COVE

Liza Lehmann composed the music for In a Persian Garden. Lehmann was a popular Soprano in England, performing from 1885 to 1894. Lehmann retired from the stage after marrying her husband and turned her talents to vocal compositions. Lehmann published 334 songs and cycles, which is the most by any female composer in Great Britain and the United States during that period (Christopher).  In a Persian Garden, composed in 1896, is one of her best-known works. Her writing of four voice cycles was common for her time, but In a Persian Garden was also unusual because of its structure of “twenty-two sections sung by four voices in a mix of solos and ensembles and linked through rhythmic and thematic transformations” (Howe). Because of this, the piece was initially rejected by publishers. In a version of this edition owned by Syracuse University, there is a handwritten letter from Lehmann urging “I beg that the music is thoroughly rehearsed before-hand” (Syracuse University Libraries). This letter demonstrates the experimental structure of the Rubáiyát and also gives insight into the performance of the piece. Rachel Howe, the biographer of Lehmann, writes that this piece is now considered one of the first significant English song cycles. Hermann Klein, a Sunday Times critic, described it as “quite a revelation… of unsuspected power and variety of expression, of depth of melodic charm and technical resource” (Howe). Lehmann wrote In a Persian Garden when the Rubáiyát was beginning to reach its height of popularity.

In a Persian Garden was initially copywrited and published by Metzler & Co in 1896. Metzler & Co published music from 1816 until it was bought by a larger company, J.B. Cramer & Co Metzler & Co was more well known for their piano making. This particular edition of In a Persian Garden was published by G. Shirmer, Inc., in New York. G. Shirmer is the oldest active music publisher in the United States. G. Shirmer publishes sheet music and contains a large catalogue of both classic and popular pieces. The price of this score is listed as $3.50 in the United States, a price that is printed onto the cover instead of being included as an additional price tag.

Edward B. Edwards (1873-1948) is listed as the designer. Edwards was known for his skill in graphic arts and is best known for his calligraphic magazine covers designed in the style of Celtic, Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance, and Egyptian styles. Edwards was known for his worth with Outlook and Harper’s magazine. Edwards work on this edition was copyrighted by G. Shirmer in 1898.

This edition of In a Persian Garden also contains a program from a performance of the piece. The performance was given on December 15^th, 1905, in Madison, Wisconsin. The performance was put on before the Woman’s Club meeting. The program seems to be made specifically for this event, including all the aforementioned details, as well as the names of the performers of the song cycle.

 Rachel Howe. “Liza Lehmann | Composers.” Oxford Song, 2022, https://oxfordsong.org/composer/liza-lehmann.

Reynolds, Christopher. "Documenting the Zenith of Women Song Composers: A Database of Songs Published in the United States and the British Commonwealth, ca. 1890–1930." Notes 69, no. 4 (2013): 671-687.

“The ‘Straight-Backed, High-Nosed, Stiff-Necked, Great British Young Lady’: Music and Art of Liza Lehmann.” Syracuse University Libraries, https://library.syracuse.edu/blog/the-straight-backed-high-nosed-stiff-necked-great-british-young-lady-music-and-art-of-liza-lehmann/. Accessed 21 May 2025.