series a dissonant chords. The ending recapitulates on the opening section and draws the death song to a close. The bleakness inherent in the piece is compounded by a 5/4 time signature at an Andante mesto pace throughout, which never allows the listener to feel any regular rhythm or comfort. The key is a very melancholic F minor, though the cadences and chord progressions employed by Ireland are never finished and are constantly left hanging, even on the final chord. This piece carries a dedication to Alfred Chenhalls. The Palm and May The Palm and May is prefixed with the fifth line from Spring, the Sweet Spring, a poem from Thomas Nashe's poem cycle Summer's Last Will and Testament: The Palm and May make country houses gay. This piece, in contrast to the preceding one, is full of mirth and gaiety. The fast tempo markings (Con moto; = 6366) and 6/8 time signature conjure up an image of a country dance or jig. The left hand paints most of the colour in the opening section with constant falling and rising arpeggios, while the right hand introduces the first theme. The E major start soon transposes into a section in A-flat major, where both hands bounce around with a dotted melody which is the second theme. This section turns slightly slower and less jolly with scales up and down in the right hand which rise and get quicker before a brillante slide down the keys leads neatly into a recapitulation of the first theme. The gaiety continues on into a final flourish at the end. The piece carries a dedication to Harriet Cohen. References External links Solo piano pieces by John Ireland 1937 compositions Music with dedications