[MrJester]

One of my favorite pieces of classical music is Frederick Delius' "Florida Suite." The British composer Frederick Delius (1862-1934) kickstarted his career by telling his father, who wanted him to go into business, that he was going to Florida for two years to manage a orange grove. He wound up near St. Augustine, along the St. Johns river, and composed several works, including "Florida Suite," heavily inspired by the summer scenery and weather of the area.

The work is split into four movements, depicting a typical day from dawn to dusk:

1. Daybreak: To me, the woodwinds (especially the oboe) sound like bird calls; can anyone identify which birds these might be?
2. By the River: Of course, it's the St. John's river, which is 4 miles wide at the location of his grove.
3. Sunset: There's a lively dance-like section in this section as a tribute to Delius' African-American farmhands, singing their spirituals.
4. At Night: Apparently Delius enjoyed the very warm, humid nights of St. Augustine. After all, you need humidity for Spanish Moss, longleaf pines, and palmettos to grow. It might be pancake flat, but it's got vegetation as lush as the Garden of Eden.

Here's the music itself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6CrzLXUHx4

Here's the entrance to Delius' grove (called Solano Grove) on Google Street view:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.8834...7i13312!8i6656

Delius' House has since been moved to Jacksonville University's campus: https://www.jaxpubliclibrary.org/files/deliusjpg

I sheepishly admit that I have never been to Florida, and that to me, this piece sounds more like the "Louisiana Suite," because it elicits nothing but pure nostalgia over the ten weeks I spent one summer in St. Tammany Parish (suburban New Orleans). Hey, at least St. Tammany Parish has the same heat, humidity, and vegetation as Northern Florida.

[kmarc]

Originally Posted by MrJester

One of my favorite pieces of classical music is Frederick Delius' "Florida Suite." The British composer Frederick Delius (1862-1934) kickstarted his career by telling his father, who wanted him to go into business, that he was going to Florida for two years to manage a orange grove. He wound up near St. Augustine, along the St. Johns river, and composed several works, including "Florida Suite," heavily inspired by the summer scenery and weather of the area.

The work is split into four movements, depicting a typical day from dawn to dusk:

1. Daybreak: To me, the woodwinds (especially the oboe) sound like bird calls; can anyone identify which birds these might be?
2. By the River: Of course, it's the St. John's river, which is 4 miles wide at the location of his grove.
3. Sunset: There's a lively dance-like section in this section as a tribute to Delius' African-American farmhands, singing their spirituals.
4. At Night: Apparently Delius enjoyed the very warm, humid nights of St. Augustine. After all, you need humidity for Spanish Moss, longleaf pines, and palmettos to grow. It might be pancake flat, but it's got vegetation as lush as the Garden of Eden.

Here's the music itself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6CrzLXUHx4

Here's the entrance to Delius' grove (called Solano Grove) on Google Street view:
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.8834...7i13312!8i6656

Delius' House has since been moved to Jacksonville University's campus: https://www.jaxpubliclibrary.org/files/deliusjpg

I sheepishly admit that I have never been to Florida, and that to me, this piece sounds more like the "Louisiana Suite," because it elicits nothing but pure nostalgia over the ten weeks I spent one summer in St. Tammany Parish (suburban New Orleans). Hey, at least St. Tammany Parish has the same heat, humidity, and vegetation as Northern Florida.

Thank you for this, Mr. Jester. I just started listening to it and have bookmarked it for later, as I have to get to work. No, I have never heard it before, nor have I heard of Delius, but this is lovely. Such a nice respite from the all the worries and cares of modern day Florida. It is the musical equivalent of the old Florida paintings and hand colored photographs.

As someone who loves the state despite all its flaws, this is a gift and again I thank you.

[rosebud1]

The Jacksonville Public Library has an extensive Delius collection as well: https://www.jaxpubliclibrary.org/res...ius-collection