Frederick Theodore Albert Delius (Jan. 29, 1862 - June 10, 1934) was an English composer, born in to a wealthy family. Delius didn't want to go in to business and commerce like his family, and resisted it as much as possible. Despite the family being heavily involved in commerce, the Delius household liked to entertain musicians often, and Delius found himself a fan of Chopin and Grieg's music. He began taking violin lessons and became quite good, and he enjoyed playing the piano as well. He went on to college, and his father continued to try to get him involved in the family business. Delius would go on to represent his family in business, but would end up neglecting his duties. In frustration, his father sent him to work on an orange plantation in Florida. There he worked on counterpoint and composition, and his father eventually realized how much he loved music, and brought him back so he could study it formally.

Delius' On Hearing the First Cuckoo of Spring is the first piece in a work entitled 2 Pieces for Small Orchestra, though they are often played separately. Written in 1913, the work opens slowly, with some cuckoo calls between oboe, and then the strings. The work contains themes from Norwegian folk songs (which Edward Grieg also quoted in his work Norwegian Folk Tunes) and sounds pastoral, and nostalgic. The piece occasionally has a feel of Debussy about it too; Delius worked in Paris for a time and enjoyed the music of many French composers, including Debussy. The cuckoo isn't always obvious throughout it, but s clearly heard toward the end, as the work comes to a relaxing finish.

Here are some recordings for you to enjoy!

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera
Royal Scottish National Orchestra