F. Delius. Manuscripts of three songs in the hand of Jelka Delius, two corrected by the composer, 1896-1924

DELIUS, FREDERICK

Manuscripts of three songs in the hand of Jelka Delius and others, two annotated and corrected by the composer

(1) Working manuscript by Jelka Delius of The Splendour Falls on Castle Walls RT IV/6, the complete part-song to Tennyson's words notated in pencil on various systems of four or six staves each, with a "separate chorus" marked by her "to be hummed with a closed mouth imitating horns", extended into the margins, with many alterations and corrections; 7 pages, folio (34 x 26.3cm), 16-stave paper (B.C. No.4); together with an engraved "first proof" for the first edition by OUP, corrected by Jelka and inscribed and dated by her "to be kept by F.D. corrected 3.3.1924", 8 leaves, folio (c.36 x 26cm), 1924--

(2) Scribal manuscript with autograph dedication and corrections of "Chant Indien" RT V/12 (3 Songs. The words by Shelley no.1), INSCRIBED BY THE COMPOSER ON THE TITLE ("à la Princesse de Cystria-Faucigny née de Trevise. Poème de Shelley"), notated in D-flat major on up to four three-stave systems per page, marked at the beginning in another hand ("Rajouter l'Anglais...en ut maj."), the French words changed on the last page ("encor"), 7 pages including title, folio (34.8 x 27cm), c.1896--

(3) Manuscript of "La Plage est silencieuse et déserte" RT III/4, (Seven Danish Songs, no.3), notated for voice and piano in black ink, by the so-called "Paris" copyist, with phrasing and one accidental added in pencil, PROBABLY BY DELIUS, a setting in E-flat major of the words by Holger Drachmann, with deletions and annotations to the title in another hand, 3 pages, folio (c.35 x 27cm), 12-stave paper, by Lard-Esnault of Paris, c.1897

The Splendour Falls on Castle Walls was one of the last pieces composed by Delius solely with the help of his wife Jelka--merely "a very shaky pencil sketch" exists in his hand (see Threlfall (1986), plate 22). He was now paralyzed, although not yet blind, and composed nothing more until the arrival of Eric Fenby in 1929. 'Chant indien', first published in 1892, was republished by L. Grus of Paris in 1896, transposed from E-flat major to C major. The annotation "en ut maj." suggests that the printer's manuscript for the Grus edition was copied from this manuscript.

LITERATURE:

R. Threlfall, Frederick Delius. A Supplementary Catalogue (1986), plate 22 (p.152).