''Songs of Sunset'' is a work by

Frederick Delius Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius ( 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934), originally Fritz Delius, was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prosperous mercantile family, he resisted atte ...

, written in 1906-07, and scored for

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

and

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

soli,

SATB SATB is an initialism that describes the scoring of compositions for choirs, and also choirs (or consorts) of instruments. The initials are for the voice types: S for soprano, A for alto, T for tenor and B for bass. Choral music Four-part harm ...

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

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: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

. 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, then in Kent, in 1867. His great-uncle ...

. It was published in 1911, and a German translation was made by Delius's wife

Jelka Rosen Hélène Sophie Emilie Rosen, known as Jelka, (30 December 186828 May 1935) was a German painter, best known as the wife of the English composer Frederick Delius. She was born in Belgrade in 1868. She was the youngest of five children born to ...

, 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, 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. From 1895 until 1941, it ...

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, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (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 Roya ...

. The soloists were

Julia Culp Julia Bertha Culp (6 October 188013 October 1970), the "Dutch nightingale", was an internationally celebrated mezzo-soprano in the years 1901–1919. "You might describe Julia Culp as a connoisseur’s singer," Michael Oliver wrote in the ''Inte ...

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 Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

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 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 in a docu ...

Choral Society, whose chief conductor

Hans Haym Hans Haym (29 November 1860 – 15 February 1921) was a German conductor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As musical director in the town of Elberfeld he championed the works of the then unknown English composer Frederick Deli ...

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

: * 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

'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 Eric William Fenby Order of the British Empire, OBE (22 April 190618 February 1997) was an English composer, conductor, pianist, organist and teacher who is best known for being Frederick Delius's amanuensis from 1928 to 1934. He helped Delius ...

discovered it and prompted Delius to complete it as a separate work in its own right, which he called '' Cynara''.

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 one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...

, Sir

(live recording, 1934

Leeds Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...

) * Nancy Evans,

Redvers Llewellyn Redvers may refer to: Places * Redvers, Saskatchewan, a town in Canada People * Redvers (given name), including a list of people with the name * Kelvin Redvers, First Nations filmmaker * Redvers family See also * Redvers Airport, an abandoned air ...

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

, 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 Scottish cabinetmak ...

, John Cameron, Beecham Choral Society, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham (1957) *

Janet Baker Dame Janet Abbott Baker (born 21 August 1933) is an English mezzo-soprano best known as an opera, concert, and lieder singer.Blyth, Alan, "Baker, Dame Janet (Abbott)" in Sadie, Stanley, ed.; John Tyrell; exec. ed. (2001). ''New Grove Dictionar ...

John Shirley-Quirk John Stanton Shirley-Quirk CBE (28 August 19317 April 2014) was an English bass-baritone. A member of the English Opera Group during 1964–76, he gave premiere performances of several operatic and vocal works by Benjamin Britten, recording thes ...

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 Philharmon ...

Chorus and Orchestra,

Charles Groves Sir Charles Barnard Groves CBE (10 March 191520 June 1992) was an English conductor. He was known for the breadth of his repertoire and for encouraging contemporary composers and young conductors. After accompanying positions and conducting ...

(1968) * Sarah Walker, Sir

Thomas Allen Thomas Allen may refer to: Clergy *Thomas Allen (nonconformist) (1608–1673), Anglican/nonconformist priest in England and New England *Thomas Allen (dean of Chester) (died 1732) *Thomas Allen (scholar) (1681–1755), Anglican priest in England * ...

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,

Sally Burgess Sally Burgess FRCM (born 9 October 1953) is a South African-born British operatic lyric mezzo-soprano, opera director, and educator. She has been a Fellow and Professor of Vocal Studies at the Royal College of Music since 2004, as well as teachi ...

Bryn Terfel Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, (; born 9 November 1965) (known professionally as Bryn Terfel) is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly '' Figaro'', ''Leporello'' and ''D ...

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an English orchestra, founded in 1893 and originally based in Bournemouth. With a remit to serve the South and South West of England, the BSO is administratively based in the adjacent town of Poole, s ...

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 Hickox was born in Stokenchurch in Buckinghamshire into a musical family. After attending the Royal Gram ...

allmusic
/ref> * Henriette Bonde-Hansen, Johan Reuter, Aarhus Cathedral Choir,

Aarhus Symphony Orchestra The Aarhus Symfoniorkester (Aarhus Symphony Orchestra) is the principal orchestra for the Danish city of Aarhus. Description Established in 1935 as ''Aarhus By-Orkester'' (Aarhus City Orchestra), since 1982 it has performed most of its concerts in ...

and Choir,

Bo Holten Bo Holten (born 22 October 1948) is a Danish composer and conductor. He has been the principal conductor for the vocal ensembles '' Ars Nova (Copenhagen)'' and '' Musica Ficta (Denmark)'', as well as guest-conductor for the ''BBC Singers''. He wa ...

Delius.org
/ref>

References

External links

* {{Authority control Compositions by Frederick Delius 1907 compositions Choral compositions