Composer

:

Henry Cowell

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Compose Date

:

1922

Average_duration

:

1:59

'Music, When Soft Voices Die, HC 358' is a beautiful and haunting art song composed by Henry Cowell. The piece was composed in 1928 and premiered the same year. It is a part of Cowell's larger collection of art songs, which he composed throughout his career. The piece is set to a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, which explores the idea of the transience of beauty and the fleeting nature of life. Cowell's music perfectly captures the melancholic and wistful tone of the poem, with its gentle and flowing melody. The piece is divided into three movements, each of which explores a different aspect of the poem's themes. The first movement is marked "Adagio," and it begins with a simple and delicate piano introduction. The singer enters with the first line of the poem, and the music gradually builds in intensity and emotion as the singer explores the idea of beauty fading away. The second movement is marked "Andante," and it is more introspective and contemplative than the first. The piano accompaniment is sparse and delicate, and the singer's voice is soft and gentle. The music perfectly captures the sense of loss and sadness that permeates the poem. The final movement is marked "Allegro," and it is the most dramatic and intense of the three. The piano accompaniment is more forceful and energetic, and the singer's voice is full of passion and emotion. The music builds to a powerful climax, as the singer laments the passing of beauty and the inevitability of death. Overall, 'Music, When Soft Voices Die, HC 358' is a beautiful and moving art song that perfectly captures the themes of Shelley's poem. Cowell's music is sensitive and expressive, and it showcases his skill as a composer of art songs.

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