Frederick Theodore Albert Delius (Jan. 29, 1862 - June 10, 1934) was an English composer born to a wealthy mercantile family. Having shown musical talent as a young child, he resisted entering in to the world of commerce, but was sent to Florida in 1884 to manage an orange plantation. He began composing there, after being influenced by African American music, and just a couple years later became a full time composer in Paris; his time there was productive. He then lived in Grez-sur-Loing, where he and his wife Jelka Rosen lived the rest of their lives.

Delius' compositions early on reflected the musical influences he heard in America, and some European composers as well, but as time went on, developed his own style. He is particularly known for his chromatic harmony, and wrote for many genres, including symphonies, works for violin, operas, and many songs, including Chanson d'automne.

The text of this work is by poety Paul Verlaine:

The long sobs
of autumn's
violins
wound my heart
with a monotonous
languor.

Suffocating
and pallid, when
the clock strikes,
I remember
the days long past
and I weep.

And I set off
in the rough wind
that carries me
hither and thither
like a dead
leaf.

Delius sets this melancholy poem to music wonderfully; the piano, which starts the piece off, sounds wistful and enigmatic.  The vocal line echoes that same wistfulness as the piano, with chromatic work nicely interspersed with some larger intervals, creating a sense of longing, and sadness. It's a brief but hauntingly beautiful work!

Here are some recordings of this wonderful work for you to enjoy!

Mark Stone
Ruth Golden