The Last Rose of Summer

The Irish folk song "The Last Rose of Summer" is a beautiful tune for the violin.

The 18th century Irish National poet Thomas Moore set lyrics to "The Last Rose of Summer".

Thomas Moore was born May 28 1779 in Dublin, Ireland.

It is said to have been written around 1805 when Moore saw the rose and was impressed by its beauty.

The Last Rose of Summer
performed by Hilary Hahn

Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, violin virtuoso, 1814-1886 wrote - Six Polyphonic Etudes for Solo Violin. Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst was a violin prodigy who began his violin studies with Joseph Bohm at the Vienna Conservatory and had his debut at the age of nine. He also studied the violin with Paganini. Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst's violin music has technical difficulties as/or more challenging as Paganini's compositions for violin. Ernst's musical compositions included string quartets and one violin Concerto in F sharp for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 23 recorded by Aaron Rosand with the Luxembourg Radio/Television Symphony Orchestra, Louis de Froment conducting - Amazon CD For sale

Even the beginning violin student can learn to play this melody. Teach them the melody and then let them learn to improvise. The tune itself is a simple folk tune, used in that way by my Greatgrandfather who played fiddle as well as violin. H. W. Ernst put it into a solo that few can reach for. Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst wrote - Six Polyphonic Etudes for Solo Violin = The last Rose of Summer. The Last Rose of Summer was the last of his Six Polyphonic Studies for solo violin. It is a set of incredibly difficult variations for the violin. So difficult is the piece by Ernst (especially the last two variations) that only a handful of violinists have recorded it in history. They are listed below.

This folk air is a lovely air to teach students. It is also a great tune to teach about "decorating" the notes of a tune. You can copy the one off this page. It is from one of my Greatgrandfather's violin books dated 1866. If the student learns the tune and researches a bit about where it comes from and why it was written and then listens to Ernst's violin solo, interpreted by various violinists; the process of music on the violin, has then come full circle for a beginning violinist. These are just some of my own personal ideas for broadening the outlook of teaching violin with students. Ideas not written in text books.

This was scanned from my Greatgrandfather John Pryer Barr's
violin Books - Lee & Walker, Philadelphia, 1866

I marked the theme in each of these examples of the music played by modern violinists.
This is a very difficult solo to play. See if you can hear the theme throughout these examples.

'TIS THE LAST ROSE OF SUMMER

'Tis the last rose of Summer,
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone;

No flower of her kindred,
No rosebud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh!

I'll not leave thee, thou lone one,
To pine on the stem;
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go sleep thou with them.

Thus kindly I scatter
Thy leaves o'er the bed
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead.
So soon may I follow,
When friendships decay,
And from Love's shining circle
The gems drop away!

When true hearts lie withered,
And fond ones are flown,
Oh! who would inhabit
This bleak world alone?

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