Ivor Novello

We'll Gather Lilacs

Of all of Ivor Novello's hugely-successful musicals, "Perchance to Dream" received the longest run of performances, 1020 in all, at the London Hippodrome, starting in April 1945. The smash hit was "We'll Gather Lilacs", which resonated with the feeling that the war in Europe was nearly over and that many were soon to be reunited with their loved ones after long absences. The song was published separately just before the musical was launched and Ivor was well aware that he might be able to match the success that "Keep the Home Fires Burning" had had in the Great War.
The story centres around a country house called Huntersmoon and the events happening there from the Regency period, (Act 1), the Victorian period (Act 2) and Modern Times, which ends Act 2. Some actors, Ivor Novello included, thus played three characters. "We'll Gather Lilacs" appears in the Victorian period as a duet between Veronica (Muriel Barron) and Mrs Bridport (Olive Gilbert).
In this choral arrangement there are three alternatives given for performance, bearing in mind that the sheet music version has two verses, neither of which appear in the musical, but will be familiar to many. For this version, follow the instructions in the score. To keep with the cast recording from the musical, after the eight-bar introduction, omit the verses as instructed. However, a third alternative is to carry straight on throughout, omitting verse 2 - thus getting the best of both worlds!
Such was the popularity of Ivor Novello, over ten thousand people, including Lady Churchill, lined the streets on the route from central London to the site of his funeral at Golders Green Cemetery, where Olive Gilbert sang "We'll Gather Lilacs". The last two lines of the song were subsequently engraved on Ivor's headstone.
Duration 6 minutes

This is available in four different versions: SATB (GM398), SA+Men (GM399), SSA (GM400) or TTBB (GM401).Accompaniment is either by piano or with orchestra (see GMCP024).