Choral & Orchestra
Ballad of Fair Helen of Kirkonnel, op 8
- baritone and orchestra
- text: Anonymous
- re-scored by Balfour Gardiner in May-June 1911
- dedicated to Frederic Austin
- composed 1900
- performed by the Queen's Hall Orchestra
- conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham with Frederic Austin, soloist on June 6, 1905 at Bechstein Hall, London
- London: Elkin, 1925
- photoprints of ms. in the Grainger Museum
- full score MG C3-SCO-69A and incomplete set of parts MG C3/SCO-69A:1
La belle dame sans merci
- Andante sostenuto – Moderato – Tranquillo – Allegretto – Moderato –
- Più tranquillo – Tempo più animato – Tranquillo – Allegro con passione –
- Moderato – Quietly flowing – Tempo quasi andante – Molto sostenuto e tranquillo
- for chorus (SSAATTBB), baritone solo and orchestra [36p / 425b] (U.M.A. 3)
- text by John Keats
- composed 1915-17
- published 1934, London: Universal Music Agencies [25’ CS]
- premiered by Leeds Festival Chorus and The London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham with Roy Henderson soloist at Leeds Festival, Leeds Town Hall, Leeds
- piano reduction available from Cyril Scott Estate
- dedicated to Roy Henderson
Festival Overture
for full orchestra and chorus and organ ad lib
Tempo tranquillo -
- composed May 1929 / Dec.1933
- published by Elkin
- 10’34” [c10’ CS]
- (1902, 1912)
- Dedicated to: Percy Grainger
- Libretto: anon. (Scott?)
- Revision of Princess Maleine Overture
- Orchestration - [minimum: 2(=picc).2(=ca).1.bc.3(=cbsn) / 4.2.3.1 / timp / perc / hp / pf / cel / strs] [optional: fl 3 / ca(extra player) / cl 2 / tpt 3 / extra perc / org]
- Premiered by BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult 1934: Queen's Hall, London
- score & parts on hire from Novello
- Ms. full score, parts and chorus parts: MGF C2/SCO-70 and photoprint of full scores: MG C3/SCO-70) in the Grainger Museum
- MS: Grainger Museum [MG C2/SCO-70], FS, parts & chorus parts
- May 1929 holograph with estate. Front cover states “for control only”, and “N.B. This score is incorrect in some details and should not be used except for balance and control.” Underneath, in Grainger’s writing, “& it’s no use for that”. [54p]
- Dec.1933 holograph with estate [33p].
- This MS has much taping-over of sections and individual parts, perhaps indicative of Grainger’s suggested revisions.
- Undated letter to Scott from Percy Grainger with estate, containing 5 loose sheets with suggested revisions to scoring of 1929 version.
- Revision of [S.15] Princess Maleine Overture — Grainger further revised the work in the early 1930s, to make it “fool-proof” (ie. scored so that it will sound well even with insufficient rehearsal).
- Won the ₤100 Daily Telegraph prize for orchestral works, and premiered in 1934 (Queen’s Hall, Adrian Boult).
Hymn of Unity
for chorus [SSAATTBB], contralto, baritone and orchestra
- Prelude [Chorus - ‘Unity, Unity! Of that do we sing’]
[I / I] Adagio – Maestoso - Poco pi mosso – Moderato - Maestoso [183b] [37p / 17p] - Confession [Chorus, - ‘Not only to God, but to each other let us confess our sins’]
[II / II] Andante - Tempo poco rubato – Tempo I [121b] [30p / 18p] - Visitation [Baritone- ‘Ask me not who I am – for ye would not understand.’]
[III / III] Con spirito – Moderato – Poco pi mosso - Pi tranquillo (Andante) [162b] [34p / 13p] - Chorale I [Chorus- ‘Oh may the High Powers enlighten mankind’]
[IV / IV] Adagio maestoso [22b] [4p / 3p] - Miserere [Chorus- ‘Have mercy upon me, O God!’]
[V / V] Andante – Tempo poco pi mosso [115b] [32p / 18p] - Exhortation [Contralto- ‘Erewhile ye chose to christen me Dame Nature’]
[V / VI] Moderato – Allegretto / Molto moderato (quasi recit.) - Aria [141b] [37p / 14p] - De profundis [Chorus- ‘Woe is man! For he doth seem to be, alas, beyond all hope’]
[VI / VII] Adagio lamentoso – Pochissimo pi mosso [174b] [35p / 20p] - Jubilate I [Chorus- ‘O ye despondent ones – ye err!]
