List of compositions by Frederick Delius

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Frederick Delius, photographed in 1907

The musical compositions of Frederick Delius (1862–1934) cover numerous genres, in a style that developed from the early influences of composers such as Edvard Grieg and Richard Wagner into a voice that was uniquely Delius's. He began serious composition at a relatively advanced age (his earliest songs date to his early twenties), and his music was largely unknown and unperformed until the early 20th century. It was a further ten years before his work was generally accepted in concert halls, and then more often in Europe than in his home country, England. Ill health caused him to give up composition in the early 1920s and he was silent for several years, before the services of a devoted amanuensis, Eric Fenby, enabled Delius to resume composing in 1928. The Delius-Fenby combination led to several notable late works.[1]

Chronological list of principal works

The "principal" works are those identified as such by Eric Fenby.[2] The division of Delius's work into phases – "apprentice", "middle period" has been suggested by many commentators, notably Anthony Payne in "Delius's Stylistic Development" (1962).[1]

Apprentice works, 1887–1899

"Middle period" works, 1900–06

Mature works, 1907–24

Late works

  • 1929–30: A Song of Summer
  • 1930: Sonata for violin and piano No. 3
  • 1930: Songs of Farewell (setting of poems by Walt Whitman)

List of works by genre

Dramatic works

Year(s) composed Title Genre First performance Comments Ref.
1888 Zanoni Incidental music [3]
1890–92 Irmelin Opera Oxford, 4 May 1953 Libretto: E. Graham, T. Round [3][4]
1893–95 The Magic Fountain Lyric drama Broadcast performance, BBC 1977 Libretto: Delius [3][4]
1895 Koanga Lyric drama Elberfeld, 30 March 1904 Libretto: C.F. Keary, after G.W. Cable [3][4]
1897 Folkeraadet Incidental music Christiania, October 1897 Play by Gunnar Heiberg [3][4]
1900–01 A Village Romeo and Juliet Lyric drama Berlin, 21 October 1907 Libretto: C.F. Keary, after G.W. Cable [3][4]
1902 Margot la rouge Lyric drama Libretto: I. Rosenval [3][4]
1909–10 Fennimore and Gerda Opera Frankfurt am Main, October 1919 Libretto: Delius, after J.P. Jacobsen [3][4]
1920–23 Hassan Incidental music Darmstadt, 1 June 1923
Full version first performed London, 30 September 1923 		Play by James Elroy Flecker [3]

Orchestral works

Year(s) composed Title First performance Comments Ref.
1887 Florida Suite Leipzig, 1888 Revised 1889 [3]
1888 Hiawatha (tone poem) [3]
1888 Rhapsodic Variations Incomplete [3]
1888 Three pieces for string orchestra [5]
1889 Idylle de Printemps [3]
1889–90 Orchestral suite (Petite Suite No. 1) London, 18 November 1946 [3]
1889 (approx.) Suite of 3 Characteristic pieces [5]
1889 (approx) Marche Française [5]
1890 Three small tone-poems: 1 Summer Evening; 2 Winter Night (Sleigh Ride); 3 Spring Morning London, 2 January 1949 [3]
1890 (approx.) A l'Amore [5]
1890 Orchestral Suite (Petite Suite No. 2) [3]
1890–92 Paa Vidderne (On the Mountains) - symphonic poem Christiania, Norway, 10 October 1891 [3]
1895–97 Over the hills and far away (fantasy overture) London, 30 May 1899 [3][4]
1896 Appalachia: an American rhapsody Orchestral version, later adapted for solo and chorus [3]
1899 La Ronde se déroule (The Dance Goes On) London, 30 May 1899 Revised, 1901, as "Lebenstanz" (Life's Dance) [3]
1899 Paris - The Song of a Great City Elberfeld, 1901 [3][4]
1901 Lebenstanz (Life's Dance) Düsseldorf, February 1904 Further revised, 1912 [3][4]
1907 Brigg Fair Basle, 1907 [3][4]
1908 In a Summer Garden London, 11 December 1909 Delius conducted the first performance [3][4]
1908 Dance Rhapsody (No. 1) Hereford (Three Choirs Festival) 8 September 1909 Delius conducted the first performance [3][4]
1911–12 Two pieces for small orchestra:
1. On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
2. Summer Night on the River 		Leipzig, 2 October 1913 [3][4]
1912 Life's Dance (final version) Berlin, 1912 Revised from 1901 [3]
1913–14 North Country Sketches London, 10 May 1915 [3][4]
1915 Air and Dance London, Aeolian Hall, 16 October 1929[6] [3]
1916 Dance Rhapsody (No. 2) [3]
1917 Eventyr (Once Upon a Time) London. 11 January 1919 [3]
1918 A Song before Sunrise [3]
1918 Poem of Life and Love Incomplete, lost [3]
1929-30 A Song of Summer London, 17 September 1932 [3]
1931 Irmelin prelude [3]
1931 Fantastic Dance London, 12 January 1934 [3]

