All My Life's Buried Here: The Story of George Butterworth

synopsis

The English composer, folk song collector and country dancer George Butterworth was killed in 1916 at Pozières, France during the Battle of the Somme. He was 31. In the chaos of war Butterworth was buried where he fell and his remains were never subsequently identified. This documentary tells the story of George Butterworth's life and music for the first time in a film, from his earliest childhood to his final hours in the violent confusion of the trenches. We follow Butterworth on his forays collecting folk songs to discover how they informed his own music. We learn why Butterworth once described himself as a 'professional morris dancer', and explore what led him to destroy so many of his own compositions before he died. Tracing his journey to its tragic conclusion we go with Butterworth into the trenches of northern France where he eventually led a battalion of Durham miners. Featuring classic recordings of Butterworth's music by the London Philharmonic under Sir Adrian Boult, plus exclusive live performances by Roderick Williams OBE, folk singer Peta Webb and archive recordings of English folk singers, this is a powerful portrait documentary revealing the emotional heart of George Butterworth's remarkable story.