''Lyric for Strings'' is a
musical composition written by the American composer
George Walker George Walker may refer to:
Arts and letters
* George Walker (chess player) (1803–1879), English chess player and writer
*George Walker (composer) (1922–2018), American composer
* George Walker (illustrator) (1781–1856), author of ''The Co ...
. Originally titled ''Lament'', it was first composed as the second movement of Walker's String Quartet No. 1 in 1946 while he was a graduate student at the
Curtis Institute of Music. The piece was given its world premiere later that year by the student orchestra of the Curtis Institute of Music conducted by
Seymour Lipkin.
In 1990, Walker expanded the work for
string orchestra, retitling it ''Lyric for Strings''; this new arrangement subsequently became Walker's most performed composition. It is cast in a single
movement and has a duration of approximately six minutes. The work is dedicated to Walker's grandmother, a formerly enslaved person, who died shortly before its completion.
References
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Compositions by George Walker
1946 compositions
Compositions for string orchestra