Vaughan Williams’s Serenade to Music is one of his most beautiful and beloved works. It was composed in 1938 and dedicated to the great British conductor Sir Henry Wood. The text comes from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, where the glories of music are so famously described. This piece was originally composed for 16 singers and orchestra. Each singer was given a short solo in addition to their singing in the “choir.” Our chorus was a bit larger (42), but each of the 16 solos was given to a different member of our ensemble. And, instead of full orchestra, I adapted the piece for organ, solo violin, and harp. At the 1938 premiere, conducted by Sir Henry Wood, Sergei Rachmaninoff was in the audience and was so overcome by the beauty of the work that he wept. It has been a favorite of music lovers ever since.

– Dennis Keene

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Serenade to Music

Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director

Andrew Henderson, organ
Elizabeth Fayette, violin
Victoria Drake, harp

Recorded on April 14, 2016 © Voices of Ascension
The singers in this performance are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO.