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Passing the Time of Day

A sequence of poetry, prose and music on the theme of the duration of a day, with readings by Sally Phillips and Jonathan Keeble.

Today's Words and Music takes the duration of a day as its theme, with different times pinpointed as a snapshot into characters' literary lives. So Ralph from Stephen King's Insomnia is woken by birdsong at 5.15, Elizabeth Bennett takes an ill-advised early morning walk, and Jerome K Jerome's 3 Men have enormous trouble finding the 11.05 to Kingston. A big furry, stripy tiger unexpectedly comes to tea, and Henry James celebrates the agreeable time between mid-afternoon and dusk. By seven o'clock the evening is in full swing with a lavish party over at Jay Gatsby's, while Louisa May Alcott's Little Women are too distressed to go to bed. There is poetry too, with Rossetti's Silent Noon, Emma Saiko's evocative poem about waking from an afternoon nap, and a teacher in DH Lawrence's poem Last Lesson of the Afternoon who can't wait for the bell to ring. TS Eliot depicts dusk in his Preludes, and Dorothy Aldis' narrator quietly sets the supper table for her family.

The music also highlights different times of day, beginning with a dawn chorus from Janequin, and Strauss's Morning Papers. Bach's Coffee Cantata for mid-morning, and Arnold's Day Dreams for after lunch. The evening section features Strauss's Der Abend, Harbison's Remembering Gatsby and Purcell's One charming night from The Fairy Queen. The programme ends with Bridge's setting of Shakespeare's 43rd sonnet, which suggests that sometimes you can see most clearly when you are asleep. Extracts are read by Sally Phillips and Jonathan Keeble.

Producer - Ellie Mant.

1 hour, 15 minutes

Last on

Thu 22 Dec 2016 16:30
大象传媒 Radio 3

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Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • Harry Kemp

    Towards Dawn, reader Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:00

    Cl茅ment Janequin

    Reveillez vous, cueurs endormis (Le chant des oiseaux) for 4 voices

    Performer: Clement Janequin Ensemble.
    • HARMONIA MUNDI.
    • HMC-HM901099.

  • Stephen King

    Insomnia, reader Sally Phillips

  • 00:01

    The Beatles

    A Day In The Life

    • PARLOPHONE.
    • CDP 7-46442 2.

  • Peter Goldsworthy

    Razor, reader Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:03

    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra

    Breakfast Dance

    • Bluebird.
    • 7432110-1532.

  • Jane Austen

    Pride & Prejudice, reader Sally Phillips

  • 00:04

    Johann Strauss II

    Morgenblatter [Morning papers] - waltz Op.279

    Performer: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
    • DECCA.
    • 478 211 3.

  • Eleanor Farjeon

    School-Bell, reader Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:06

    Edward Elgar

    The Wand of youth - suite no. 2 Op.1b

    Performer: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
    • EMI.
    • CDM 763-239-2.

  • Lloyd Roberts

    Only an Office, reader Sally Phillips

  • 00:09

    Sergey Prokofiev

    Summer day - children's suite Op.65a for small orchestra, arr. from "Music for children" for piano Op.65

    Performer: The New London Orchestra.
    • HELIOS.
    • CDH-55177.

  • A. A. Milne

    Winnie the Pooh, reader Sally Phillips

  • 00:11

    Johann Sebastian Bach

    Cantata no. 211 BWV.211 (Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht) (Kaffee-Kantate)

    Performer: Emma Kirkby. Performer: Academy of Ancient Music.
    • L'OISEAU-LYRE.
    • 417-621-2.

  • Jerome K. Jerome

    Three Men in a Boat, reader Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:14

    Heitor Villa鈥怢obos

    Bachiana brasileira no. 2 for orchestra

    Performer: Sao Paulo Orchestra.
    • BIS.
    • CD-1250.

  • Dante Gabriel Rossetti

    Silent Noon, reader Sally Phillips

  • 00:16

    Ralph Vaughan Williams

    The House of life for voice and piano

    Performer: Bryn Terfel. Performer: Malcolm Martineau.
    • DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.
    • 474-219-2.

  • Knut Hamsun

    Hunger, reader Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:19

    Josef Suk

    Summer moods [Letni dojmy] - 3 pieces Op.22b for piano

    Performer: Niel Immelman.
    • MERIDIAN.
    • CDE-84317.

  • Harry Graham

    Luncheon, reader Sally Phillips

  • 00:21

    Pietro Mascagni

    L' Amico Fritz - opera in 3 acts

    Performer: German Opera Berlin Orchestra.
    • DG RECORDS.
    • DG 289-477 8358.

  • Emma Saiko

    Summer, reader Sally Phillips

  • 00:24

    Malcolm Arnold

    Day Dreams for piano

    Performer: Benjamin Frith.
    • KOCH.
    • 371622.

