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  • Score: Francis
Francis

Sheet Music: Score

Francis / music by Betty Beath ; words by David Cox.

by Betty Beath (1973)

  • Sales Availability: This item may be available to purchase from the Australian Music Centre.
    Please contact our Sales Department to confirm pricing and availability.
  • Library Availability: Q 783.2542/BEA 2 — Available for loan
  • Instrumentation: Medium voice (male or female), piano.

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  • Audio Sample

    Performance by Susan Lorette Dunn, Betty Beath from the CD River songs

$POA

This item may be available to purchase from the Australian Music Centre.
Please contact our Sales Department to confirm pricing and availability.

Product details

Francis, with words by David Cox, is a solo song written for tenor Henry Howell; it also includes an optional spoken introduction. Henry sang this solo many times when visiting parish churches in towns and cities while touring for the Queensland Opera Company. He requested that the spoken introduction, which I include below, should preface his performance.

St. Francis of Assisi was a colourful figure in a plain brown robe. In history and legend of religion he is the most beloved of saints. As a youth, the son of a rich merchant, he was a leader of the wild lads of Assisi who drank and capered through their nights. Francis had not found his way, though more and more, a nameless ambition was building in his soul. "I shall be a great man", he said. War took his fancy, and he imagined he had discovered his vocation in the service of nobles and his ultimate ambition in knighthood. But a voice addressed him one night as he slept, "Francis, who can do more for you, the Lord or the Servant?"

"The Lord", he answered.

"Therefore, why do you leave the Lord for the Servant and the Prince for the vassal?"

There were many difficulties ahead, but Francis had found his road. His was the ambition greater than all ambitions, he leader the greatest of leaders.

Francis came to be known as 'The Little Christ of Umbria'.

Published by: Australian Music Centre — 1 facsimile score (4p. -- B4 (portrait))

Difficulty: Medium

Duration: 3 min.

Contents note:

 

Commissioned by Henry Howell.

First performance by Henry Howell — Sep 73. Manchester

The composer has written that this work for solo voice, is for either tenor or soprano, and piano accompaniment.

This is a handwritten edition — it is not typeset.

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This work is also available in the following products:

River songs
CD: River songs / Betty Beath ... [et al.].

Celebrating the work of Australian women composers
CD: Celebrating the work of Australian women composers

 

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