BUTTERWORTH, George (1885-1916)
THE BANKS OF GREEN WILLOW
Concert Classics Series GMCL143

Orchestration
2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets in A or Bb, 2 Bassoons
2 Horns in F, Trumpet in Bb, Harp
Strings (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Double Bass)

George Butterworth was born in London on July 12th, 1885 to a well-to-do family. Eton School was followed by university at Trinity College, Oxford where he met Vaughan Williams and Cecil Sharp. He taught for a while at Radley, studied for a short time at the Royal College of Music, then concentrated more or less full time on collecting folk songs, sometimes with Vaughan Williams. When the First World War started in 1914, he joined the Durham Light Infantry as a Lieutenant. In the trenches, he was mentioned in dispatches for outstanding courage and won the Military Cross. He led a successful raid on August 15th 1916 in the Battle of the Somme, but during the raid Butterworth was killed by a sniper's bullet.
Much of his music is influenced by folk-song. The idyll "Banks of Green Willow" is one of his best works and perfectly captures the nature of the English countryside. It is almost as if the music occurred naturally and Butterworth just discovered it!
Duration: 5 minutes
A PACK comprises an A4 sized full score plus a complete set of parts including strings 4/4/3/4/2.