Enoch Arden Author:Alfred Tennyson Written by Tennyson in 1864, "Enoch Arden" is a Victorian tear-jerker 'rustic-idyll', recounting the events over the tragic lifetime of the fisherman, Enoch Arden. His love for his wife and desire that his children's lives should be better than his had been, leads unwittingly to Enoch's misfortune and, because of his love, to his ultimate self d... more »enial and death. The accompanying music, composed by Richard Strauss around 1898, echoes the changing moods of the poem to dramatic effect with an alternating format between narrator and pianist (Martin Cousin). Passages where words and music are performed simultaneously provide a stunning intensity of mood.« less