Sarah was delighted to be asked to write a setting of Ursula Vaughan Williams’ beautiful poem O Western Wind.. An anniversary to help Stainer and Bell mark Vaughan Williams’ 150th birthday next year. Ursula Vaughan Williams was RVW’s second wife, a tireless ambassador for his music after his death, and a talented poet and novelist in her own right. This poem, written on the 35th anniversary of his death, makes it clear that her love for him had not dwindled in the intervening years:
O Western Wind: An anniversary
This was our world’s end day, dear love,
An end of time but not of tears,
The end of touch, the silenced word,
The first day of our separate years.
When will time end for me, dear love,
Or end for both in darkest night,
Or shall I find, in that unknown
Your hand is mine, and mine your own?
Sarah’s setting is now available from Stainer and Bell as part of their Choral Now series, and hopefully will be of use to choirs planning to mark the anniversary next year.
