I've chosen three summer topics; we could talk about them any time of the year but, somehow, they seem more appealing in summer.  The first summer issue, as mentioned in this post title, is lying down: in a tree's shadow, sitting on a deck chair having a mojito, falling asleep, loosely watching the sea or the clouds passing by. One of the great pleasures of holidays, to lounge around. The 19th century poets had tonnes of leisure time, so it won't be the first time we lounge around in Liederabend.

 

When Fernando Sor, or Ferran Sors (Barcelona, 1778 – Paris, 1839) first got drawn by the guitar it was no more than a popular instrument, and no serious composers had paid any attention to it. Sor contributed to dignify and introduce it in the concert hall, and that’s why today he is best known as a guitar composer, teacher and player, but his work as a musician is much larger than that and includes operas, ballets and, of course, songs. Like the one in today’s post, one of the “Twelve seguidillas boleras”, composed around 1810.

 

This is the 8th post in the Wilhelm Meister's series, the last of this season; the Goethe's characters will come back in September. Today I'll tell you something that happens while Wilhelm is at the Count's castle, a story about the Count and the Countess. I’m afraid there isn't any song linked to that story, but I'm telling you anyway because it will become important at the end of the novel. Besides, the story is very funny.

 

Wilhelm likes the Countess a lot, but he's very aware of his vow of not having any love affair with a woman; the Countess also likes Wilhelm very much, but she's very aware of her wedding vows too [...]

 

Two boys are at the opera house, waiting for the show to begin. They are so excited that they can't stop moving, talking very fast, whistling... until someone silences them because the curtain rises. This is what the composer, Charles Ives, explains at the first part of his song Memories.