A Song of Summer

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A Song of Summer is a tone poem for orchestra by Frederick Delius. Written in 1931, it was first performed in London on September 17 of that year, under the baton of Henry J. Wood. One of several works completed by Delius during his blindness, he dictated it to his friend and amanuensis Eric Fenby, to whom it is dedicated. Delius explained the context of the tone poem to Fenby by saying,

I want you to imagine we are sitting on the cliffs of heather and looking out over the sea. The sustained chords in the high strings suggest the clear sky and stillness and calm of the scene...You must remember that figure that comes in the violins when the music becomes more animated. I'm introducing it there to suggest the gentle rise and fall of the waves. The flutes suggest a seagull gliding by."

[edit] Reference

• David Ewen, Encyclopedia of Concert Music. New York; Hill and Wang, 1959.

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