Yeats’ early poetry shows the influence of the ‘Celtic Renaissance’, where the poems centre on Irish mythology and legend.
He gives his beloved certain rhymes
He wishes for the cloths of heaven (Fig.G)
He hears the cry of the sedge (Fig. K)
The work opens with a wordless choral suggestion of a gentle breeze. The three poems run without a break, and textural vocal chord clustering highlights certain key words: sleep, dreams, golden, silver and softly.
The piano provides more than just an accompaniment. It is largely generated by a serial row (albeit a ‘tonal’ one: F A C B G# C# D D# F# Bflat G E where notes 1-5 deliberately suggest both a major and minor triad, and notes 10-12 imply its dominant seventh). The accompaniment, whilst underpinning the choral music, also supplies continuity throughout the three settings with motivic cross references.
Whilst largely tonal overall, the sense of key in the work concludes ambivalently. As at the very opening the major/minor ambiguity and the underpinning of keyless serialism mirrors the poet’s vulnerability when revealing his hopes and dreams to his beloved.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.