Book at Lunchtime: Delius and the Sound of Place

Book at Lunchtime title and TORCH logo against a backdrop of books

Join us for the TORCH Book at Lunchtime event on Delius and the Sound of Place by Professor Daniel Grimley. The event will begin with a free sandwich lunch at 12:30pm, with the discussion 1pm-2pm.

Book at Lunchtime is a series of bite-sized book discussions held fortnightly during term-time, with commentators from a range of disciplines. The events are free to attend and open to members of the University and the public alike.

Register for your free place on Eventbrite here. If you would prefer not to use Eventbrite, please email torch@humanities.ox.ac.uk.

https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/embed/619b7809a5854ee43612


About the book

Few composers have responded as powerfully to place as Frederick Delius (1862–1934). Born in Yorkshire, Delius resided in the United States, Germany, and Scandinavia before settling in France, where he spent the majority of his professional career. This book examines the role of place in selected works, including 'On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring', Appalachia, and The Song of the High Hills, reading place as a creative and historically mediated category in his music. Drawing on archival sources, contemporary art, and literature, and more recent writing in cultural geography and the philosophy of place, this is a new interpretation of Delius' work, and he emerges as one of the most original and compelling voices in early twentieth-century music. As the popularity of his music grows, this book challenges the idea of Delius as a large-scale rhapsodic composer, and reveals a richer and more productive relationship between place and music.

About the panel

Daniel Grimley is Professor of Music at the Faculty of Music, Fellow and Tutor at Merton College, and Lecturer at University College. He will be joined by an expert panel to discuss the book and its themes.