These are the instrumental parts for John Tavener's To A Child Dancing In The Wind for Soprano Flute/Alto Flute Viola and Harp. The entire work lasts around 30 minutes and sets a number of poems byW.B. Yeats considered by Tavener as one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. To A Child Dancing In The Wind was commissioned by the Little Missenden Festival and firstperformed on 16th October 1983 at Little Missenden Parish Church. John Tavener is well-known for his extensive catalogue of religious music but occasionally he was drawn to less overtlysacred sources. The frailty tenderness and spiritual transparency of Yeats poetry inspired this song-cycle from 1983 for Soprano Flute Harp and Viola. Tavener held Yeats in high regard and was to return to hispoems in later works such as Mini Song-Cycle for Gina (1984) A Nativity (1985) and Supernatural Songs (2003). To A Child Dancing In The Wind is dedicated to Tavener s first wife VictoriaMaragopoulou.