Works for solo instrument(s) and orchestra

Year(s) composed Title First performance Comments Ref.
1888 Suite for violin and orchestra [3]
1890 Legendes (Sagen) for piano and orchestra [3]
1895 Legende for violin and orchestra Later revised for violin and piano [3][4]
1897 Piano Concerto in C minor Elberfeld, 1904 1st movement revised 1906 [3][4]
Rhapsody for piano and orchestra [5]
1915–16 Double Concerto for violin and violoncello London, 21 February 1920 [3]
1916 Violin Concerto London, 30 January 1919 [3]
1921 Cello Concerto Frankfurt, 30 January 1921 [3]
1930 Caprice and Elegy for cello and chamber orchestra [3]

Works for voice and orchestra

Year(s) composed Title Vocal forces First performance Comments Ref.
1888 Paa Vidderne (Melodrama) Recitation Revised (1891) as orchestral suite [3]
1889 Sakuntala Tenor soloist [3]
1891 Maud (from Tennyson) Tenor soloist [3]
1897 Seven Danish Songs Solo voice (unspecified) Paris, 1901 [3]
1898 Mitternachtslied Zarathustras (The Midnight Song of Zarathustra) Male chorus [3]
1903 Appalachia: Variations on a slave song Choir, baritone solo Elberfeld, 1904 [3][4]
1903–04 Sea Drift Choir, baritone solo Essen, 24 May 1906 [4][7]
1904–05 A Mass of Life Choir, SATB soloists London, 7 June 1909 Part II was performed in Munich, in 1908 [4][7]
1906–07 Songs of Sunset Choir, Mezzo-soprano & baritone soloists London, 16 June 1911 [4][7]
1907 Cynara Choir, Baritone soloist, London, 18 October 1929 Left incomplete, finished in 1929 [7]
1911 A Song of the High Hills Choir London, 26 February 1920 Textless chorus [4][7]
1911 An Arabesque Choir and baritone soloist Newport,[disambiguation needed] 1920 [4][7]
1914–16 Requiem Choir, soprano & baritone soloists London, 23 March 1922 [4][7]
1925 A Late Lark Solo voice (unspecified) [7]
1930 Songs of Farewell Choir London, 21 March 1932 [7]
1930–32 Idyll: Once I passed through a populous city Soprano & baritone soloists London, 3 October 1933 Music adapted from Margot la rouge; words from Walt Whitman; after the first performance, Delius expanded the work and renamed it Prelude and Idyll [7][8]

Vocal works with piano accompaniment, or unaccompanied

Year(s) composed Title Vocal forces/accompaniment First performance Comments Ref.
before 1887 Six German part-songs Choir, unaccompanied [3]
1907 On Craig Dhu Soprano, alto, 2 tenor, 2 bass, piano Blackpool, 1907 [4][7]
1908 Wanderer's Song 2 tenor, 2 bass, piano [4][7]
1908 Midsummer Song 2 soprano, 2 alto, 2 tenor, 2 bass, piano Whitley Bay, December 1910 [4][7]
1917 Two songs to be sung of a summer night on the water Soprano, alto, 2 tenor, 2 basses, unaccompanied London, 28 June 1920 [7]
1923 The splendour falls on castle walls (from Tennyson) Chorus, unaccompanied London, 17 June 1924 [7]

Songs for single voice

Year(s) composed Title Comments Ref.
undated "When other lips shall speak" Unpublished [5]
undated "Der Fichtenbaum" (The Spruce Tree) Unpublished [5]
1885 "Over the mountains high" Unpublished [5]
1885 "Zwei braune Augen" (Two Brown Eyes) Unpublished [5]
1888 Five Songs from the Norwegian: 1. "Slumber Song" (Bjørnsen); 2. "The Nightingale" (Wellhaven); 3. "Summer's Eve" (Paulsen); 4. "Longing" (Kjerulf); 5. "Sunset" (Munck) [4][7]
1888 "Hochgebirgsleben" (High Mountain Life) Unpublished [5]
1888 "O schneller mein Ross" ( O faster, my Ross) Unpublished [5]
1889 "Chanson (de) Fortunio" Unpublished [5]
1889–90 Seven Songs from the Norwegian: 1. "Cradle Song" (Ibsen); 2. "The Homeward Journey" (Vinje); 3. "Twilight Fancies" (Bjørnsen); 4. "Sweet Venevil" (Bjørnsen); 5. "Minstrel" (Ibsen); 6. "Love concealed" (Bjørnsen); 7. "The Birds Story" (Ibsen) [4][7]
1890 "Skogen gir susende langsom besked" (Softly the Forest) Unpublished [5]
1890–91 Songs to words by Heine: 1. "Mit deinen blauen Augen" (With your blue eyes); 2. "Ein schöner Stern geht auf in meiner Nacht" (A shining star appears in my night); 3. "Hör' ich das Liedchen klingen" (I hear the sound of singing); 4. "Aus deinen Augen fliessen meine Leider" (From your eyes flows my song) Unpublished [5]
1891 Three English songs [Shelley]: 1. "Indian Love Song"; 2. "Love's Philosophy" 3. "To the Queen of my Heart" [4][7]
1891 "Lyse Naetter" Unpublished [5]
1893 "Jeg horde en nyskaaren Seljeflojte" (I once had a newly cut willow pipe) Unpublished [5]
1893 "Nuages" (Clouds) Unpublished [5]
1895 Deux Melodies [Verlaine]: 1. "Il pleure dans mon coeur" (It cries in my heart); 2. "Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit" (The sky is over the roof) Accompaniment later orchestrated [7]
1895 "Pagen hojt paa Taarnet sad" (The page sat in the lofty tower) Unpublished [5]
1896-97 7 Songs from the Danish [5]
1898 "Traum Rosen" (Dream Roses) Unpublished [5]
1898 Lieder nach Gedichten von Friedrich Nietzsche (Songs after poems by Fredrich Nietzsche): 1. "Nach neuen Meeren" (By New Seas); 2. "Der Wanderer" (The Wanderer); 3. "Der Einsame" (The Lonely One); 4. "Der Wanderer und sein Schatten" (The Wanderer and his Shadow) [7]
1898 "Im Glück wir lachend gingen" (In bliss we walked with laughter) [7]
1900 Two songs from the Danish: 1. "The Violet"; 2. "Autumn" "The Violet" accompaniment orchestrated, 1908 [7]
1900 "Black Roses" [4][7]
1901 "Jeg horer i Natten" (I hear in the night) Unpublished [5]
1902 "Summer Landscape" Orchestral accompaniment 1903 [7]
1910 "The Nightingale has a Lyre of Gold" [4][7]
1911 "La Lune blanche" (The white moon) (Verlaine poem) Orchestral accompaniment 1911 [4][7]
1911 "Chanson d'Automne" (Song of Autumn) (Verlaine poem) [4][7]
1913 "I-Brasil" [4][7]
1913 Two songs for children: 1. "Little Birdie"; 2. "The Streamlet's Slumber Song" [7]
1915–16 Four old English lyrics: 1. "It was a lover and his lass"; 2. "So white, so soft, so sweet is she"; 3. "Spring, the sweet Spring"; 4. "To Daffodils" [7]
1919 "Avant que tu ne t'en ailles" (Morning Star) [7]

