Arthur Bliss’s Morning Heroes, Op. 32, is a “symphony for orator, chorus and orchestra” composed in 1930 as a memorial to his brother Francis Kennard Bliss and all comrades killed in battle. It received its premiere at the Norwich Festival on 22 October 1930 with Basil Maine as the narrator. The work lasts approximately 55 minutes and calls for solo speaker, SATB chorus, and full symphony orchestra.

The text draws on a diverse selection of poetry and epic passages: Homer’s Iliad (Books VI & XIX), Walt Whitman’s Drum Taps, Wilfred Owen’s “Spring Offensive,” Li Tai Po, and Robert Nichols’s “Dawn on the Somme.” These extracts alternate between spoken narration and choral singing, juxtaposing ancient heroism with the grim realities of trench warfare.

The work is structured in five movements:

1. Hector’s Farewell to Andromache (Prologue)

2. The City Arming

3. Vigil – The Bivouac’s Flame (central slow section)

4. Achilles Goes to Battle – The Heroes

5. Now, Trumpeter, for Thy Close – Spring Offensive – Dawn on the Somme (Epilogue) — the score balances martial brass and percussion with lyrical string and choral writing. Bliss’s imposing orchestration and dramatic narrative pacing create a powerful tribute that blends classical and contemporary verse into a unified musical monument.