Into the Valley of Death
“Into the Valley of Death” was commissioned by the choir Ensemble Sonamento for a competition in 2019. The ensemble won the prize for the best interpretation of a contemporary piece in this competition with “Into the Valley of Death”.
Sonamento's request was to write a fast-paced piece that would allow the ensemble to stand out from the other choirs. Since the piece was supposed to be for a male choir, a martial theme was obvious, and I quickly thought of a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson that I knew from the movie "The Blind Side":
The text is a poem called "The Charge of the Light Brigade" from 1854. This text is inspired by a battle during the Crimean War of 1853-1856 between Russia and an alliance of Great Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire. Due to an error in the chain of command, a British cavalry of almost 700 men is sent to attack a cannon position head-on. By the time the mistake is noticed and the retreat is ordered, almost 300 soldiers have already been killed or wounded. Through a newspaper article, Alfred Lord Tennyson learned of the tragedy that inspired him to write his poem.
The piece is written in a galloping 6/8 time. In the first part, the soldiers ride towards the cannon position, the cannon shots are imitated by the choir singers stamping their feet. In the second part you can hear the screams of those hit, and in the third part the remaining soldiers ride back under renewed cannon fire.
"The Charge of the Light Brigade", by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892):
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred.
Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
Choir: TTBB
Length: 3 min
Ensemble Sonamento, 2019