Frederick Delius
Florida
Suite for Orchestra
DCW 16
RT VI/1
DCE 20
Composer: Frederick Delius
Dedicatee: 'The People of Florida'
Florida was performed only once in Delius's lifetime, at a private run-through in Leipzig, and Delius subsequently revised the third movement. The work was revived by Beecham, edited and performed in 1937, but before publication the manuscripts with his markings were sent to the Grainger Museum, Melbourne, where they are still held. Consequently, the 1963 published edition, based on the 1937 orchestral parts, contained numerous errors, which were finally addressed in the 1986 study-score. While a youthful study, Florida provided rich material for later works inspired by Delius's time in Florida. The opening theme of 'Daybreak' and several other sections were reworked into The Magic Fountain, while the second section of 'Daybreak' is an early version of the famous 'La Calinda'.
Composition: 1887.
Instrumentation:
Orchestra 2.2.2.2/4.2.3.1/timp./str.: picc., 2 fl., 2 ob., 2 cl. in A, 2 fg., 4 cor., 2 tr., 3 trb., tb., timp., gr.c., cym., tambo., trgl., arp., str.
Sources
Sketch fragment
[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph, sketch, fragment]
A draft of the horn melody from the last movement.
Sketch fragment
[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph, sketch, fragment]
Fragment of the dance theme from the third movement.
Autograph score, original version
[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph, score, incomplete]
Editor: Thomas Beecham
75 pages.
Pages 57-82 (the third movement bar the first and last pages) have been removed.
AUS-PVgm (Grainger Museum, University of Melbourne) MG-C2-DELI-12-1.
Autograph score, revised version, third mvt. only
[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph, score, complete]
34 pages.
This manuscript represents the revised version of the third movement removed from the autograph score, with the movement titles now given in French rather than German.
AUS-PVgm (Grainger Museum, University of Melbourne) MG-C2-DELI-12-2.
Published full score
[Classification: notated music, print, score, first edition, complete]
Editor: Thomas Beecham
Boosey & Hawkes, London 1963.
This published score, denoted 'Op. posth' incorporates the revised version of the third movement. It constitutes vol. 20 of the Collected Edition, and was reprinted in 1986 with the errors of the 1963 publication corrected.
Performances
| Early 1888 |
Rosental Park, Leipzig (conductor: Hans Sitt). |
| 1 April 1937 |
Queen's Hall, London (London Philharmonic Orchestra; conductor: Thomas Beecham). Beecham omitted the second movement in this performance. |
Documents
Letters:
| Early June 1889 |
To Edvard Grieg (LC I, pp. 41-2)
|
Last changed 2020-10-26T14:16:55+00:00
