War Music (composition)

War Music is a composition for choir and orchestra by the Australian composer James Ledger. The work was commissioned by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra to commemorate the centenary of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli during World War I. The text was written by the Australian musician Paul Kelly. It was given its world premiere on April 22, 2015 at the Sydney Opera House by the Gondwana Chorale and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the conductor Richard Gill.

War Music has duration of roughly 25 minutes and is composed in two movements. The first movement reflects the violence of the war, while the second is cast as memorial for those lost. Thus, the second movement features less of the orchestral instruments and the addition of the choir. Ledger described the composition process in the score program notes, writing:

I was humbled on many occasions on writing a piece that commemorates those who were confronted by such a terrifying experience – I could only begin to imagine what it would have been like in reality. This produced the profound difficulty of trying to express the suffering and tragedy of war in purely musical terms. And added to this are the complexities of the myths and legends that surround the Gallipoli story. I therefore concentrated on the more broader aspects of war, hence the title.

The text was written by the Australian musician Paul Kelly during an otherwise inactive year and takes the perspective of the soldiers at Gallipoli.

The work is scored for SATB choir and a large orchestra comprising three flutes (2nd doubling piccolo; 3rd doubling piccolo and alto flute), three oboes (3rd doubling cor anglais), two clarinets (2nd doubling bass clarinet), contrabass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, four percussionists, celesta, and strings.

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