Elgar - Sea Pictures
Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) wrote Sea Pictures, his op.37, for mezzo-soprano or contralto and orchestra at a point in his career when he was at last beginning to achieve success. The work was first performed in Norwich in 1899 with Clara Butt as soloist. These poems by predominantly obscure Victorian poets, are elevated from mediocrity by Elgar’s sensitive treatment and musical interpretation of the texts.
The five songs of the cycle reflect different aspects and moods of the sea.
The text of Sea Slumber Song was written by Roden Noel (1834-1894). From an aristocratic family background, he is better remembered as a campaigner for social justice than as a poet. His love of the sea is reflected in this poem, inspired by Kynance Cove in Cornwall. The song is essentially a lullaby, and depicts the sea in a tranquil mood. References to ‘elfin light’ and ‘this elfin land’ convey the dreamlike, otherworldly quality of the scene.
In Haven is Elgar’s 1897 setting of a poem by his wife, Caroline Alice Elgar (1848-1920). She altered her original poem to include more allusions to the sea, which here stands as a metaphor for the storms and trials of life which only true love can withstand.
The central pillar of the cycle is Elgar’s masterly setting of four of the thirteen stanzas of Sabbath Morning at Sea by Elizabeth Barratt Browning (1806-1861), first published in 1839. Barratt Browning achieved eminence as a poet despite poor health. She famously incurred her father’s wrath by eloping to Italy with Robert Browning. Here, the sea forms the background to a meditation on death and the afterlife, in an expression of Victorian religious sentiment.
Where Corals Lie was written by Richard Garnett (1835-1906). He held the position of Keeper of Printed Books at the British Museum. Originally published in 1859, Where Corals Lie appeared in Garnett's collection, ‘Io in Egypt and Other Poems’. In this song, we see the sea in seductive mood, fascinating us with the beauties of the underwater seascape.
The Swimmer is by Adam Lindsay Gordon (1833-1870). Gordon was so wild as a youth that he was sent by his father to Australia, where he became a horsebreaker and steeplechase rider. He wrote sporting verses for local newspapers and served for a year and a half in the South Australian House of Assembly.
He suffered bouts of depression after riding injuries, the death of his only child and the loss of his claim to a family estate in Scotland. The day after his third volume of poetry was published, he committed suicide by shooting himself.
Elgar set four and a half stanzas of this (much longer) poem. Here the sea is at its most tempestuous and dangerous.