Composer

:

Ivor Gurney

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Compose Date

:

1908

Average_duration

:

1:52

Dearest, when I am dead is a song composed by Ivor Gurney, an English composer and poet. The song was composed in 1917 during World War I and was premiered in 1919. It is a part of a larger song cycle called Ludlow and Teme, which was composed between 1914 and 1919. The song is a setting of a poem by the same name, written by Gurney himself. It is a poignant and melancholic piece that reflects on the inevitability of death and the pain of leaving loved ones behind. The song is written for a tenor voice and piano accompaniment. Dearest, when I am dead is divided into three movements. The first movement is slow and mournful, with a simple and repetitive piano accompaniment that creates a sense of inevitability and finality. The tenor voice enters with the first line of the poem, "Dearest, when I am dead, and you shall hear," and sings with a gentle and tender tone that conveys the speaker's love and concern for their loved one. The second movement is faster and more agitated, with a more complex and dissonant piano accompaniment that reflects the speaker's anxiety and fear of death. The tenor voice sings with a more urgent and intense tone, as if pleading with their loved one to remember them after they are gone. The final movement returns to the slow and mournful tone of the first movement, with a simple and peaceful piano accompaniment that suggests acceptance and resignation. The tenor voice sings with a gentle and tender tone once again, but with a sense of finality and farewell. Overall, Dearest, when I am dead is a beautiful and moving song that captures the emotions of love, loss, and mortality. It is a testament to Gurney's talent as a composer and poet, and a poignant reminder of the human cost of war.

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