Composer

:

Irving Fine

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Compose Date

:

1952

Average_duration

:

13:47

Movement_count

:

6

Movement ....

Mutability is a song cycle composed by Irving Fine for mezzo-soprano and piano. The work was composed in 1952 and premiered on March 3, 1953, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The cycle consists of five movements, each of which sets a poem by a different author. The first movement, "O, let me live for a while," sets a poem by John Keats. The music is characterized by a flowing, lyrical melody in the piano, which is accompanied by a simple, yet expressive vocal line. The second movement, "The Self-Unseeing," sets a poem by Thomas Hardy. The music is more introspective and melancholic, with a slower tempo and more complex harmonies. The third movement, "To a Poet a Thousand Years Hence," sets a poem by James Elroy Flecker. The music is more upbeat and playful, with a lively piano accompaniment and a vocal line that is full of energy and vitality. The fourth movement, "When I set out for Lyonnesse," sets a poem by Thomas Hardy. The music is more dramatic and intense, with a driving piano accompaniment and a vocal line that is full of passion and emotion. The final movement, "Mutability," sets a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The music is more contemplative and reflective, with a slower tempo and more subdued harmonies. The vocal line is full of longing and sadness, as the poem reflects on the inevitability of change and the passing of time. Overall, Mutability is a beautiful and expressive song cycle that showcases Irving Fine's skill as a composer. The music is characterized by a lyrical and expressive vocal line, accompanied by a rich and varied piano accompaniment. The cycle is a testament to the power of poetry and music to capture the complexities of human emotion and experience.

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