Lesson 18: Lilacs

Walt Whitman, 1887

When Lilac's Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd is by the American poet Walt Whitman.  It was written just after the assassination of President Lincoln in 1865, and is a reaction to his death and to the end of the Civil War.  The first stanza of the poem is:


1.
When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd,
And the great star early droop's in the western sky in the night,
I mourn'd, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.

Ever-returning spring, trinity sure to me you bring,
Lilac blooming perennial and drooping star in the west,
And thought of him I love.


I started the lesson differently for this one, showing this part of the poem on the board, reviewing a few words (lilacs, mourn, trinity, perennial) and leading the class in a choral reading.  We talked about what the poet was trying to draw with its words. I focused on the image of the author talking to Spring- telling the three things that it brings: 1. lilac flowers that bloom again every year, 2. a western star, 3. the thought of someone the author loves.

Then I played two different settings of the poem.

The first is Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra, written in 1996 by the American composer George T Walker Jr.  Walker was born in Washington DC in 1922 and won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for this composition.  The recording I shared is sung by the classical vocalist Faye Robinson.  I could not find a recording of the song on YouTube, but I did find this interview with the composer from 2012.

The second was composed in 1946 by the German composer Paul Hindemith (1895-1963).  It is for 2 solo voices (mezzo-soprano and baritone), full SATB choir, and full orchestra.  I played a recording sung by the famous classical vocalists Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Brigitte Fassbaender.

Paul Hindemith

We talked about how the same poem can inspire many different people, and how 2 different composers, at different times in history, can be moved to make a poem into music.  The children needed a little help at first to realize that the singers were singing in English (a mini-lesson in classical vocal technique ensued) but could then hear that the text was the same.  In some ways the songs were similar: voice, orchestra. In other ways they were different: one singer vs many, low voices vs high.

There is so much more in this poetry and music than can be covered in a short 25-minute first grade lesson.  Still, I see these lessons as glimpses through open doorways of what is possible with art.  I hope that it inspires my students to open the doors and enter these experiences more fully in the future.

When Lilac's Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd
       -George T Walker, Jr.
       -Paul Hindemith

Find the lesson plan here.
Find the slide show here.
Find the drawing pages here.

Enjoy!