Chamber works

Year(s) composed Title Instrumental forces First performance Comments Ref.
1888 First string quartet [7]
1889 Romance Violin, piano [7]
1892 Sonata in B (minor?) Violin, piano Achille Rivarde with Harold Bauer, Paris 1893 [7][9][10]
1893 Second string quartet [7]
1896 Romance Cello, piano [7]
1905–14 Violin Sonata No. 1 Violin, piano Manchester, 1915 [4][7]
1916 Cello Sonata Cello, piano London, 11 January 1919 [7]
1916 String quartet (1916) London, 1 February 1919 [7]
1923 Violin Sonata No. 2 Violin and piano London, 7 October 1924 [7]
1930 Violin Sonata No. 3 Violin and piano London, 6 November 1930 [7]

Solo keyboard music

Year(s) composed Title First performance Comments Ref.
1885 Zum Carnival written before first departure from Florida [5]
undated Pensees mélodieuses (Melodious thoughts) [5]
undated Norwegian Sleigh Ride [5]
undated Badinage (Danse lente) [5]
undated Two piano pieces: 1. Valse; 2. Reverie [5]
1919 Dance for Harpsichord [7]
1922–23 Five piano pieces: 1-2. Mazurka and Waltz for a Little Girl; 3. Waltz; 4. Lullaby for a Modern Baby; 5. Toccata [7]
1923 Three piano preludes: 1. Scherzando; 2. Quick; 3. Con moto London 4 September 1924 [7]

Incomplete works and sketches

  • Orchestral sketches[5]
    • Mazurka (c. 1891)
    • On the moors (Impressions of Nature)
    • Sunday morning on the moors;
    • Mountain poem
  • Concertante works[5]
    • Fantaisie for piano and orchestra
    • Second Piano Concerto
  • Chamber works[5]
    • Vasantasena for violin and piano (c. 1890)
    • Sonata for violin and piano in C (c. 1923)
  • Keyboard works[5]
    • Presto leggiero for piano

References

  1. ^ a b Payne, Anthony (Winter 1961–62). "Delius's Stylistic Development". Tempo (60). Cambridge University Press: pp. 6–16. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Fenby, Eric (1971). The Great Composers: Delius. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-09296-9.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba Sadie, Stanley (ed.) (1980). New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians Volume 5. London: Macmillan. p. 342. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/03333231112 |03333231112 [[Category:Articles with invalid ISBNs]]]]. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj Heseltine, Philip (March 1915). "Some Notes on Delius and his Music". The Musical Times. 56 (865): pp. 137–42. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help)(subscription required)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad Threlfall, Robert (1977). "A Catalogue of the Works of Frederick Delius". The Thompsonian Institution. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  6. ^ Naxos
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar Sadie, Stanley (ed.) (1980). New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians Volume 5. London: Macmillan. p. 343. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/03333231112 |03333231112 [[Category:Articles with invalid ISBNs]]]]. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help); Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  8. ^ Liner notes from A Mass of Life & Prelude and Idyll Naxos 8.572861-62
  9. ^ Tamino Classic Forum
  10. ^ The Delius Society Journal, Number 87, Autumn 1985
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