NOTES 

Four Emily Dickinson Poems (2014) feature the poetry of one of America’s favorite poets. Emily Dickinson (1820-1886) was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. Not only is her poetry a staple of American literature, but her poems have been set by a large number of composers and are now staples of vocal recital literature. The texts often deal with immortality and death, but many can also be interpreted in a very whimsical/sarcastic manner.  I selected four poems to set that had already been set by four well-known composers of art song including Aaron Copland, John Duke, Ricky Ian Gordon, and Lee Hoiby. Without listening or looking at the settings, I composed my own and then compared them to the other settings.  Four Emily Dickinson Songs can serve as an independent set or can be performed as a compare and contrast set with the other setting by different composers.

Will the Wind Whisper? (2000) for soprano and piano is based on an original poem.  The wind represents your conscience or inner voice.  The piece reflects different characters and personalities using mystical whole-tone sonorities, major sonorities with extended harmonies, and tri-tone and secundal relationships.  The opening exhibits much tone painting through pianistic flourishes.  The middle section is energetic through the use of changing meters that correspond to the movement of the text.  The work has an accessible tessitura and, even though the tempo is quick in the middle section, the abundant amount of text can be enunciated adequately within the shape of the phrases.

Inspired by a visit to the World Trade Center in New York City, Only Then Can We Smile (2008) is intended as a memorial to those lost in the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 and to all those lost in similar tragic events.  The piece evokes a wide range of emotions from sorrowful and dark; commemorating; anger and rage; to a feeling of hope and reflection at the conclusion. The text is also an original poem by the composer.

Erotic Spirits by Stephen Paulus (1949 – 2014) is a rich and expressive set of eight songs using texts about love, longing and lust taken from The Song of Songs, Sappho, Tzu Yeh dating from as early as the 4thcentury. The song cycle was originally written for Soprano and Orchestra and was commissioned by the Augusta Symphony Orchestra for its premiere with Deborah Voigt in 2004. The soprano and piano version heard in this recording is Paulus’ original reduction from the orchestral score.