Composer

:

Samuel Barber

Genre

:

Vocal

Compose Date

:

1927

Average_duration

:

01:11

"Mother I Cannot Mind My Wheel" is a song composed by Samuel Barber in 1940. It is a part of his song cycle titled "Hermit Songs," which consists of ten songs based on anonymous Irish texts from the eighth to thirteenth centuries. The premiere of the song cycle took place on October 30, 1953, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., with Leontyne Price as the soloist. The song is in the key of G major and has a moderate tempo. It is written for a solo voice and piano accompaniment. The text of the song is a dialogue between a mother and her daughter, where the daughter expresses her inability to focus on her spinning wheel due to her wandering thoughts. The mother advises her daughter to focus on her work and not let her mind wander. The song has a simple and straightforward melody, which is typical of Barber's style. The piano accompaniment is also simple and provides a gentle and supportive background to the vocal line. The song has a lyrical quality, and the vocal line is expressive and emotive, conveying the daughter's frustration and the mother's concern. The song is divided into two sections, with a brief instrumental interlude between them. The first section is in a slow tempo and has a contemplative mood, reflecting the daughter's wandering thoughts. The second section is in a faster tempo and has a more energetic and rhythmic character, reflecting the mother's advice to her daughter to focus on her work. Overall, "Mother I Cannot Mind My Wheel" is a beautiful and poignant song that captures the essence of the Hermit Songs cycle. It showcases Barber's ability to create expressive and emotive music that is both simple and profound.

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