Nightingales

Beautiful must be the mountains whence ye come,
And bright in the fruitful valleys the streams, wherefrom
    Ye learn your song:
Where are those starry woods? O might I wander there,
Among the flowers, which in that heavenly air
    Bloom the year long!

Nay, barren are those mountains and spent the streams:
Our song is the voice of desire, that haunts our dreams,
    A throe of the heart,
Whose pining visions dim, forbidden hopes profound,
No dying cadence nor long sigh can sound,
    For all our art.

Alone, aloud in the raptured ear of men
We pour our dark nocturnal secret; and then,
    As night is withdrawn
From these sweet-springing meads and bursting boughs of May,
Dream, while the innumerable choir of day
    Welcome the dawn.

by Robert Seymour Bridges (1844-1930) , "Nightingales", from Shorter Poems, Book V, published 1893

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Edward Toner Cone (1917-) , "Nightingales" [soprano, flute, viola, piano], from Philomela, Three Nightingale Songs
by David Campbell Dorward (1933-) , "Beautiful must be the mountains whence ye come" [soprano or tenor and piano], from Three Songs for High Voice and Piano
by Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) , "Nightingales", op. 17 no. 5 (1934-7) [SSATB a cappella], from Seven Unaccompanied Part Songs, no. 5.
by Fritz Bennicke Hart (1874-1949) , "Nightingales", 1917. [trio of female voices (a cappella?)]
by Kenneth V. Jones (1924-) , "Nightingales" [SSA and piano or harpsichord]
by Edward C. Mattila (1927-) , "Nightingales" [SATB a cappella]
by Reginald Chauncey Robbins (1871-1955) , "Nightingales", published c1922. [voice and piano]
by Louis Victor Franz Saar (1868-1937) , "The nightingales", published 1932. [tenor, SSA chorus, and piano with oboe or flute or violin obbligato]
by John C. Sacco (1905-1987) , "Nightingales", published 1974. [SATB, woodwinds, piano]
by Howard Swanson (1907-1978) , "The nightingales", published 1952. [TTBB a cappella]

Date added to the website: 2008-01-08.

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