The Last Rose of Summer

The Last Rose of Summer is a popular Irish folksong. The original text was written by Thomas Moore (1779-1852) and the melody is a traditional air titled The Groves of Blarney. The German composer Friedrich von Flotow (1812-1883) cleverly used this song in his opera Martha, a light-hearted, successful work that is still regularly performed. The melancholy character of The Last Rose of Summer still appeals to many people in the present day and this arrangement by Wil van der Beek certainly does justice to the beauty of the melody. A wonderful item to change the mood of any performance.