Fundamentals of Choir Leading
Lesson 2.5 Analysis of the text of As Torrents in Summer by Edward Elgar
As torrents in summer,
 The first verse depicts parched rivers in a
Half dried in their channels,
Suddenly rise
 has apparently been no rain. The rain has
Tho' the sky is still cloudless.
For rain has been falling.

Far off at their fountains.
So hearts that are fainting Grow
full to o'erflowing,
And they that behold it
Marvel, and know not

That God at their fountains Far
off has been raining!
Repertoire & Score Preparation


The text was written by Longfellow, an
American poet writing in the 19th century.
It is part of a larger poem called The Saga
of King Olaf about a mythical Norse king
and his adventures.
Elgar used the text for his cantata Scenes
from the Saga of King Olaf. This piece
comes towards the end of the work after
the death of King Olaf. The sentiment in
the poem is rather obscure, but seems to
be about faith giving strength.
hot summer when, suddenly, water
rushes in and the levels rise, though there
been far off at the source of the river.
The first verse is used as a metaphor in
the second verse. ‘Hearts that are
fainting’ could be people in battle or
hardship whose courage is failing them.
They suddenly feel full of strength and
courage and able to strive on, unaware
that the strength has come from God ‘at
their fountains’, perhaps their deep,
unconscious faith.
So the emotional journey of the story is about facing adversity and accessing some sort
of inner strength (whether, for the listener, the source of that strength is spiritual or inate,
conscious or unconscious).

In terms of pronunciation, the text is in English and, although originally written by an

American there’s no reason to suppose than any particular accent or dialect is important
in this section.