Words of Scottish war poet will be set to music

Five pieces by a Scottish war poet are to be set to music by a renowned composer.

The poems by soldier Charles Hamilton Sorley will be interpreted by Sir James MacMillan to mark the centenary of the First World War Armistice.

All the Hills and Vales Along features five of the Aberdeen-born soldier’s works.

Among them is When You See Millions of the Mouthless Dead, a work which was discovered in his kit bag after his death on the Western Front on October 13 1915, aged 20.

Sir James said: “Years ago I was given a book of Poems of the First World War, edited by Martin Stephen, and I immediately turned to the ones by Owen, Sassoon and Graves.

“However, I was also directed towards a beautiful poem All the Hills and Vales Along by CH Sorley and I made a mental note of this at the time.

“I returned to it years later, along with others by him in the book, which are now set in the new oratorio.”

Sorley began publishing poetry in his school’s journal and won a scholarship to University College, Oxford.

He was in Germany in 1914 when the First World War broke out and was interned for one night in prison at Trier.

All the Hills and Vales Along will have its World Premiere at the fifth Cumnock Tryst festival on Saturday October 6.