George Butterworth, who died in WWI, left a tantalisingly small amount of music. He stopped composing altogether when he volunteered in August 1914.
His last compositional project was a
Fantasia for orchestra. Michael Barlow, Butterworth's biographer, suggests that it was begun in 1914 "
since a Bayswater address is written on the score, and here Butterworth was living before war broke out."
(
Michael Barlow, Whom The Gods Love: The Life and Music of George Butterworth. Toccata Press 1997. p. 177)
Barlow continues:
"
A short score is referred to in these sketches, but there is no trace of it. A hushed, dark-coloured opening, on bassoons and divided violas and cellos, leads to an andantino section in which one basic theme, first heard on oboe and violas is developed, but the score is too fragmentary for constructive comment. A vivace section of only a few bars includes a promising figure on trumpets, but there the music stops." (ibid.)
Barlow quotes two fragments of the music and acknowledges the folksong idiom but "
there are also changes in Butterworth's compositional style, with not a few influences from European composers." (ibid.)
According to Barlow Vaughan Williams's "A London Symphony" has had some influence on his orchestral writing. The fragment "
is scored for a large orchestra, including triple woodwind." (ibid., p. 178)
Now the indefatigable
Martin Yates has attempted a completion of the work. It is to be premiered at the opening concert of the 2015
English Music Festival.
http://www.englishmusicfestival.org.uk/programme.htmlApparently the conductor
Kriss Russman has also realised a performing version, already premiered (in piano score) in November 2014.
A performance and recording of the orchestral version is planned for 2016.
http://krissrussman.com/More information on Butterworth:
http://musicbehindthelines.org/composers/featured-composers/george-butterworth/