and their songs.

***AS READ ON BBC RADIO 4***

‘A quirky, fascinating read. Davison excels in evoking English landscapes’ Sunday Times

‘Animated, entertaining… Presenting a richly complex picture of a subject that can all too easily be shrouded in a sentimental haze’ Daily Telegraph

Additional information

Weight 0.32 kg
Dimensions 19.6 × 12.8 × 3.2 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

400

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

780.92 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K