Four Sketches, Op. 15 (Beach)
Movements
i In Autumn ii Phantoms iii Dreaming iv Fire flies
Notes
The four sketches by Amy Beach were published in 1892. Each piece in the set is headed by a quotation from a French poet: two from Alphonse de Lamartine, and two from Victor Hugo. An element of the natural world is here as well: three of the four quotations use nature images. The first piece, “In Autumn,” is a dancelike work in a minor mode, suggesting the nostalgia and melancholy of the fall season. The second piece, “Phantoms,” takes its name from the title of the poem Beach quotes. The quotation clarifies the ghostly reference with a further metaphor about the fleeting life of flowers. The music is a delicate waltz with, again, a nostalgic tone. Its ending is sudden, almost abrupt, further expressing the idea of ephemerality. The third piece, “Dreaming,” arises from the depths of the piano with a soft rocking figure. One can easily imagine its lyrical melody as “speaking from the depths of a dream,” as its poetic quotation describes.