Soft Was The Wind

Album: Seven Sappho Songs for soprano and piano (1904)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In 2000, the English Poetry and Song Society put out Seven Sappho Songs for soprano and piano, which was published by Thames Publishing.

    This large format pamphlet contains seven songs in a song cycle, thus:

    "Soft Was The Wind"
    "I Shall Be Ever Maiden"
    "The Apple Orchard"
    "Hesperus"
    "Love Shakes My Soul"
    "The Quiet Mist"
    "Lonely Night"

    These were all originally poems by William Bliss Carman that were set to music by Ivor Gurney.

    William Bliss Carman (1861-1929) was a leading Canadian poet, although he spent most of his life in the US. In 1904, he published Sappho: One Hundred Lyrics (by that time he was known as simply Bliss Carman). This work was after the Greek poetess Sappho of Lesbos.

    Ivor Gurney (1890-1937) was an English poet and composer.

    According to Richard Carder in the aforementioned Seven Sappho Songs for soprano and piano:

    The cycle was first performed in this order on the 29th October 1998 by Georgina Colwell (soprano) and Nigel Foster (piano) at the Blackheath Concert Halls, London, under the auspices of The English Poetry and Song Society.

    "Soft Was The Wind" is set on the Greek island of Lesbos. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many Songs

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Songs Discussed in Movies

Songs Discussed in MoviesSong Writing

Bridesmaids, Reservoir Dogs, Willy Wonka - just a few of the flicks where characters discuss specific songs, sometimes as a prelude to murder.