Spring Song (Sibelius)

Spring Song (in Swedish: Vårsång), Op. 16, is a single-movement tone poem for orchestra written in 1894 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.

Spring Song
Tone poem by Jean Sibelius
The composer (c. 1913)
Native nameVårsång
Opus16
Composed1894 (rev. 1895)
DurationApprox. 8 minutes
Premiere
Date21 June 1894 (1894-06-21)
LocationVaasa, Finland
ConductorJean Sibelius

The piece was initially composed as Improvisation for Orchestra, in the key of D major. Sibelius recast it in F major, and retitled the work in 1895, appending the subtitle "The Sadness of Spring" to that (unpublished) version.[1]

The piece contains an optimism that is relatively rare among Sibelius' works. It is known for its prominent use of bells at the end of the song.[2]

Structure

The work is scored for 2 flutes (both doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in B♭), 2 bassoons, 4 horns (in F), 3 trumpets (in F), 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, glocken, violins, violas, cellos and double basses.[3] Spring Song takes about 8 minutes to play.

References
  1. Erik Tawaststjerna (19 April 2012). Sibelius Volume I: 1865-1905. Faber & Faber. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-571-28717-8.
  2. Barnett, Andrew (2007). Sibelius. Yale University Press. p. 89. ISBN 9780300111590.
  3. Score, Sibelius: Vårsång (Frühlingslied), Breitkopf und Härtel, Leipzig, 1903


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