Pastoral Symphony (Vaughan Williams)

Ralph Vaughan Williams's third symphony, published as A Pastoral Symphony and not formally numbered until later, was completed in 1922. Vaughan Williams's inspiration to write this symphony came during his military service during the First World War after hearing a bugler practising: this ultimately led to the trumpet cadenza in the second movement.

The work has gained the reputation of being a subtly beautiful elegy for the dead of the World War and a meditation on the sounds of peace. Like many of the composer's works, the Pastoral Symphony is not programmatic, but its spirit is evocative. In the last of the four movements a wordless voice (usually soprano, but the score allows for a tenor alternative) joins the orchestral forces.