Composer

:

Samuel Barber

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Compose Date

:

1927

Average_duration

:

1:42

"There's Nae Lark" is a song composed by Samuel Barber in 1943. It was premiered on March 10, 1943, by soprano Leontyne Price and pianist Samuel Barber at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. The song is part of Barber's song cycle "Despite and Still," which consists of four songs based on poems by Robert Graves. "There's Nae Lark" is the third song in the cycle and is based on a Scottish poem by Robert Burns. The song is in ABA form, with the A section being in a slow and mournful tempo, while the B section is faster and more lively. The piano accompaniment is sparse and delicate, allowing the soprano to shine. The song's lyrics tell the story of a young woman who is waiting for her lover to return from war. She hears a lark singing and believes it to be a sign of her lover's return, but is ultimately disappointed when he does not come back. Barber's setting of the poem captures the melancholic and bittersweet emotions of the text. The slow and mournful A section conveys the woman's sadness and longing, while the faster and more lively B section captures her brief moment of hope and excitement. Overall, "There's Nae Lark" is a beautiful and poignant song that showcases Barber's skill as a composer and his ability to capture the emotional depth of a text through music.

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