Composer

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Jonathan Harvey

Genre

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Keyboard

Style

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Keyboard

Compose Date

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1969

Average_duration

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21:33

Jonathan Harvey's "4 Images after Yeats" is a four-movement work for soprano and chamber ensemble. The piece was composed in 1969 and premiered in London in 1970. The first movement, "The Tower," is a setting of Yeats' poem of the same name. The music is characterized by a slow, mournful melody in the soprano voice, accompanied by sparse, dissonant chords in the ensemble. The overall effect is one of sadness and despair. The second movement, "The Cat and the Moon," is a more playful and whimsical setting of Yeats' poem. The music is characterized by a lively, syncopated rhythm and a melody that is both catchy and unpredictable. The soprano voice is used more as an instrument than a vehicle for text, with the words often being fragmented and repeated. The third movement, "The Second Coming," is a setting of Yeats' famous poem. The music is characterized by a sense of foreboding and tension, with the ensemble creating a dense, swirling texture that builds to a climax. The soprano voice is used to deliver the apocalyptic text, with the words being stretched and distorted to create a sense of unease. The final movement, "Sailing to Byzantium," is a setting of Yeats' poem of the same name. The music is characterized by a sense of transcendence and spiritual yearning, with the soprano voice soaring above the ensemble in a series of ecstatic melodic lines. The overall effect is one of beauty and transcendence. Overall, "4 Images after Yeats" is a powerful and evocative work that captures the essence of Yeats' poetry through a combination of expressive melody, dissonant harmony, and innovative use of the soprano voice.

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