Tune of the Day: The Last Link is Broken
This sentimental song, first published around 1831, is usually attributed to a composer and arranger named William Clifton, about whom very little is known. At least one publication, however, claims that the subject was “selected from Mozart”. The lyrics, on the other hand, come from a poem by Fanny Steers (1797–1861), an English painter best known for her small-scale landscapes.
The last link is broken that bound me to thee,
And the words thou hast spoken have rende'rd me free;
That bright glance, misleading, on others may shine;
Those eyes smiled unheeding when tears burst from mine.
I have not loved lightly, I'll think on thee yet,
I'll pray for thee nightly till life's sun has set.
The present arrangement for two flutes appeared in Blake's Young Flutist's Magazine, published in Philadelphia in 1833. Therein, it is erroneously attributed to Lord Byron.