1901
The Children’s Hour
Composed by 
Charles Ives
Charles Ives Text by 
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow In this song, Ives only sets the first three stanzas of Longfellow's 10-stanza poem "The Children's Hour."
The audio recording of "The Children's Hour" features Thomas Hampson, baritone, and Craig Rutenberg, piano.
Text
Between the Dark and the Daylight (excerpt)
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the days occupations,
That is known as Children’s Hour.
I hear in the chamber above me
the patter of little feet
The sound of a door that is opened
and voices soft and sweet.
From my study I see in the lamplight
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice and laughing Allegra
and Edith with golden hair.
Related Information
"The Children's Hour" (full text)
hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=44Audio
“The Children’s Hour” (from “114 Songs”)
Thomas Hampson (baritone) & Craig Rutenberg (piano)2:10
Sheet Music