Frederick Delius (1862–1934) is best known today for his orchestral works such as "Brigg Fair" and "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring," but song composition plays an equally central role in his oeuvre. The vocal line occupies a prominent position in his music, and his songs reflect the international life of a composer who, in addition to English, was fluent in German, Norwegian, and French. Delius composed more than 62 songs in total, setting poems in Norwegian, Danish, English, German, French, and Swedish to music.
Delius was born in Bradford, England, to German parents. However, he spent most of his life outside Great Britain, primarily in Grez-sur-Loing near Fontainebleau, France. His musical development was strongly influenced by his work in his father's wool business and by his travels to France, Sweden, and Norway. The impressions from these journeys profoundly impacted his work; Norway, in particular, played a special role for him due to personal friendships, such as with Edvard Grieg.
During his eleven years in Paris, Delius cultivated close relationships with artists and writers such as Paul Gauguin, Edvard Munch, and August Strindberg. During this time, he also composed works like the orchestral piece "Paris." His settings of French poetry, such as poems by Paul Verlaine, reveal an introspective side to his work. Delius also found recognition in Germany, notably through his settings of texts by Friedrich Nietzsche and Heinrich Heine. In the wake of the Celtic Renaissance, he turned his attention to the poems of Fiona Macleod, as evidenced by his piece "I-Brasîl."
During the First World War, when he was forced to leave England, he composed "Four Old English Lyrics" at the suggestion of his patron, Maud Cunard. Delius chose the texts for his songs with great care and often preferred handwritten translations. When setting Shelley's "Philosophy of Love" to music, he insisted on using the original English text, which led to discussions with publishers about translation issues.
The mention of Grieg and Delius in the studies by Lionel Carley and in the collection of correspondence “Delius: A Life in Letters” (Scolar Press, 1983 and 1988) provides a picture of the multifaceted musical development of a composer who was inspired by cultural diversity and linguistic openness.