Two Serious Melodies

The Two Serious Melodies, Op. 77, are concertante compositions for violin and orchestra written from 1914 to 1915 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. They are:


 * Cantique, Op. 77/1 (1914); subtitled "Laetare anima mea" ("Rejoice my soul")
 * Devotion, Op. 77/2 (1915); subtitled "Ab imo pectore" ("From my very heart")

Sibelius originally called No. 1 Lofsången (Song of Praise). In 1915, he made transcriptions of each piece for violin and piano. In 1916, he arranged both pieces for cello and orchestra and transcribed them, too, for cello and piano.

Cantique is marked Moderato assai. ''Devotion is marked Tempo molto moderato.

Each piece is dedicated to the Finnish cellist Ossian Fohström.

Instrumentation
Cantique is scored for the following instruments:
 * Soloist: violin (or cello)
 * Woodwinds: 2 flutes and 2 clarinets (in B♭)
 * Brass: 2 horns (in F)
 * Percussion: timpani (2 players)
 * Strings: violins, violas, cellos, double basses, and harp

Devotion is scored for the following instruments:
 * Soloist: violin (or cello)
 * Woodwinds: 2 flutes, 2 clarinets (in A), and 2 bassoons
 * Brass: 4 horns (in F) and 3 trombones
 * Strings: violins, violas, cellos, and double basses

Recordings
The sortable table below lists commercially available recordings of the Two Serious Melodies:

Notes, references, and sources

 * Notes


 * References


 * Sources