Composer

:

Gerald Finzi

Genre

:

Choral

Style

:

Choral

Compose Date

:

1952

Average_duration

:

2:29

Gerald Finzi's 'Thou Did'st Delight My Eyes, Op. 32' is a song cycle composed in 1946. The premiere of the work took place on 22nd October 1946 at the Wigmore Hall in London, with the tenor Wilfred Brown and the composer himself at the piano. The cycle consists of five movements, each of which sets a poem by a different poet. The first movement, 'Come Away, Death', sets a text by William Shakespeare. The music is melancholic and introspective, with a slow and mournful tempo. The second movement, 'Who Is Sylvia?', sets a text from Shakespeare's 'Two Gentlemen of Verona'. The music is light and playful, with a lively tempo and a sense of joy and celebration. The third movement, 'Fear No More the Heat o' the Sun', also sets a text from 'Cymbeline' by Shakespeare. The music is serene and peaceful, with a slow and gentle tempo. The fourth movement, 'O Mistress Mine', sets a text from 'Twelfth Night'. The music is lively and energetic, with a fast tempo and a sense of fun and frivolity. The final movement, 'It Was a Lover and His Lass', sets a text from 'As You Like It'. The music is upbeat and cheerful, with a fast tempo and a sense of joy and celebration. Throughout the cycle, Finzi's music is characterized by its lyrical beauty, its sensitivity to the text, and its emotional depth. The piano accompaniment is rich and expressive, providing a perfect complement to the vocal line. Overall, 'Thou Did'st Delight My Eyes, Op. 32' is a beautiful and moving song cycle that showcases Finzi's skill as a composer and his deep understanding of the English poetic tradition. It remains a beloved work in the repertoire of vocal music.

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