[VII/ IX] Allegro [83b] [19p / 13p] - Colloquy [The Sage (Baritone) - ‘Reason and logic! / the Skeptics (chorus) - ‘Impossible! Do we retort! /and the Chorus of Disciples- ‘He speaketh Wisdom doth our Master’]
[VIII / X] Fluente tranquillo – Vigoroso – Meno mosso (quasi tempo I) – A tempo, vigoroso – Più tranquillo, quasi tempo I - A tempo molto moderato [214b] [45p / 22p] - Chorale II [Chorus- ‘Oh may we more and more respond unto the pow’r’]
[IX / XI] Maestoso - Adagio, quasi chorale [22b] [4p / 2p] - Litany [Contralto/baritone soli and chorus- ‘From our great and long-harboured illusions’]
[X / X] Allegretto – A tempo, ma poco meno mosso- Poco meno mosso; somewhat lingeringly [110b] [22p / 12p] - Jubilate II [Chorus- ‘We are the joyous ones, the free and joyous ones’]
[XI / XIII] Allegro - Somewhat lingeringly – Grazioso – Con moto; quasi tempo primo - Allegro [126b] [29p / 15p] - The Angel of Mercy [Contralto- ‘Culture – ye pride yourselves upon its attainment’]
[XII / XIV] Lento – Poco pi mosso – Poco tranquillo [132b] [23p / 10p] - Invocation [Chorus- ‘Unto the Great White Spirit, unto the Forces of Light’]
[XIII / XV] Allegro moderato [113b] [24p / 15p] - Finale [Chorus- ‘O life – The one that doth inform the heavens and the earth’]
[XIV / XVI] Con moto – Poco meno mosso, molto maestoso – Con riverenza - Pi allargando [115b] [26p / 14p]
- Orchestration: [3.2.eh.2.3 / 4.3.3.1 / timp / perc / hp / pf / org / strs]
- PV: [211p] March, 1947 na unpublished c60"
- FS: [401p] July, 1947 na unpublished
- NB: Page numberings refer to the manuscripts. [FS / PV]
- Text: Cyril Scott (1947)
- MS: Holograph of FS and PV with estate.
- Libretto and score available from: Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music, email: smithk@library-phila.gov
- Notes: Scott’s most ambitious choral/orchestral work, written in response to Mahatma Koot Hoomi’s plea to Scott to return to composition, after the long break from composition during the war years. Scott began with the libretto, then wrote out a piano-vocal score, and orchestrated lastly.
- The FS/parts and the PV score, in computer-generated form (Trevor Wagler, ed. Leslie De’Ath) are available through the Fleisher Collection in Philadelphia..
- After the first five movements, confusion prevails in the numbering of movements in the FS and PV. The FS inadvertently has two movements numbered “V”, while the PV score omits “VIII” and numbers the Litany “X”. The result is that neither manuscript labels the movements correctly from Jubilate Ito the end, nor are they in agreement with one another except on “X” – which actually should be “XI”. Fortunately both manuscripts agree on the ordering of movements, implying that the problems are confined to numerical labels and do not implicate the actual order.
Magnificat
for soli, chorus, organ and orchestra
- composed November 1899
- Dedicated to: Percy [Grainger], Roger [Quilter], Eric [Harben], Agnes [Harben], Hans [Lüthy], Carry [Carrie Lüthy]
- Manuscript piano vocal score (by Percy Grainger) in the Grainger Museum: [MG C2/SCO-113]
Mirabelle: A Quaint Cantata
for soli, mixed chorus and strings (or a cappella)
Lullabye Moderato [7p / 64b]
- The Colloquy Allegretto con moto [16p / 97b]
- Six Years Old, Come Friday Quietly flowing [12p / 107b]
- Parents Lament Andante sospirando [9p / 63b]
- Told While Spinning Allegro vigoroso [17p / 90b]
- Mirabelle’s Love-plaint Poco tranquillo, e semplice [4p / 51b]
- Mirabelle is a Baggage, We Know Larghetto [4p / 86b]
- Seven Swains Poco allegretto – Con moto [8p / 74b]
- To the Wedding Allegretto con moto [12p / 114b]
- Tragedy Con spirito [13p / 112b]
- Libretto: The 1929 score identifies text as “anon.”. (Cyril Scott?)
