Frederick Delius Essentials

Though of German heritage, Frederick Delius was born and educated in England, and in the 1880s spent time in Florida where he fell in love with the songs of Black workers in the orange plantations—leading to his writing Appalachia and Florida Suite. He also visited Norway, where he became friends with Edvard Grieg, and was inspired by its landscapes to compose On the Mountains and Eventyr. He finally settled in France. Much of Delius’ music, such as On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, is redolent of long, languid summer afternoons. He also wrote magnificently for voices, whether solo or chorus, as can be heard in Sea Drift and A Mass of Life.