Sir Arnold Bax dedicated the Threnody and Scherzo to composer Patrick Hadley. It was first performed on December 11, 1936 in London (the night of the King of England's abdication), only to lay dormant for some forty years until it was resurrected in the form of a bassoon concerto.

It is obvious from the very first chord in the strings that the musical language of Bax is more in line with the French Impressionist composers on the other side of the channel (Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel) than with his British brethren (Ralph Vaughan Williams and Edward Elgar). The beautifully ambiguous key center, the passionate lyricism, and the unusual instrumental tone colors are signatures of Bax's chamber music style. The mysteriously chromatic bassoon theme in the opening creates a mood that is ominous and dark. This thematic material becomes the glue for the entire Threnody. Intensity builds until light finally breaks through with a shift to a major key about two and a half minutes into the movement. Notable is an interesting exchange between the bassoon and double bass using the beginning material. The stalwart bassoon announces a bouncy little theme, also taken up by the strings, that dominates the Scherzo. A transition in the harp leads to a serenely contrasting episode that prepares the way for a return of the principal theme. The creative strength of Arnold Bax lies in his ability to paint tonal pictures (especially in his symphonic poems) using a subtle yet powerfully unique musical vocabulary.

© Mona DeQuis, All Music Guide