Composer

:

Sergey Rachmaninov

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Compose Date

:

1902

Average_duration

:

2:11

"By a fresh grave, Op. 21/2" is a song composed by Sergey Rachmaninov in 1902. It was premiered in Moscow in the same year. The song is part of a collection of twelve songs, Op. 21, which were composed between 1900 and 1902. The song is a setting of a poem by Fyodor Tyutchev, a Russian poet. The poem describes a person standing by a fresh grave, mourning the loss of a loved one. The music captures the somber and melancholic mood of the poem, with its slow and mournful melody. The song is in the key of E-flat minor and is marked "Adagio molto." It has a simple and sparse piano accompaniment, which allows the voice to take center stage. The vocal line is characterized by long, sustained notes and a wide range, from low and mournful to high and plaintive. The song is divided into three sections, each with its own distinct character. The first section is marked by a descending melody that captures the sense of loss and grief. The second section is more agitated, with a faster tempo and a more complex vocal line. The final section returns to the mournful mood of the opening, with a return to the descending melody. Overall, "By a fresh grave, Op. 21/2" is a powerful and moving song that captures the universal experience of grief and loss. Rachmaninov's music perfectly captures the mood and emotion of the poem, making it a timeless masterpiece of Russian art song.

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