It’s the last day of summer. Take some time to smell the roses. Autumn begins in the Northern Hemisphere tomorrow at 2:19 p.m. EDT.
Thomas Moore’s poem, “The Last Rose of Summer,” was written in 1805. It was set to a traditional Irish tune, “Aisling an Óigfhear,” or “The Young Man’s Dream,” with words and music published together in 1813. The song proved to be a heady inspiration for dozens of composers. It’s interesting to reflect that for Beethoven and his brethren in the early 19th century, this would have been considered a contemporary hit.
According to my internet searches, a gift of 13 roses signifies that we’ll be friends forever. How could I pass that up? In the interest of securing you all as BFFs, here are 13 treatments of “The Last Rose of Summer.”
Sung by Amelita Galli-Curci in 1921
Beethoven, “6 National Airs with Variations,” Op. 105, No. 4 “The Last Rose of Summer”
Ferdinand Ries, Sextet “The Last Rose of Summer” (the tune appears at 11:45)
Carl Czerny, “Variations on ‘The Last Rose of Summer’”
Felix Mendelssohn, “Fantasy on ‘The Last Rose of Summer’”
Sigismond Thalberg, “The Last Rose of Summer”
Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, “Variations on ‘The Last Rose of Summer’”
Félix Godefroid
Joachim Raff
Max Reger
Paul Hindemith, “On Hearing ‘The Last Rose of Summer’”
Benjamin Britten
Friedrich von Flotow, from his opera “Martha”
IMAGE: “Soul of the Rose,” by John William Waterhouse (1908)
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