An April Song (Chanson d'Avril)

Today is April 1st (no foolin'!), so, earlier today, I thought it would be nice to have a piece to commemorate the arrival of the month.

I started looking at the music on IMSLP, and found one that looked it would fill the bill, but I didn't like it. I found only one other one (THIS one!), and this, I do like!

John Hyatt Brewer was born on January 18, 1856, Brooklyn, New York, and died there on November 30, 1931. He is remembered as a composer, teacher and organist, who lived in Brooklyn all his life.

Beginning at age 15, he played the organ at a num­ber of Brooklyn churches, including the Lafayette Avenue Church (1881-1931). He conducted many orchestras and glee clubs, and helped found the Brooklyn Apollo Club in 1878, becoming its conductor in 1903. He also helped found the American Guild of Organists, and belonged to the New York State Music Teachers’ Association. In 1899, he became a professor of music at Adelphi College.

His music is well-written, but typical of the period. Melody is king, and I'm sure that most listeners will dismiss this is sentimental and outdated. Perhaps so, but it still has a "sincere" appeal to it - at least from my perspective.

At the head of the piece, Brewer quotes a few lines of poetry:
"Out of the showers of April
Springs upward the bloom of the Rose!"

Although I didn't think of it at the time, this piece is also a part of the Edwardian period, as it was published by G. Schirmer in 1909. Like the piece that I uploaded yesterday by George Thalben-Ball, it does convey the feeling of a bygone age, where life was more "comfortable," and cares seem far away. Where Thalben-Ball was more "elegant," Brewer is more "suave and salon-like" in his writing.

I still have quite a bit of Easter music to upload, including what I promise is THE MOST UNIQUE piece of Easter music you have ever heard... :-)

The score is attached below, as is also a photo of John Hyatt Brewer.