Composer

:

Lennox Berkeley

Genre

:

Vocal

Compose Date

:

1946

Lennox Berkeley's 'Songs (5) (Walter de la Mare), Op. 26' is a song cycle composed for voice and piano. The cycle was composed in 1948 and premiered on 22nd November 1949 at the Wigmore Hall in London. The cycle consists of five movements, each setting a poem by the English poet Walter de la Mare. The first movement, 'The Horseman', is a lively and rhythmic setting of a poem about a horseman riding through the countryside. The second movement, 'The Song of Shadows', is a haunting and atmospheric setting of a poem about the shadows of trees at night. The third movement, 'The Robin', is a delicate and lyrical setting of a poem about a robin singing in a garden. The fourth movement, 'The Dream-City', is a mysterious and dreamlike setting of a poem about a city that exists only in dreams. The final movement, 'The Ghost', is a dramatic and eerie setting of a poem about a ghost haunting a house. Berkeley's settings of de la Mare's poems are characterized by their sensitivity to the text and their use of tonal harmony and lyrical melodies. The piano accompaniments are often intricate and expressive, providing a rich and varied backdrop to the vocal lines. The cycle as a whole is a testament to Berkeley's skill as a composer of art songs, and remains a popular choice for singers and pianists today.

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