The Lent Lily (1921)
John Ireland is known for developing his own variety of English Impressionism, his music predominantly inspired by Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky and Bartók. His compositional approach is characterised by a complex harmonic style and characterful accompaniment. Having studied piano and composition at the Royal College of Music, he later returned as a teacher himself in 1923; among his pupils there was Benjamin Britten, who claimed he found his teaching unremarkable. Ireland preferred chamber music, song, and piano music to larger orchestral ensembles, hence his works are often intensely personal in style. He was strongly inspired by his surroundings, harbouring a great love of rural English landscapes, which is reflected in his works. Despite being briefly married to a young woman in his 40s, Ireland was a closeted homosexual, indications of which are scattered throughout his vocal repertoire.
‘The Lent Lily’ is the first song from the set ‘The Land of Lost Content’ published in 1921. A. E. Housman's poem, similarly to 'Earth's Call', reflects a desire to capture a moment before it dies away. It discusses the various flowers that spring yields, celebrating the daffodil (the lent lily) the most - as it has such a brief lifespan that one must strive to fully appreciate its beauty before it dies away.
Composer: John Ireland (1879-1962)
Poet: A. E. Housman (1859-1936)
‘Tis spring; come out to ramble
The hilly brakes around,
For under thorn and bramble
About the hollow ground
The primroses are found.
And there’s the windflow’r chilly
With all the winds at play,
And there’s the Lenten lily
That has not long to stay
And dies on Easter day.
And since till girls go maying
You find the primrose still,
And find the windflow’r playing
With every wind at will,
But not the daffodil,
Bring baskets now, and sally
Upon the spring’s array,
And bear from hill and valley
The daffodil away
That dies on Easter day.
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