A Time There Was

I first heard the traditional melody on which the first and last movements are based on an album by the progressive rock band Gryphon, who title it "The Unquiet Grave". It is thought to date from the fifteenth century, and deals with a young man's grief over the death of his lover, and a "year and a day" spent mourning at her grave until she tells him to leave her in peace and enjoy life while he has it.

The melody has been used by many composers and artists. It is clearly a haunting refrain, Vaughan Williams having set it as "How Cold the Wind doth Blow" in several different arrangements. This treatment for brass is hopefully respectful of the melody's antiquity. On a more cheerful note, the second and third movements are based on an equally ancient melody, Kemp's Jig, used both in its original form and in a triple time version.