Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Lady of the Lake

Sir Walter Scott's narrative poem "The Lady of the Lake" was published in 1810 and was highly influential for several decades but now is almost forgotten.  Rossini's opera La Donna del Lago is occasionally performed.  "Hail to the Chief" taken from this poem was composed shortly after Scott's publication but the words have been changed and few realize where the tune originated.  A silent film is still available in which the song is heard as originally intended.
Besides owning the first edition of this work, the engraving plate for the frontispiece, the silent film and the first printing of the Presidential march, I have read this very enjoyable piece of literature more than once and look forward to the next reading.  The Book Wraith appreciates the neglect of this masterpiece so that I may claim these for my own.
Print copies may still endure for a long time but the brief digital life of great art will not.  Here is a link to one of those pieces of great art taken from this poem by Schubert: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT_prP_MNaQ
Enjoy it before I file this in my dusty digital archives.