  • Judith Kerr

    The Tiger who came to Tea, reader Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:27

    The Benny Goodman Quartet

    TIGER RAG

    • BLUEBIRD.
    • ND-85631.

  • D. H. Lawrence

    Last Lesson of the Afternoon, reader Sally Phillips

  • 00:28

    Joseph Haydn

    Symphony no. 7 in C major H.1.7 (Le Midi)

    Performer: Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra.
    • NIMBUS.
    • NI 5240.

  • Henry James

    Portrait of a Lady, reader Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:30

    William Walton

    Siesta for small orchestra

    Performer: 大象传媒 Scottish S O.
    • HYPERION.
    • CDA 67794.

  • Peter Dale

    Half-Light, reader Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:32

    William Lloyd Webber

    In the half light - a soliloquy for cello and piano [1951]

    Performer: John Lill. Performer: Julian Lloyd Webber.
    • ASV.
    • CD DCA-584.

  • T. S. Eliot

    Preludes, reader Sally Phillips

  • 00:35

    Richard Strauss

    2 Songs Op.34 for chorus

    Performer: Bavarian Radio Chorus.
    • BR KLASSIK.
    • 900503.

  • O. Henry

    The Four Million, reader Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:38

    B茅la Bart贸k

    Hungarian sketches Sz.97 for orchestra [from own piano works]

    Performer: Chicago S O..
    • DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON.
    • 445-825-2.

  • Dorothy Aldis

    Setting the Table, reader Sally Phillips

  • 00:40

    Aaron Copland

    In evening air for piano [from the film-music for "The Cummington story"]

    Performer: Nina Tichman.
    • WERGO.
    • WER 6212-2.
  • 00:42

    John Harbison

    Remembering Gatsby for orchestra

    Performer: Baltimore S O.
    • ARGO.
    • 444-454-2.

  • F. Scott Fitzgerald

    The Great Gatsby, reader Jonathan Keeble

  • Amy Levy

    At a Dinner Party, reader Sally Phillips

  • 00:45

    Henry Purcell

    The Fairy Queen - opera Z.629

    Performer: Andreas Scholl. Performer: Stefano Montanari. Performer: Accademia Bizantina.
    • Decca.
    • 478 2262.

  • Mary Elizabeth Braddon

    Aurora Floyd, reader Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:47

    Sergey Rachmaninov

    10 Preludes Op.23 for piano

    Performer: Steven Osborne.
    • HYPERION.
    • CDA-67700.

  • Louisa May Alcott

    Little Women, reader Sally Phillips

  • 00:49

    Ottorino Respighi

    Berceuse for string orchestra

    Performer: Sinfonia 21.
    • CHANDOS.
    • CHAN-9415.

  • William Shakespeare

    Sonnet 43, reader Jonathan Keeble

  • 00:54

    Frank Bridge

    When most I wink for voice and piano [text: Shakespeare, Sonnet 53]

    Performer: Janice Watson. Performer: Roger Vignoles.
    • HYPERION.
    • CDA-67181/2.

Producer's Note

Today鈥檚 Words and Music takes the duration of a day as its theme, with different times pinpointed as a snapshot into characters鈥� literary lives. So Ralph from Stephen King鈥檚 Insomnia is woken by birdsong at 5.15, Elizabeth Bennett takes an ill-advised early morning walk, and Jerome K Jerome鈥檚 3 Men have enormous trouble finding the 11.05 to Kingston. A big furry, stripy tiger unexpectedly comes to tea, and Henry James celebrates the agreeable time between mid-afternoon and dusk. By seven o鈥檆lock the evening is in full swing with a lavish party over at Jay Gatsby鈥檚, while Louisa May Alcott鈥檚 Little Women are too distressed to go to bed.听 There is poetry too, with Rossetti鈥檚 Silent Noon, Emma Saiko鈥檚 evocative poem about waking from an afternoon nap, and a teacher in DH Lawrence鈥檚 poem Last Lesson of the Afternoon who can鈥檛 wait for the bell to ring. TS Eliot depicts dusk in his Preludes, and Dorothy Aldis鈥� narrator quietly sets the supper table for her family. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

听

The music also highlights different times of day, beginning with a dawn chorus from Janequin, and Strauss鈥檚 Morning Papers. Bach鈥檚 Coffee Cantata for mid-morning, and Arnold鈥檚 Day Dreams for after lunch. The evening section features Strauss鈥檚 Der Abend, Harbison鈥檚 Remembering Gatsby and Purcell鈥檚 One charming night from The Fairy Queen. The programme ends with Bridge鈥檚 setting of Shakespeare鈥檚 43rd sonnet, which suggests that sometimes you can see most clearly when you are asleep.听

听

Producer: Ellie Mant

Broadcasts

  • Sun 12 Jan 2014 17:30
    大象传媒 Radio 3
  • Thu 22 Dec 2016 16:30
    大象传媒 Radio 3

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