Eventyr (Once Upon a Time)
Encyclopedia
Eventyr or Once Upon a Time is a tone poem for orchestra
composed by Frederick Delius
in 1917. It was given its premiere in London
on 11 January 1919, under the direction of Henry J. Wood. "Eventyr" means "adventure", and the inspiration for the piece was a fairy tale
from Norway
. After a twenty-bar introduction, a fantastic theme is played first by the bassoon
s and then by the other woodwinds. The second subject is presented by the strings and gains in intensity with the addition of another subject in counterpoint
. Several climactic moments follow before the creation of a fairy world, dominated by a descending chromatic theme for strings, celesta
, and harp
. The piece is concluded with the return of earlier material, followed by a quiet closing section.
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
composed by Frederick Delius
Frederick Delius
Frederick Theodore Albert Delius, CH was an English composer. Born in the north of England to a prosperous mercantile family of German extraction, he resisted attempts to recruit him to commerce...
in 1917. It was given its premiere in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 11 January 1919, under the direction of Henry J. Wood. "Eventyr" means "adventure", and the inspiration for the piece was a fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. After a twenty-bar introduction, a fantastic theme is played first by the bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
s and then by the other woodwinds. The second subject is presented by the strings and gains in intensity with the addition of another subject in counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
. Several climactic moments follow before the creation of a fairy world, dominated by a descending chromatic theme for strings, celesta
Celesta
The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
, and harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
. The piece is concluded with the return of earlier material, followed by a quiet closing section.