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sai-national.org • Summer 2023 21 A Wld of Music express myself in music." According to the musicologist Jeffry Dane, "Frederick Delius might not have been Frederick Delius without Florida." Plantation sounds and life inspired his orchestral Florida Suite (1887), which was dedicated to the people of Florida. On the title page of Appalachia Variations on an Old Slave Song with Final Chorus (1904), Delius noted: "Appalachia is the old Indian name for North America. e composition mirrors the moods of tropical nature in the great swamps, bordering the Mississippi River." A musical arrangement of this work is the soundtrack of the 1946 film, e Yearling. Delius's opera Koanga (1896- 1897), based on African-American folk music, is considered by some to be the first Black opera, rather than George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess (1935). Only two original copies of his first piece, Zum Carnival, a polka published in 1885, have survived. One copy resides in the Jacksonville Public Library. Other original Delius manuscripts and mementoes, which had been entrusted to local families and friends, were destroyed in 1901 during Jacksonville's great fire. On May Day, 1939, a determined Mrs. Martha Bullard Richmond, an authority on Delius's life in America, found Solano Grove. She wrote, "When we reached the river, the magnificent view with the huge, ancient oak tree gave a kind of grace and character to this tiny cottage even in dilapidation." She had a tin roof constructed to give some protection to her find. In 1961, the decayed dwelling was dismantled, reconstructed, and restored on Jacksonville University's campus. Inside were Delius' piano and period furnishings. For a period of time, the building was used as a practice hall for music students. Unfortunately, there has been minimal upkeep of Delius House in recent years. In 1992, the Delius Society dedicated a monument on the Solano Grove site. Friday Musicale spearheaded efforts to promote music of this illustrious son of the state, dedicating their first program to him in 1906. Beginning in 1943, the group held the annual Delius Memorial Concert for almost two decades. In 1961, Friday Musicale and Jacksonville University jointly sponsored the first Delius Festival on campus. Its success was the impetus for the formation of the Delius Association of Florida, Inc. e last Delius Festival was in 2004. At the 1984 Delius Festival, Fenby emphasized that Delius had never forgotten the state's impact: "Florida! Ah! Florida! I loved Florida! — the people, the country, the silence." Although Delius penned many letters, he did not write an autobiography. Excellent biographies exist providing insight into his non-Floridian life, including relationships with composers Edvard Grieg and Percy Grainger. A number of these books describe his work with Eric Fenby, whose 1936 memoir, Delius as I Knew Him, provides the basis for the film Song of Summer (1967). is Ken Russell production, along with Discovering Delius, a documentary, is available on YouTube. Of course, the best way to learn about composers is through their music. In a eulogy to his friend whom he championed, Sir omas Beecham declared: "e most precious part of this man is the immortal part. His spirit is revealed in his work. In whatever sphere that spirit is now, I would like our greetings to pass to let him know we are here not in a spirit of vain regret but rather one of rejoicing that his work is with us and will remain with us for evermore." At left, the cover page of the copy in Jacksonville Public LIbrary. It is only one of two remaining. The other is in the Library of Congress. At left, the cover page of the copy in Jacksonville Public LIbrary. It is only one of two remaining. The other is in the Library of Congress. At right, a pen sketch by Frederick Delius, dated 1885. This sketch was made while Delius lived at Solano Grove. At right, a pen sketch by Frederick Delius, dated 1885. This sketch was made while Delius lived at Solano Grove. Courtesy of the Jacksonville (Fla.) Public Library Courtesy of the Jacksonville (Fla.) Public Library

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