Percy Bysshe Shelley

Music, when soft voices die,
Vibrates in the memory -
Odours, when sweet violets sicken,
Live within the sense they quicken.

English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was born in West Sussex on 4 August 1792.

His work was an inspiration to various composers, including Samuel Barber (Music for a Scene from Shelley) and Edgar Bainton.

His wife Mary Shelley was the author of Frankenstein. and the couple collaborated on the drama Proserpine.

He drowned in a storm at sea in the Gulf of La Spezia off what is now Italy, on 8 July 1822, aged only twenty-nine.

 

A selection of articles about Percy Bysshe Shelley

Ensemble. 'Proserpine' in Spoleto - An opera by Italian composer Silvia Colasanti, experienced by Giuseppe Pennisi

CD Spotlight. Rich and Varied - Songs by Robin Holloway, recommended by Gerald Fenech. 'Performances are full of expressive variety and sensitivity, complementing the composer's thoughts with undiluted commitment.'