- Twilight (Elgar)
"Twilight" is a poem written by
Gilbert Parker , and set to music by the English composerEdward Elgar in 1910, as his Op. 59, No. 6.The Opus 59 songs were part of a song-cycle of six romantic songs that was never completed – strangely Nos 1, 2 and 4 were never composed. The other songs were "
Oh, soft was the song " and "Was it some Golden Star? ". The songs were originally written with piano accompaniment, but this was later re-scored by the composer for full orchestra.The songs were composed between December 1909 and January 1910, and published by Novello's in 1910. The first performance was at the Jaeger Memorial Concert [Elgar's friend August Jaeger died on May 18th 1909, and the music for the funeral was provided by Dr.
Walford Davies . The organisation of a Memorial Concert took time, and that concert was not until eight months later.] in theQueen's Hall on January 24th 1910.Lyrics
TWILIGHT :Adieu! and the sun goes awearily down,:The mist creeps up o'er the sleepy town,:The white sails bend to the shuddering mere,:And the reapers have reaped, and the night is here.
:Adieu! and the years are a broken song,:The right grows weak in the strife with wrong,:The lilies of love have a crimson stain,:And the old days never will come again.
:Adieu! Some time shall the veil between:The things that are, and that might have been,:Be folded back for our eyes to see,:And the meaning of all be clear to me.
Recordings
* [http://www.elgarfoundation.org/trolleyed/2/12/40/index.htm Elgar: Complete Songs for Voice & Piano] Amanda Roocroft (soprano), Reinild Mees (piano)
* [http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2000/02/somm220.htm The Songs of Edward Elgar SOMM CD 220] Christopher Maltman (baritone) with Malcolm Martineau (piano), at Southlands College, London, April 1999
References
*Kennedy, Michael, "Portrait of Elgar" (Oxford University Press, 1968) ISBN 0193154145
*cite book | last=Young | first=Percy M. | title=Elgar O.M.: a study of a musician | location=London | publisher=Collins| year=1973 | oclc=869820
Notes
External links
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