Thaxted (tune) explained
"Thaxted" is a hymn tune by the English composer Gustav Holst, based on the stately theme from the middle section of the Jupiter movement of his orchestral suite The Planets and named after Thaxted, the English village where he lived much of his life. He adapted the theme in 1921 to fit the patriotic poem "I Vow to Thee, My Country" by Cecil Spring Rice but that was as a unison song with orchestra.[1] It did not appear as a hymn-tune called "Thaxted" until his friend Ralph Vaughan Williams included it in Songs of Praise in 1926.[2]
The tune
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Hymns written to the tune
Many Christian hymns have been written to the tune. Notable ones include:
Other uses
The tune has been played at various major events:
Secular songs written to the tune include:
- "In the Quest for Understanding" – sesquicentennial anthem for Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin[12]
- "World in Union" – the anthem with lyrics by Charlie Skarbek, introduced at the 1991 Rugby World Cup
- The alma mater of various schools including Cinco Ranch High School in Katy, Texas, Flower Mound High School in Flower Mound, Texas, Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio, Texas, Westwood High School in Austin, Texas and Wesley College in Melbourne, Victoria.
- The noise rock band Harvey Milk used Thaxted as a section in their song "The Anvil Will Fall".
- English folk trio Kerr Fagan Harbron used Thaxted as an introduction to the song "Leaving Old England".
- The Swedish extreme metal band Bathory used Thaxted as the basis for the song "Hammerheart" on the album Twilight of the Gods
- Japanese singer Ayaka Hirahara released the song "", based on the melody, in December 2003.[13] [14]
- Sarah Brightman recorded the song "Running" in 2007. It was the theme song for the IAAF Championships; she performed it at the opening ceremony in Osaka.
- A choral adaptation of the tune for women's voices features prominently in the 2003 film Mona Lisa Smile.
- Maddy Prior includes the tune in two pieces of her 2003 album Lionhearts.[15]
Other uses of the melody include:
A literary reference appears in "The Adventure of the Lost World",[18] a Sherlock Holmes pastiche written by Dominic Green, where the tune is a major plot element, though the story contains a chronological error in that its Autumn 1918 setting would pre-date the publishing of the tune under the name "Thaxted".
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Holst, Imogen . A Thematic Catalogue of Gustav Holst's Music . Faber . 1974 . 145 . 978-0571100040.
- Book: Vaughan Williams . Ralph . Ralph Vaughan Williams . Shaw . Martin . Martin Shaw (composer) . Dearmer . Percy . Percy Dearmer . Songs of Praise . 1926 . Oxford University Press.
- Web site: The order of service for the funeral of Baroness Thatcher . 24 September 2018.
- Web site: The Queen's Funeral: what music was played at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II? . 2024-06-08 . www.classical-music.com . en.
- Web site: King Charles III Coronation Order of Service . 2024-06-08 . www.classical-music.com . en.
- Web site: O God Beyond All Praising . 1 July 2008.
- Web site: We Praise You and Acknowledge You, O God. Starke, Stephen P. . 30 March 2011.
- Web site: A New Hymnal for Colleges and Schools 425. For the splendor of creation Hymnary.org . hymnary.org . 26 May 2023 . en.
- Web site: Reproducible Congregation Page, O Spirit All-Embracing . ECS Publishing Group . 10 July 2023.
- News: I Vow to Thee, My Country . C-SPAN . 3 September 2018 . 30 November 2018.
- Web site: 2021-04-17. The meanings behind the songs Prince Philip chose for his funeral. 2021-11-23. ITV News. en.
- Web site: Lawrence University: College Songs of Past and Present . 1 July 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20010306075049/http://www.lawrence.edu/about/trads/lyrics.shtml . 6 March 2001.
- http://www.last.fm/music/%E5%B9%B3%E5%8E%9F%E7%B6%BE%E9%A6%99 平原綾香 (Hirahara Ayaka)
- Web site: Jupiter 平原綾香 . 2023-04-19 . ORICON NEWS.
- Web site: Lionhearts track listing at allmusic.com . . 19 November 2015.
- Web site: Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Force soundtrack credits.
- Web site: Kentaro Kobayashi's Jupiter arrangement from Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Force. . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/QAH6LueMapM . 2021-12-14. live.
- originally published 2004 online in BBCi Cult Sherlock Holmes Magazine, and reprinted in The Improbable Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, ed. John Joseph Adams. San Francisco: Night Shade Books, 2009.