Solomon is a 75-minute serenata for two solo voices, chorus and orchestra written[1][2] in 1742 by the English composer William Boyce. The characters are named simply She and He; it is a love story and mildly bawdy. There are several well-known airs: Arise, My Fair; O Fill With Cooling Juice; Softly Rise, O Southern Breeze; Tell Me, Lovely Shepherd; and Ye Blooming Virgins. These have been recorded by various singers, and Solomon in its entirety was recorded[3][4] by Hyperion in 1989. A performance in June 2014[5] at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall was aired by the BBC. The overture to Solomon was published during the composer's lifetime as his Symphony No. 6 in F major.
References edit
- ^ Bartlett, Ian; Bruce, Robert J. (1 January 1980). "William Boyce's 'Solomon'". Music and Letters. 61 (1): 28–49. doi:10.1093/ml/61.1.28 – via academic.oup.com.
- ^ "Solomon (Boyce, William) - IMSLP: Free Sheet Music PDF Download". imslp.org.
- ^ "Boyce: Solomon". Hyperion Records.
- ^ "Review". Gramophone.
- ^ "Gilchrist, Bevan, OAE, Devine, QEH | The Arts Desk". theartsdesk.com.