Frederick Delius was an English composer. Born Bradford, England, Jan. 29, 1862. Died Grez-sur-Loing, France, June 10, 1934.
The music of Delius is outstanding for its lyricism, melody, and unusual harmonies. His compositions are impressionistic in style with romantic overtones and tend to create an atmosphere of dreamy serenity. Delius wrote operas, chamber music, songs, and concertos. He also composed orchestral works, such as North Country Sketches, Eventyr, Brigg Fair, On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, and A Song of Summer. His choral work
A Mass Of Life is sometimes considered his masterpiece. Among his other choral pieces are Appalachia and Sea Drift.
When still quite young, Delius met Edvard Grieg and became his friend. His music shows the influence of Grieg's romanticism. During the last years of his life, Delius was paralyzed and blind, but he continued to compose by dictating music to a friend, Eric Fenby. In 1929 a Delius Festival was conducted in London.
