Composed 1913; Duration: 6 minutes
 
Last BPO Performance: February 4-5, 2011 (Andrew Constantine, conductor)

A lone clarinet sets forth with a rustic melody, echoed by a warm embrace of strings. The folk tune is one of hundreds that George Butterworth collected during his trek throughout Southern England with his colleague Ralph Vaughan Williams. Butterworth’s setting of The Banks of Green Willow captures an idyllic environment, but an underlying melancholy stems from the song’s grim allegory. A farmer’s daughter elopes with a young sea captain, tragically dying aboard during childbirth. While the details vary depending on the setting or tradition, it serves as a cautionary tale to young women and sailors alike. The Banks of Green Willow has the distinction of being premiered by conductor Sir Adrian Boult at his professional debut in 1913, which was the last time Butterworth heard his music performed. 

Although brief, the work displays a technical aptitude and personality that may have positioned Butterworth as a more significant contributor to the English musical Renaissance of the early 20^th century. Rather, he was fated to be among the ranks of artists, poets, and musicians whose careers were cut short during the devastations of World War I. The decorated Lieutenant Butterworth died at the Battle of the Somme in 1916, at age 31. His remains never recovered, The Banks of Green Willow became something of an anthem for the unknown soldier and the sacrifice of the generation.