@@choirpracticeparts Thanks! I read that it's set to the words of the poem "L'Oiseau Bleu" by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge. The poem describes a bluebird in flight over a lake, and Stanford's music perfectly captures the essence of this brief moment in time. The English translation (I think I hear it sung slightly different than the translation) is: "The lake lay blue below the hill, And o'er it, in the air, The Bluebird, like a wandering thing, Glided light from sheer to sheer. The swallow skimmed the water's edge, The humming-bird too soon was gone, The star-eyed ousel sought the shore, And blue the lake-light lay thereon. Then in the lake, the Bluebird's wings Were caught and held in clear blue space, The lake held, as in deep embrace, The loveliness that found it there, A glimpse of blue in azure air. But the Bluebird, lost in azure haze, Was caught within the lake below, As if a flower of deeper blue Had sunk, and quivered there to grow." Charles Villiers Stanford was deeply moved by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge's poetry, and her untimely death from appendicitis in 1907 had a profound impact on him. In the years following her death, Stanford composed eight choral works based on Coleridge's poems, including "The Blue Bird," which was composed in 1910. These works are a testament to Stanford's admiration for Coleridge's poetry and his desire to honor her memory through his music.
This is soprano solo and SATB but it could be sung SAATB if desired it which case soprano becomes alto and alto becomes alto 2. There is a version for women's choir which is soprano solo and SSAA. It can be found on ChoralWiki
Hi currently battling with this beautiful Howells piece... Searched your channel.. Could not find Merbecke's Nicene creed.. Have you time to put it up..? Pax
Happy to have a look at that. There are a number of different settings and John Stainer, Charles Villiers Stanford and Basil Harwood have all done arrangements as far as I can see. Is there a particular version you would like me to do and do you have a link?
Goodness me, that's from Fowey so I probably went to school with some of them. Or at least know their families. All looking good for when I move back to my Cornish roots. 😊
