Vaughan Williams conducted the first performance of his great choral symphony on his 38th birthday, October 12, 1910, at the Leeds Music Festival (a concert which included the British premiere of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2). The work was well received and has been in the symphonic repertoire ever since. The text was taken by the composer from Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass".
This digitally restored score, the first available at a reasonable price, is reissued from the one first published by Breitkopf and Hartel's London office in 1909, subsequently revised by the composer and reissued by Stainer & Bell in 1918. In contrast so many of the on-demand scores now available, this one comes with all the pages and the images have been thoroughly checked to make sure it is readable, is beautifully printed on off-white stock with a quality cover. The large A4 format will be much appreciated by choruses and those wanting to follow along as they enjoy one of greatest choral works of the 20th century.
