Mother, Summer, I

A Song for Tenor Voice and Piano

Accompaniment

Student Number: 22060726

2023

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PROGRAMME NOTE:

This song is based on the poem ‘Mother, Summer, I’ by Philip Larkin. The poem tells
the story of a mother who dislikes the summer due to her suspicion that a storm is lurking
behind warm summer days, which is then noticed by her son who grows to hold similar
beliefs in his own adult life. The main thematic idea that I sought to develop from this
analysis was the idea of developing an established accompaniment (representing the mother’s
fully developed ideals) and adding onto that, while still keeping the same melodic, harmonic,
and rhythmic ideas, to represent the way in which the son has taken his mother’s beliefs in
stride. This idea has been translated into the piano accompaniment with a notable contrast
between the third and fourth verses.

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LISTENING LOG:

Satie, Erik, ‘Ludions’ for voice and piano, 1923

 ‘Ludions’ no.4 (Aire du Poète) tells a satirical tale of a visitor in Papua New Guinea
who wishes that the idol of their attraction wasn’t Papua New Guinean. This
despondence is represented through its slow and solemn time signature, and the
denial of any harmonic resolution until the very end of the piece. The singer’s rhythm
is made up of minims, crochets, and quavers, and as the piece progresses the rests
between each line of the poem grow increasingly shorter from a crochet rest to a
quaver rest, and then from b.7 to b.10 there are none.

Eisler, Hanns, ‘An den Kleinen Radioapparat’ (To the Little Radio) for voice and piano,
1942
 One very notable aspect in this song is the lack of a harmonic resolution, as the song
simply cuts off on the last bar on the submediant note (F) of the established key (A
Minor). This cut off might be a musical depiction of the radio being physically
switched off before the melody can be finished or could show that the singer’s wish
for the radio to not turn off (“Versprich mir, nicht auf einmal stumm zu sein!”) has
not been granted and the radio has finally fallen silent. The piano accompaniment is
repetitive with a straight quaver rhythm in the right hand, and a moving minim and
crochet harmonic line in the left hand.

Quilter, Roger, ‘3 Shakespeare Songs’ Op.6 for voice and piano, 1901
 ‘Blow, blow, thou Winter Wind’ compares the harshness of a wind in winter with the
ungratefulness of human beings but ends on the positive message that while people
may not be loyal, we should still enjoy life. This story is developed through structure
of the song, which is Binary Form (AB) with an added Coda which is indicated via a
modulation from the starting key of C minor to C major as well as a change from a
3/4-time signature to 2/4. This modulation in the Coda helps to develop the optimistic
ending because of its stark contrast against the A and B sections.

Vaughn-Williams, Ralph, ‘Songs of Travel’ for voice and piano, 1904

 The alternation of past and present tense in ‘Whither Must I Wonder’ is manifested
musically through the division of each stanza as well as the alternation between the
keys of C minor and its relative key, Eb major.