- In Moonlight
"In Moonlight" is a song with music written by the English composer
Edward Elgar in 1904 to words from the poem "An Ariette for Music. To a Lady singing to her Accompaniment on the Guitar", byPercy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) and published in 1832. The song is adapted to a central section of Elgar's concert-overture "In the South (Alassio) " where the "Canto Popolare" [The Italian "canto popolare", literally "popular song", in this context is a "folk tune", and, according to Percy Young (in "Elgar, O. M."), a folk-tune invented by Elgar. ] melody is introduced by a soloviola with a delicate and imaginative accompaniment, which could be likened to Shelley's "...accompaniment on the Guitar."The first performance of "In the South" was in March 1904. In July that year Elgar extracted the "Canto Popolare" section and it became "In Moonlight" when he set it as a song to Shelley's words. There were different versions, with accompaniment variously for small orchestra, for piano and for various instrumental combinations. The voice and piano version was published by Novello's in three keys: for high, medium and low voice. The same poem was set by many others including the American composer
Amy Beach ("Mrs. H. H. A. Beach"), as her Op. 1 No. 4, with the title "Ariette".Lyrics
"Elgar used only the first and third stanzas of Shelley's poem, "An Ariette for Music"."
IN MOONLIGHT (ARIETTE)
Recordings
* [http://www.amazon.com/Elgar-Edward/dp/B00002610Y "The Unknown Elgar"] includes "In Moonlight" performed by Teresa Cahill (soprano), with Barry Collett (piano).
* [http://www.elgarfoundation.org/trolleyed/2/12/40/index.htm Elgar: Complete Songs for Voice & Piano] Amanda Roocroft (soprano), Reinild Mees (piano)
* [http://www.emusic.com/album/The-Works-Songs-Piano-Music-By-Edward-Elgar-MP3-Download/11044195.html Songs and Piano Music by Edward Elgar] has "In Moonlight" performed by Amanda Pitt (soprano), with David Owen Norris (piano).
* [http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2000/02/somm220.htm The Songs of Edward Elgar SOMM CD 220] Catherine Wyn-Rogers (soprano) with Malcolm Martineau (piano), at Southlands College, London, April 1999
References
*Banfield, Stephen, "Sensibility and English Song: Critical studies of the early 20th century" (Cambridge University Press, 1985) ISBN 052137944X
*Kennedy, Michael, "Portrait of Elgar" (Oxford University Press, 1968) ISBN 0193154145
*Young, Percy M., "Elgar O.M." (Collins, 1955)
Notes
External links
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