Composer

:

Adolphus Hailstork

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Average_duration

:

10:16

Adolphus Hailstork's 'Seven Songs of the Rubaiyat' is a song cycle composed for baritone and piano. The work was composed in 1981 and premiered on February 28, 1982, at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. The cycle is based on the poetry of Omar Khayyam's 'Rubaiyat', which is a collection of quatrains that explore themes of love, mortality, and the meaning of life. The cycle consists of seven movements, each of which sets a different quatrain from the 'Rubaiyat'. The first movement, 'Awake! For Morning in the Bowl of Night', is a lively and rhythmic setting of a quatrain that celebrates the beauty of the morning. The second movement, 'The Moving Finger Writes', is a more contemplative setting of a quatrain that reflects on the inevitability of fate. The third movement, 'The Grape that can with Logic Absolute', is a playful and humorous setting of a quatrain that extols the virtues of wine. The fourth movement, 'A Book of Verses underneath the Bough', is a nostalgic and wistful setting of a quatrain that reflects on the passing of time. The fifth movement, 'The Worldly Hope men set their Hearts upon', is a dramatic and intense setting of a quatrain that explores the fleeting nature of human ambition. The sixth movement, 'And when Thyself with shining Foot shall pass', is a serene and contemplative setting of a quatrain that reflects on the beauty of nature. The final movement, 'The Ball no Question makes of Ayes and Noes', is a lively and celebratory setting of a quatrain that encourages the listener to enjoy life to the fullest. Overall, 'Seven Songs of the Rubaiyat' is a rich and varied cycle that showcases Hailstork's skill as a composer. The cycle's use of different moods and tempos, as well as its exploration of themes such as love, mortality, and the meaning of life, make it a compelling and thought-provoking work.

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