S2.E24. Larking about -no, not that one- Haydn String Quartet op 64; Holst St.Paul's Suite; Chopin Ballade 4.

Welcome back to Perfect Pitch with Nick Healy Hutchinson and his fresh approach to the world of classical music. Whether you're an expert or a beginner, old or young. Perfect Pitch has something for everyone.

Fawn Williams, Larker Sending, may have been the UK's most popular piece of music for many, many years. And you might have noticed, even lamented, that I've resisted playing it on this podcast. I'm not about to change that now, I'm afraid, but he wasn't the first one to have a piece named in praise of that bird. Joseph Haydn, universally acknowledged to be the founder of the Symphony and String Quartet, earning him the moniker Papa Haydn, wrote 63 String Quartets. The D major, Oprah 64 No. But it soon came to be nicknamed the Lark, even if not by Haydn. And it's easy to see why for the opening movement. After a brief pizzicarter introduction, a solo violin enters with a gorgeous melody, which dances and circles around in exactly the same way a lark might. It's typical Haydn, light, charming, and sweetness itself. And I wonder if there are occasional notes and rhythms which Schubert might have learned from about thirty years later in his trout quintet. I couldn't believe that I stumbled upon this playful rendition of the opening movement of the Lark Quartet, because it's played by a Forsum who actually go by the name of the Lark Quartet. He's always full of little surprises. Be honest. I bet you thought there was at least one more note to come to finish that off. Yes, I know we listened to a suite based on folk music last week, and that we also listened to Holt's Moreside suite a few weeks ago. But I haven't quite got it out of my system yet. Besides which there's something so fresh and uplifting about Holt's music that I can't resist sharing another one with you now. Despite his foreign-sounding name, Gustav Holtz was a British composer, albeit of Swedish descent. His life bridged the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. So he was exposed to a wide range of different influences, ranging from Wagner to Gilbert and Sullivan. He suffered from neuritis in his right arm, which prevented him from being the professional musician he wanted to be. So he turned his hand to composition. His most famous work Remains of the Planet. And during his lifetime he likely resented its popularity at the expense of all his other work, of which there was a great deal, and which only got any kind of decent attention at the end of the last century. Possibly his greatest legacy was as a teacher. For some thirty years, he was a music teacher at St. Paul's School for Guards in London, and the St. Paul's suite was composed as a thank you for them dedicating a room to him at the school. Like the early music of Vaughan Williams, the traditional English folk song is a preeminent influence here. The piece is in four brief moments, and the finale is a bundle of joy. Quite a while back. I showed my lock for the first time. And it's not the four. Probably the hardest of the lot of the question. I can begin to get this.