Composer

:

Gerald Finzi

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Average_duration

:

3:38

'Let us garlands bring, Op. 18: No. 1, Come away death' is a song composed by Gerald Finzi in 1929. It was premiered in 1930 and is part of a song cycle of five Shakespearean songs. The song is set to the text of a song from Shakespeare's play 'Twelfth Night'. The song is in the key of F minor and is marked 'Lento doloroso' (slow and mournful). It is a setting of a melancholic text in which the speaker is asking death to come and take him away from his pain. The song is divided into three sections, each with its own distinct character. The first section is marked by a descending melodic line that creates a sense of sadness and despair. The piano accompaniment is sparse and creates a sense of emptiness. The second section is marked by a change in tempo and a more hopeful melody. The piano accompaniment becomes more active and creates a sense of movement. The final section returns to the original tempo and melody, but with a more resigned character. The piano accompaniment becomes more sparse again, creating a sense of finality. The song is characterized by Finzi's use of chromaticism and dissonance to create a sense of tension and unease. The vocal line is often set against a sparse and dissonant piano accompaniment, creating a sense of isolation and despair. The use of the descending melodic line in the first section creates a sense of sadness and hopelessness, while the more hopeful melody in the second section creates a sense of longing and desire. Overall, 'Let us garlands bring, Op. 18: No. 1, Come away death' is a powerful and emotional song that captures the melancholic spirit of Shakespeare's text. Finzi's use of chromaticism and dissonance creates a sense of tension and unease, while the sparse piano accompaniment creates a sense of isolation and despair. The song is a testament to Finzi's skill as a composer and his ability to capture the emotional depth of a text through music.

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