- [102p / 858b]
- First Performance: radio broadcast, Apr.13 or 14, 1933, The Wireless Chorus
- London: Boosey & Hawkes, 1932, (vocal score) (H. 13694) [30’ CS]
- score and parts on hire
Mystic Ode
for male chorus (or mixed chorus ad libitum) and chamber orchestra
Slowly & gravely - Più animato – Con moto / Andante tranquillo [**p / 146b]
- [0.0.0.2 / 4.2.3.1 / timp / perc / hp / strs (vc, cb) / org / strs]
- Text by Cyril Scott under pseudonym Arkwright Lundy
- composed 1932
- published: London: Elkin,1933 (vocal score)
- Nov. 1932 1933 Elkin [7’ CS]
- score and parts on hire from Novello
- MS: holograph of PV [17p] with estate.
- Notes: The original title, Ode to Unity, was crossed out on the title page of the manuscript, and replaced with Mystic Ode. The title on p.1 of the score is Mystical Ode, with the <-al> excised. Cf. S.22 “It is recommended that the parts for soprano and contralto be used when such voices are available; the work is, however, complete without them.”
Nativity hymn
for soli, chorus [SSAATTBB] and orchestra
Andante sostenuto – Andante – Sostenuto e tempo animato – A tempo agitato – Con moto – Sostenuto e religioso –
Con moto – A tempo energico – Tranquillo – Poco più mosso – Molto maestoso e meno mosso
- Orch: 2.picc.2.ca.2.bcl. / 4.3.3.1 / timp / perc / hp / pf (upright will suffice) / cel / org / strs
- Text by Richard Crashaw
- Intended to be preceded by Christmas Overture
- Optional ending for Noël
- Vienna premier performance planned for April 3 1914 but WW1 intervened
- London: Stainer & Bell, 1923 (vocal score) [60’ CS]
- Manuscript: with Cyril Scott Estate[141p / ***]
- Notes:
- Christmas Overture, S.47, intended as beginning of this work. Optional ending for Noël, S.54
- Some instrumental and expression markings in score are in German.
- ** Carnegie Award?
Noël
Christmas Overture
- Orchestra with choral and organ finale
- orchestral overture with optional choral ending Nativity Hymn
- Performed by the Queen's Hall Orchestra
- conducted by Sir Henry Wood, Sept. 20, 1932
- at Promenade Concert at Queen's Hall, London.
- Mainz: B. Schott's Söhne, 1931
- score and parts on hire
- Ms. of full score available from Schott: London
Ode to Great Men
(for solo or orator), orchestra and women’s voices
Maestoso: Andante – Poco più tranquillo: Misterioso – Tempo poco più animato – More tranquil – Twice as quickly – Gently flowing
- Text: Ecclesiasticus 44 / J.R. Lowell / Percy B. Shelley
- R: Bone, 213 (referred to as Ode to Famous Men)
- Orchestration: 3.2.ca.2.bcl.34.3.3.1 / timp / perc / hp / pf / cel / org / strs]
- composed Feb. 1936
- Premiered with Basil Maine, soloist, on Sept 24 1936 at the Norwich Musical Festival in Norwich.
- London: Elkin [15’ CS]
- score and parts on hire from Novello
- MS: Grainger Museum [MG C3/SCO-98A], photoprint of FS[34p / 207b]
Princess Maleine [Op.18],
overture for chorus
- orchestral overture with chorus and organ
- Performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Chorus conduced by Franz Schreker on April 22 1912, Vienna
- composed 1912
- Poetic Literary Source: anon. (Scott?)
- Note: Revision of original orchestral version [S.40], and performed in Vienna, 1912; Further revision, 1929, as Festival Overture, S.18.
Summerland (Devachan) [Sommerland (Devachan)]
for chorus (SSAATTBB) and orchestra
‘Summerland, Devachan, Lotusland. O blessed land!'
[‘Sommerland, Devaland, Lotusland. O sel’ges Land.’ – transl. R.S. Hoffmann]
Andante sostenuto (Lontano, misterioso) – Poco più animato – Tempo tranquillo – Gently flowing – Con moto
- Text by Cyril Scott; German translation by R.S. Hoffmann.
- Wien: Universal-Edition, 1935, (vocal score)
- [27p / 264b]
- 1935 Universal
- [10.233] (PV score) [16’ CS]
- Boosey
- score and parts on hire