Ernest John Moeran

Rhapsody in F Sharp

Rhapsody in F Sharp for Piano and Orchestra was commissioned by the BBC Proms and first performed in the Royal Albert Hall on August 19th, 1943. Written with the wartime audience in mind, it isunashamedlypopular in style, with its flashy virtuosity making it immediately accessible and entertaining. There is argument among scholars as to whether it should be referred to in the Major or Minor key, as it makes almost equaluse ofboth, starting in one and finishing in the other.

Ernest J Moeran (1894-1950) was an English composer, who followed the tradition of R. Vaughan Williams and John Ireland by collecting, preserving, and usingmanyfolk songs, mainly from Norfolk, Suffolk, and Ireland.