''Chanson de Matin'' (Morning Song), Op. 15, No. 2, is a musical work composed by

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

for violin and piano, and later orchestrated by the composer. Its first publication was in 1899, though it is thought that it was almost certainly written in 1889 or 1890. Elgar also composed a "companion" piece, '' Chanson de Nuit'', Op. 15, No. 1. To some critics ''Chanson de Matin'' is the less profound of the two works, however, its fresh melodic appeal has made it more popular. The orchestral version of the work was published two years later, and first performed, together with ''Chanson de Nuit'', at a Queen's Hall Promenade Concert conducted by Henry Wood on 14 September 1901. Elgar briefly

quotes Quote is a hypernym of quotation, as the repetition or copy of a prior statement or thought. Quotation marks are punctuation marks that indicate a quotation. Both ''quotation'' and ''quotation marks'' are sometimes abbreviated as "quote(s)". Co ...

the melody in the second movement of his String Quartet in E minor of 1918.

Structure

Allegretto, 2/4,

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable compositi ...

\relative c' \new Staff \with A performance will take about three minutes.

Instrumentation

Elgar scored ''Chanson de Matin'' (and ''Chanson de Nuit'') for a small orchestra consisting of one

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

, one

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

, two clarinets, one

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

, two

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * ''Horns'' (novel), a dark fantasy novel written in 2010 by Joe Hill ...

, the string section, and a

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

Arrangements

The work is most well known in its original setting and the composer's orchestral version. The most important are his arrangements for

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

and piano, and for

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

and piano; and by his friend A.

Herbert Brewer Sir Alfred Herbert Brewer (21 June 18651 March 1928) was an English composer and organist. As organist of Gloucester Cathedral from 1896 until his death, he contributed a good deal to the Three Choirs Festival for 30 years.Edwards, F.G. 'Brew ...

for

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

. There are arrangements for other instruments, including oboe and piano, recorder ensemble (Dom Gregory Murray), brass quintet (Roger Harvey), and for brass band and wind band. There is an adaptation for voice and piano published in 1960, ''"Haste ye feathered songsters"'', to words by Laurence Swinyard.Laurence Swinyard (1901-1986) was an organist, lyricist (including translations of French, German and Italian lyrics), music editor and writer. He was organist at

West Norwood West Norwood is a largely residential area of south London within the London Borough of Lambeth, located 5.4 miles (8.7 km) south south-east of Charing Cross. The centre of West Norwood sits in a bowl surrounded by hillsides on its east ...

Congregational Church in South London, author of articles on the organ and organ music, and he wrote the Analytical Notes on Elgar's '' Enigma Variations'' published by Novello's in 1961.

Notes

References

* * * Score, Elgar: Chanson de Matin, Novello & Co., London, 1897, 1899.

External links

* *
Elgar Society website: Chansons de Matin et de Nuit

Performances on video

Gerald Elias and Marjorie Janove
- Violin and Piano
Cuarteto Assai
String Quartet
Robert Finlay
- Piano
Denis Bouriakov and John Reid
- Flute and Piano {{DEFAULTSORT:Chanson De Matin Compositions by Edward Elgar 1889 compositions Compositions for symphony orchestra Chamber music compositions