4 x 2 (1968, rev. 1973/1980)
Soprano/baritone/piano. Anonymous nonsense poems. "What is Earth?" is a Q & A between the singers. "A Poe-em of Passion" is a parody of Edgar Allen Poe's "Annabelle Lee." "Heavenly Bodies" turns "Twinkle, twinkle little star" into a vocabulary lesson, and in "Like What?" the metaphors come fast and furious, bringing the cycle to a humorous conclusion. An interesting addition to a solo recital. The third song demands easy coloratura from the soprano.
Our price: $15.00
A Star in a Haymow (1963, rev. 2003)
Baritone/piano. Five poems of Kenneth Patchen. The tender yet passionate poetry is matched in these songs by the music's range of emotion and the poignant writing for high baritone voice.
Ash un Flamen (Ashes and Flames) (1993)
Medium solo voice/piano or high solo voice/piano. A setting of five Yiddish poems of the Holocaust. Haunting, powerful and evocative, these songs are a dramatic addition to the Yiddish art song concert repertoire.
Ash un Flamen (Ashes and Flames) (1993)
Medium solo voice/piano or high solo voice/piano. A setting of five Yiddish poems of the Holocaust. Haunting, powerful and evocative, these songs are a dramatic addition to the Yiddish art song concert repertoire.
At Grandfather's Knee (1995)
High voice/keyboard. Settings of five Ladino songs are a rich addition to the Jewish Sephardic musical heritage. Three of the songs (numbers 2, 3 and 4) may be combined with the Sephardic Yom Gila (JCP 104) for an interesting Ladino program.
At Grandmother's Knee (1977, rev. 1980)
Medium solo voice/keyboard. Settings of five Yiddish folk songs capturing the sorrow, joy and richness of now-vanished Eastern European Jewry.
Bitter for Sweet (1982)
Low voice/piano. Six poems of Christina Rossetti. Although the characteristic mood of Rossetti's lyrical poems is quiet and meditative, three of the songs in this cycle showcase the poet's dramatic range: the opening "Sound Sleep", which builds to a powerful climax; "Wrestling", which portrays the poet's struggle with faith; and her versifying of Psalm 138, "By the Waters of Babylon." A low voice with dramatic possibilities is a necessity.
Our price: $15.00
Blue Mountain Ballads (1963, rev. 1973)
Mezzo-soprano/piano. Five poems of Tennessee Williams. Just as the poetry is written in simple, quasi-Southern dialect language, the music matches with a style encompassing blues, country ballads and Broadway. The moods of this atmospheric cycle range from mystic to dirty-sexy and audience response is invariably enthusiastic. Currently unavailable.
Bubbles: Scoping the Soaps (week of February 11-15, 2002) (2002)
A setting of the actual, published weekly summaries of five soap operas. Set for soprano, baritone and piano. May be programmed as a humorous conclusion to a voice recital. Currently unavailable.
Intimations of Mortality (2000)
Soprano/piano. Texts of various poets. Following the composer's heart surgery in 2000, he composed this cycle of four songs dealing with mortality. The title alludes to the famous poem of William Wordsworth, "Intimations of Immortality." The four songs present four different philosophical attitudes towards death and the acceptance of human mortality.