This edition was prepared by James Crawford — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
1914
Staff Notation • Secular, Art songs
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1914 by James Crawford — Lyrics
War broke: and now the Winter of the world
With perishing great darkness closes in.
The foul tornado, centred at Berlin,
Is over all the width of Europe whirled,
Rending the sails of progress. Rent or furled
Are all Art's ensigns. Verse wails. Now begin
Famines of thought and feeling. Love's wine's thin.
The grain of human Autumn rots, downhurled.
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About 1914
James Crawford's 1914 is a poignant solo baritone setting of a deeply evocative poem reflecting on the onset of the First World War. The text contrasts the perceived golden ages of classical Greece and Rome, described as a 'harvest home' and 'slow grand age', with the bleak present. The composer captures the despair and disillusionment of this historical moment, where 'progress' is torn asunder and a 'perishing great darkness' descends. The lyrics speak of 'famines of thought and feeling' and the 'rotting grain of human Autumn', painting a grim picture of a world plunged into a destructive 'Winter'. This is a powerful, reflective secular art song, ideal for a baritone soloist seeking to convey profound historical and emotional weight.
