Canon
Where to start with Delius
Essential works to know this composer by — spread across their styles-
OrchestralOn Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring — Tone poem
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VocalA Mass of Life, for soloists, chorus and orchestra, RTii/4
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StageA Village Romeo and Juliet — Opera
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Keyboard2 Pieces, RTix/5
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ChamberCaprice and Elegy, for cello and chamber orchestra, RV.vii/8
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OrchestralBrigg Fair: An English Rhapsody, RTvi/16
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OrchestralIn a Summer Garden, RT vi/17
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Orchestral2 Pieces for Cello and Chamber Orchestra
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Orchestral2 Pieces for Small Orchestra, RTvi/19
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Vocal2 Songs for Children
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Vocal2 Songs for Children, for chorus and piano, RTv/29
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Vocal3 English Songs, for voice and piano, RTv/12
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Keyboard3 Preludes, RTix/8
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Orchestral3 Small Tone Poems, RTvi/7
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Vocal3 Songs
Listening guide
Hand-curated paths into Delius's catalogueMost Popular
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On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
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Summer Night on the River
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A Village Romeo and Juliet (opera) — Walk to the Paradise Garden
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Florida Suite
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Brigg Fair
Most Acclaimed
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Sea Driftbaritone + chorus + orchestra — Whitman text
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A Mass of LifeNietzsche texts — his largest work
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In a Summer Garden
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Requiematheist requiem — no Christian text
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Song of the High Hills
Most Weird
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Requieman atheist requiem — text mourns death without religious consolation; controversial and rarely performed
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Songs of SunsetDowson poems — decadent, exhausted, beautiful
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Fennimore and Gerdaopera — 11 continuous short scenes; no arias, almost no plot
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Eventyr (Once upon a time)orchestral fantasy on Norwegian fairy tales
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Idyll (posthumous)for soprano, baritone and orchestra — drawn from his unfinished opera
Similar composers
Same era, overlapping styles — by genre & period affinityWorks 82
- Orchestral
- ● On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring — Tone poem
- Brigg Fair: An English Rhapsody, RTvi/16
- In a Summer Garden, RT vi/17
- 2 Pieces for Cello and Chamber Orchestra
- 2 Pieces for Small Orchestra, RTvi/19
- 3 Small Tone Poems, RTvi/7
- A Dance Rhapsody, no. 1, RTvi/18
- A Dance Rhapsody, no. 2, RTvi/22
- A Song Before Sunrise, RTvi/24
- A Song of Summer, RTvi/26
- Air and Dance, RTvi/21
- Appalachia, RTvi/12
- Caprice and Elegy, for cello and chamber orchestra, RTvii/8
- Cello Concerto
- Dance for Flute and Strings
- Double Concerto, for violin and cello and orchestra
- Eventyr, RTvi/23
- Fantastic Dance, RTvi/28
- Florida Suite, RTvi/1
- Hassan, incidental music, RTi/9
- Idylle de printemps, RTvi/5
- Irmelin Prelude, RTvi/27
- Légende, for violin and orchestra in E flat major, RTvii/3
- Norwegian Suite, RTi/5
- Over the Hills and Far Away, RTvi/11
- Paa Vidderne, tone poem, RTvi/10
- Paris: A Nocturne, RTvi/14
- Piano Concerto in C minor, RTvii/4
- Poem of Life and Love, for orchestra
- Suite of 3 Characteristic Pieces, RTvi/6a
- Summer Night On The River — Tone poem
- Violin Concerto, RTvii/6
- Vocal
- A Mass of Life, for soloists, chorus and orchestra, RTii/4
- 2 Songs for Children
- 2 Songs for Children, for chorus and piano, RTv/29
- 3 English Songs, for voice and piano, RTv/12
- 3 Songs
- 4 Old English Lyrics, RTv/30
- 4 Songs
- 5 Songs from the Norwegian
- 6 German Partsongs, for chorus, RTiv/1
- 7 Danish Songs
- 7 Songs from the Norwegian, RTv/9
- A Late Lark
- Appalachia, for baritone, chorus, and orchestra, RTii/2
- Hochgebirgsleben, song for voice and piano, RTv/6
- I-Brasîl, song for voice and piano, RTv/28
- Jeh havde en nyskaaren Seljefløjte, song for voice and piano, RTv/14
- Maud: Birds in the High Hall Garden
- Midsummer Song, for chorus
- On Craig Dhu, for chorus
- Over the Mountains High
- Prelude and Idyll, for soprano, baritone and orchestra
- Requiem, for soprano, baritone, double chorus and orchestra, RTii/8
- Sea Drift, for baritone, chorus, and orchestra, RTii/3
- Sea Drift, for voice and orchestra
- Skogen gir susende langsam besked, song for voice and piano, RTv/10
- Songs of Farewell, for double chorus and orchestra, RTii/9
- Songs of Sunset, for mezzo-soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra, RTii/5
- The Song of the High Hills, for chorus
- The nightingale has a lyre of gold, song for voice and piano, RTv/25
- The splendour falls on castle walls, for chorus, RT iv/6
- To Be Sung of a Summer Night on the Water, for chorus, RTiv/5
- Wanderer's Song, for male chorus, RTiv/3
- Stage
- A Village Romeo and Juliet — Opera
- Fennimore and Gerda — Opera
- Irmelin, RT i/2 — Opera
- Koanga — Opera
- Keyboard
- 2 Pieces, RTix/5
- 3 Preludes, RTix/8
- Dance, for harpsichord in A minor, RTix/6
- Chamber
- Caprice and Elegy, for cello and chamber orchestra, RV.vii/8
- Cello Sonata
- Cello Sonata in D
- Cello Sonata, RTviii/7
- Chanson D'Automne, for cello and piano
- Romance for Cello and Piano, RTviii/5
- String Quartet, RTviii/1
- Violin Sonata in B major, RT viii/3
- Violin Sonata no. 1, RTviii/6
- Violin Sonata no. 2, RTviii/9
- Violin Sonata no. 3, RTviii/10