Charles Ives’ 1901 song, Elegie is haunting and hypnotic.
Its gloomy and forlorn text, a setting of a poem by Louis Gallet, expresses the heartache of a narrator whose beloved is forever gone. The blue skies and birdsongs of springtime are replaced with late autumnal chill. The vocal line rises over an unrelenting rhythmic ostinato which begins to render time infinite and unmeasurable.
French composer Jules Massenet wrote a song using the same text. Ives seems to be putting his own Yankee stamp on the French chanson.
This recording features American mezzo-soprano Leah Wool and pianist J.J. Penna:
Here is a translation of the text:
O sweet springtimes of old verdant seasons You have fled forever I no longer see the blue sky I no longer hear the bird's joyful singing And, taking my happiness with you You have gone on your way my love! In vain Spring returns Yes, never to return The bright sun has gone with you The days of happiness have fled How gloomy and cold is my heart All is withered Forever
Recordings
- Ives: Elegie, Leah Wool, J.J. Penna Naxos
When things become this difficult there is always music. Love your blog.