Songs Of Sunset
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''Songs of Sunset'' is a work by
Frederick Delius file:Fritz Delius (1907).jpg, Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius (born Fritz Theodor Albert Delius; ; 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934) was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prospero ...
, written in 1906–07, and scored for
mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...
and
baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...
soli,
SATB In music, SATB is a scoring of compositions for choirs or consorts of instruments consisting of four voice types: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Choral music Four-part harmony using soprano, alto, tenor and bass is a common scoring in classic ...
chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...
and large
orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...
. The words are by
Ernest Dowson Ernest Christopher Dowson (2 August 186723 February 1900) was an English poet, novelist, and short-story writer who is often associated with the Decadent movement. Biography Ernest Dowson was born in Lee, London, Lee, then in Kent, in 1867. His ...
. It was published in 1911, and a German translation was made by Delius's wife Jelka Rosen, as ''Sonnenuntergangs-Lieder''.IMSLP
/ref> The work was first performed at the
Queen's Hall The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. Fro ...
in London on 16 June 1911 at an all-Delius concert in the presence of the composer, conducted by his great champion
Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philh ...
. The soloists were Julia Culp and Thorpe Bates, with the Edward Mason Choir and Beecham Symphony Orchestra. Other works performed that night were '' Paris: The Song of a Great City'', the ''Dance Rhapsody'', and ''Appalachia''. The occasion was also the first meeting of Delius with Philip Heseltine, then a 16-year-old Eton schoolboy, who had seen a copy of the score and wanted nothing more than to hear it. The school's permission had to be obtained for him to attend the concert. That meeting led to a lifelong friendship between the two, even though Delius was almost 33 years older than Heseltine. ''Songs of Sunset'' was dedicated to the
Elberfeld Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the Germany, German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929. History The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "''elverfelde''" was ...
Choral Society, whose chief conductor Hans Haym was one of Delius's greatest supporters in Germany.Stone Records
/ref> The Elberfeld chorus performed it first in 1914. Hans Haym later wrote, "This is not a work for a wide public, but rather for a smallish band of musical isolates who are born decadents and life's melancholics".


Words

The work consists of eight poems by
Ernest Dowson Ernest Christopher Dowson (2 August 186723 February 1900) was an English poet, novelist, and short-story writer who is often associated with the Decadent movement. Biography Ernest Dowson was born in Lee, London, Lee, then in Kent, in 1867. His ...
: * No. 1. "A song of the setting sun!" (chorus) * No. 2. "Cease smiling, Dear!" a little while be sad (mezzo-soprano, baritone) * No. 3. "Pale amber sunlight falls across" (chorus) * No. 4. "O Mors!" (''Exceeding sorrow consumeth my sad heart!'') (mezzo-soprano) * No. 5. "Exile" (''By the sad waters of separation'') (baritone) * No. 6. "In Spring" (''See how the trees and osiers lithe'') (chorus) * No. 7. "I was not sorrowful, I could not weep" (baritone) * No. 8. "Vitae summa" (''They are not long, the weeping and the laughter'') (mezzo-soprano, baritone, chorus). A setting for voice and piano of "Vitae summa", written in Jelka Rosen's hand, was found in Delius's papers after his death; it may have been his first thoughts about the music. Delius had originally also set Dowson's poem "Non sum qualis eram bonae sub Regno Cynarae" for baritone solo and orchestra, as part of the score, but abandoned it as not fitting well with the overall scheme. It lay forgotten and not quite complete until 1929, when Eric Fenby discovered it and prompted Delius to complete it as a separate work in its own right, which he called ''
Cynara ''Cynara'' is a genus of thistle-like perennial plants in the family Asteraceae. They are native to the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, northwestern Africa, and the Canary Islands. The genus name comes from the Greek ''kynara'', which ...
''.


Recordings

''Songs of Sunset'' has been recorded a number of times: * Olga Haley, Roy Henderson, London Select Choir,
London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is a British orchestra based in London. One of five permanent symphony orchestras in London, the LPO was founded by the conductors Thomas Beecham, Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a riv ...
, Sir
Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philh ...
(live recording, 1934
Leeds Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading, Berkshire, Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend ...
) * Nancy Evans, Redvers Llewellyn,
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...
, Sir Thomas Beecham *
Maureen Forrester Maureen Kathleen Stewart Forrester, (July 25, 1930 – June 16, 2010) was a Canadian operatic contralto. Life and career Maureen Forrester was born and grew up in Montreal, Quebec, one of four children of Thomas Forrester, a British cabinetma ...
, John Cameron, Beecham Choral Society, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham (1957) * Janet Baker, John Shirley-Quirk,
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in Liverpool, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmo ...
Chorus and Orchestra, Charles Groves (1968) * Sarah Walker, Sir Thomas Allen,
Ambrosian Singers The Ambrosian Singers are an English choral group based in London. History They were founded after World War II in England. One of their co-founders was Denis Stevens (1922–2004), a British musicologist and viola player who joined the BBC Mu ...
, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Eric Fenby * Sally Burgess,
Bryn Terfel Bryn Terfel Jones (; born 9 November 1965), is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially primarily associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', '' Leporello'' and ''Don Giovanni,'' but he has subsequ ...
, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus,
Richard Hickox Richard Sidney Hickox (5 March 1948 – 23 November 2008) was an English conductor of choral, orchestral and operatic music. Early life and education Hickox was born in Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire into a musical family. After attending ...
allmusic
/ref> * Henriette Bonde-Hansen, Johan Reuter, Aarhus Cathedral Choir, Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and Choir, Bo HoltenDelius.org
/ref>


References


External links

* {{Authority control Choral compositions by Frederick Delius 1907 compositions Musical settings of poems by Ernest Dowson