Composer

:

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Genre

:

Choral

Style

:

Choral

Compose Date

:

1913

Average_duration

:

1:27

"Love Is a Sickness" is a song composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams, a prominent English composer of the 20th century. The song was composed in 1925 and premiered in the same year. It is a part of the song cycle "Along the Field," which is a collection of six songs for voice and piano. The song is set to a poem by Samuel Daniel, a 16th-century English poet. The poem explores the theme of love as a sickness that consumes the lover's mind and body. The music captures the melancholic and introspective mood of the poem, with its slow and mournful melody. The song is in the key of G minor and has a simple and straightforward structure. It consists of two verses, each with four lines, and a refrain that is repeated after each verse. The piano accompaniment is sparse and delicate, with gentle arpeggios and occasional chords that support the vocal line. The vocal melody is characterized by its expressive and lyrical quality, with long phrases that rise and fall in a natural and fluid way. The singer is required to convey the emotional depth of the poem through subtle nuances of tone and dynamics, such as the soft and tender delivery of the opening lines, "Love is a sickness full of woes." Overall, "Love Is a Sickness" is a poignant and evocative song that showcases Vaughan Williams' skill in setting poetry to music. Its haunting melody and introspective mood make it a popular choice for recitals and concerts, and it remains a beloved work in the English art song repertoire.

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