IN the old Irish mythology the lovely Fand was the daughter of Manannan, the Keltic Neptune. Cuchulain, mightiest of legendary heroes, was lured by her away from his country and from Emer his wife till she made her way to Fand's' enchanted island in the sea, and prevailed on the goddess to give her back her hero.,
Bax' music, though inspired by that picturesque story, does not follow it closely. His Tone Poem falls into three closely-connected sections. In the first we are to imagine the wide, untroubled sweep of the Atlantic, with the sunset lighting its waste of waters. Cuchulain's little ship is faring westwards, and the lapping water round it, and the long surging swell, are vividly presented. At the end of this section the ship grounds on the sand of the island.
The second scene shows us the unearthly and never-ending revelry, the dancing and feasting, into which the hero and his men are caught up. Through it there breaks the song of Fand herself-a song of immortal love that enchains for ever the hearts of all who hear it. The dance begins again, but from the beginning of the third section, the sea gradually rises in might and at last overwhelms the island, to leave the faery people riding joyously upon the waves. Evening falls, the sea grows calm once more, and the magic garden has vanished from sight.
MAKING its first appearance at the Festival at
Hereford in 1909, this Danco Rhapsody has always been among the most popular of his purely orchestral works. There is a short introduction, in which the oboe, the flute, and the horns have ishares. There follows a section in quicker tempo, where a new tune is heard, while, soon afterwards the violins give us still another new theme. These are all worked out at some length; the music rises to a climax and then makes way for a slow section. But the bustling mood of the first part returns and the Rhapsody comes to an end with great strength and vigour.