IV. The Explorers

E580038

"IV. The Explorers" is the expansive, visionary final movement of Ralph Vaughan Williams’s choral-orchestral A Sea Symphony, evoking humanity’s spiritual and cosmic quest through Walt Whitman’s poetry.

Jump to: Statements Referenced by

Statements (43)

Predicate Object
instanceOf choral-orchestral movement
symphonic movement
associatedConcept humanity’s spiritual and cosmic quest
basedOnTextBy Walt Whitman NERFINISHED
belongsToPeriod 20th-century classical music
belongsToWorkTypeWithWork choral symphony
composer Ralph Vaughan Williams NERFINISHED
composerNationality British
countryOfOriginWithWork United Kingdom NERFINISHED
evokes cosmic and universal themes
sea voyage as metaphor for spiritual exploration
genre choral symphony movement
influencedBy Walt Whitman’s transcendentalist ideas
language English
movementNumber 4
notableFeature expansive, visionary character
integration of chorus and orchestra throughout the movement
use of Whitman’s mystical and exploratory imagery
orchestration baritone soloist
full symphony orchestra
mixed chorus
soprano soloist
partOf A Sea Symphony NERFINISHED
partOfCycle four-movement structure of A Sea Symphony
positionInWork final movement
precededBy III. The Waves NERFINISHED
premiereConductorWithWork Ralph Vaughan Williams NERFINISHED
premiereLocationWithWork Leeds Festival NERFINISHED
premiereWithWork 1910
style English pastoral
late-Romantic
subjectOf musicological analyses of Vaughan Williams’s choral symphonies
textAuthorNationality American
textLanguage English
textSource Leaves of Grass NERFINISHED
Passage to India NERFINISHED
theme cosmic exploration
humanity’s journey
spiritual quest
transcendence
usesPoetryBy Walt Whitman NERFINISHED
workCatalogueWithWork Symphony No. 1 NERFINISHED
workKeyWithWork D major

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony movement IV. The Explorers
subject surface form: A Sea Symphony