The three works of Delius' Small Tone Poems from the early 1890s exist only in the form that Sir Thomas Beecham later imposed on them. Like most of Delius' early music, the Tone Poems were tiny little slices of sonic scene painting serving as a backdrop for little tiny slips of folk tunes. "Summer Evening" is softly voluptuous with chromatic harmonies. "Spring Morning" is sumptuously supple with sighing melodies. "Winter Night," also called "Schlittenfahrt" (Snow Ride), has a jaunty tune riding on a gently galloping rhythm complete with sleigh bells. Delius later used portions of "Summer Evening" as the basis of his Summer Night on a River, portions of "Spring Morning" as On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, and published "Schlittenfahrt" separately in Germany. After Delius' death, Beecham took the original works and edited, elaborated, and re-scored them for their premiere in 1949.

© All Music Guide

Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.