Work Overview
This work is a setting of Raleigh's poem "A Description of Love", for medium voice or counter-tenor with cello accompaniment. The poem, dating from 1593, consists of five six-line stanzas, each beginning with "What is love? I pray thee say". The treatment of the text is relatively simple, but the writing for cello is much freer, even rhapsodic, and is inspired by the sarangi, the cello-like instrument of the North Indian tradition. The mood of the work is reflective, even elegaic, perhaps echoing the fact that for the poet, love was not just a happy frolic; he was imprisoned in the Tower of London for twelve years, long enough to write his History of the World, before being beheaded in 1618.
Work Details
Year: 1978
Instrumentation: Medium voice or counter-tenor, cello.
Duration: 13 min.
Difficulty: Advanced — Very demanding cello part.
Dedication note: Dedicated to Hartley Newnham
Written for: Hartley Newnham
First performance: by Hartley Newnham, Susan Blake — 17 Jun 79. Wigmore Hall, London
Performances of this work
21 Jun 81: Eglise Saint-Pierre, Tonnerre, France. Featuring David Smeyers, Janet Whitmore.
19 Jun 81: British Institute in Paris. Featuring Janet Whitmore, David Smeyers.
16 May 81: Church of Saint Servatius, Cologne, Germany. Featuring Janet Whitmore, David Smeyers.
3 May 80: Geelong College, Geeolong, Victoria. Featuring Hartley Newnham, Susan Blake.
22 Jan 80: Australian Embassy, Paris. Featuring David Simpson, Hartley Newnham.
24 Jun 79: Church of Saint-Pierre, Tonnerre, France. Featuring David Simpson, Hartley Newnham.
17 Jun 79: Wigmore Hall, London. Featuring Hartley Newnham, Susan Blake.
User reviews
Be the first to share your thoughts, opinions and insights about this work.
To post a comment please login.