Before and after Summer
song analysis
Poet: Thomas Hardy
Date of poem:
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History of Poem:
Poem
Before and after Summer |
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I |
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1 | Looking forward to the spring | |
2 | One puts up with anything. | |
3 | On this February day | |
4 | Though the winds leap down the street | |
5 | Wintry scourgings seem but play, | |
6 | And these later shafts of sleet | |
7 | -- Sharper pointed than the first -- | |
8 | And these later snows -- the worst -- | |
9 | Are as a half-transparent blind | |
10 | Riddled by rays from sun behind. | |
II |
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11 | Shadows of the October pine | |
12 | Reach into this room of mine: | |
13 | On the pine there swings a bird; | |
14 | He is shadowed with the tree. | |
15 | Mutely perched he bills no word; | |
16 | Blank as I am even is he. | |
17 | For those happy suns are past, | |
18 | Fore-discerned in winter last. | |
19 | When went by their pleasure, then? | |
20 | I, alas, perceived not when. | |
(Hardy, 333-4) |
Content/Meaning of the Poem:
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✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦
✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦
Musical Analysis
Composition date:
Publication date:
Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes - Distributed by Hal Leonard Corporation
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Pedagogical Considerations for Voice Students and Instructors:
✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦
✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦
Pitch Analysis | ||||||
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pitch | stanza 1 |
stanza 2 |
stanza 3 |
stanza 4 |
total | |
highest |
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G |
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F |
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E |
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D |
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middle C |
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B |
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A |
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G |
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F |
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lowest |
E |
Rhythm Duration Analysis of Vocal Line | |||||
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stanza 1 | stanza 2 | stanza 3 | stanza 4 | total | |
16th note |
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8th note |
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dotted 8th |
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quarter note |
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dotted quarter |
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triplet |
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half note |
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dotted half |
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stanza total |
✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦✼✦
Audio Recordings
To a Poet |
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The Songs of Gerald Finzi to Words by Thomas Hardy
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Gerald Finzi |
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The English Song Series - 12 |
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The following are comments by Chia-wei Lee regarding the song Before and After Summer. Dr. Lee extended permission to post this excerpt from his dissertation on February 16, 2012. His dissertation dated 2003, is entitled:
A Performance Study of Gerald Finzi's Song Cycle
"Before and After Summer"
This excerpt begins on page 65 and concludes on page 69.
The preceding were comments by Chia-wei Lee regarding the song Before and After Summer. Dr. Lee extended permission to post this excerpt from his dissertation on February 16th, 2012. His dissertation dated 2003, is entitled:
A Performance Study of Gerald Finzi's Song Cycle
"Before and After Summer"
The excerpt began on page 65 and concluded pn page 69.
The following is an analysis of **** by Gerhardus Daniël Van der Watt. Dr. Van der Watt extended permission to post this excerpt from his dissertation on October 8th, 2010. His dissertation dated November 1996, is entitled:
The Songs of Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) To Poems by Thomas Hardy
This excerpt comes from Volume II and begins on page *** and concludes on page ***. To view the methodology used within Dr. Van der Watt's dissertation please refer to: Methodology - Van der Watt.
1. Poet
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2. Poem
Setting
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Unpublished Analysis Excerpts
The following is an analysis of the song, Before and after Summer by Curtis Alan Scheib. Dr. Scheib extended permission to post this excerpt from his dissertation on February 17th, 2012. His dissertation dated 1999, is entitled:
Gerald Finzi's Songs For Baritone On Texts By Thomas Hardy: An Historical And Literary Analysis And Its Effect On Their Interpretation
This excerpt begins on page fifty-four and concludes on page fifty-five.
Before and after Summer |
||
---|---|---|
I |
||
Looking forward to the spring | ||
One puts up with anything. | ||
On this February day | ||
Though the winds leap down the street | ||
Wintry scourgings seem but play, | ||
And these later shafts of sleet | ||
-- Sharper pointed than the first -- | ||
And these later snows -- the worst -- | ||
Are as a half-transparent blind | ||
Riddled by rays from sun behind. | ||
II |
||
Shadows of the October pine | ||
Reach into this room of mine: | ||
On the pine there swings a bird; | ||
He is shadowed with the tree. | ||
Mutely perched he bills no word; | ||
Blank as I am even is he. | ||
For those happy suns are past, | ||
Fore-discerned in winter last. | ||
When went by their pleasure, then? | ||
I, alas, perceived not when. | ||
(Hardy, 333,4) |
The second poem in the set, rather than lamenting the loss of innocence, mourns the unnoticed passing of spring and summer into fall and winter. The introduction begins with overlapping sixth figures in both hands, the right hand figure falling into a syncopation that obscures the pulse. Soon the figures move into a constant eighth-note motion, the February storm moving in continuing sixths while the vocal line rides above in a declamatory fashion, as seen in example 20.
The winter storm slowly begins to subside however, falling back into the hesitant start of the beginning, until time is suspended for a moment as the motion in the accompaniment comes to a complete halt. Finzi uses a fermata over a quarter rest for the brief suspension, a device he often used. The second verse of the poem appears as a more lyrical vocal line over a steadily marching bass. At the mention of "winter last" in the last line, the sixth figures return, winding to the C# minor chord at the end. The chord also marks the end of a tonal effect at work here. The song begins in Ab minor, moves to B minor for the second verse, and marks the final question with a rise to C# minor. The effect is to leave the question open, appropriate, as there is no real answer to be had.
The preceding was an analysis of the song, Before and after Summer by Curtis Alan Scheib. Dr. Scheib extended permission to post this excerpt from his dissertation on February 17th, 2012. His dissertation dated 1999, is entitled:
Gerald Finzi's Songs For Baritone On Texts By Thomas Hardy: An Historical And Literary Analysis And Its Effect On Their Interpretation
The excerpt began on page fifty-four and concluded on page fifty-five.