The Torch (Elgar)

"The Torch" is a song written by the English composer Edward Elgar in 1909 as his Op.60, No.1.

The manuscript is dated December 23rd 1909.

On the title-page, the song is dedicated "To YVONNE", [Percy Young (in his "Elgar O. M.") says this is "Probably fictitious."] and it is described as a "Folk-Song (Eastern Europe), ["Folk-Song" probably also ficticious] paraphrased by Pietro d’Alba and Edward Elgar". [Pietro d’Alba (alias Peter Rabbit) was Elgar’s pseudonym for himself]

It was one of a set of a cycle of four songs that he planned, to his own words. It was shortly after writing the song "A Child Asleep" for Muriel Foster, a few days before the Christmas of 1909 that Elgar received the news of the death of a friend, the soprano Olga Ouroussoff, the young wife of Henry Wood. The inspiration for the songs was the result of this news. Only the first song of the cycle, "The Torch" and the last, "The River" were written.

The song was orchestrated in July 1912 and, with its companion song "The River", it was first performed by Muriel Foster at the Hereford Music Festival on November 11th 1912.

Lyrics

THE TORCH

::Come, O my love !:::Come, fly to me ;::All my soul:::Cries out for thee :::Haste to thy home,-:::I long for thee,:::Faint for thee,:::Worship thee::Only, - but Come !

Dark is the wood,-:The track's ever lonely and gray ;But joyous the blaze:That welcomes and shows thee the way.

::Come, O my love !:::Come, fly to me :::All my soul:::Cries out for thee !::Haste to thy rest,-:::I long for thee,:::Sigh for thee,:::Faint for thee;::Come to my breast.

Cold is the stream,-:The ford is a danger to thee :My heart is aflame,:As the beacon that lights thee to me.

::Come, O my love !:::Come, fly to me !::All my soul:::Cries out for thee :::Haste to thy home,-:::I long for thee,:::Faint for thee,:::Worship thee::Only,- but Come !

::::::::"Pietro d’Alba."::::::From a Folk-Song (Eastern Europe)

Recordings

* [http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2000/02/somm220.htm The Songs of Edward Elgar SOMM CD 220] Neil Mackie (tenor) with Malcolm Martineau (piano), at Southlands College, London, April 1999

References

*Banfield, Stephen, "Sensibility and English Song: Critical studies of the early 20th century" (Cambridge University Press, 1985) ISBN 052137944X

*Kennedy, Michael, "Portrait of Elgar" (Oxford University Press, 1968) ISBN 0193154145

*cite book | last=Young | first=Percy M. | title=Elgar O.M.: a study of a musician | location=London | publisher=Collins| year=1973 | oclc=869820

Notes

External links