songs about childhood
SATB a cappella | 4' | Graphite | Text: Robert Louis Stevenson
Where Go the Boats sets a Robert Louis Stevenson text about a child’s boats sailing down a river. The child asks when they will return, then realizes they never will. "Boats of mine a-boating—Where will all come home? [...] Other little children Shall bring my boats ashore."
SATB a cappella with treble soloist | G. Schirmer | 5.5' | Text by Diane Thiel
Diane Thiel's text for Lodestar, from her poem Nursery Shellgame, describes life in the language of fairy tales and children's stories: "a trail of crumbs," "a handful of blue marbles," "how you wonder what you are..."
SSA or SATB chorus with string quartet and flute
text: Diane Thiel | 18'
The two poems of Charting the World, both written by contemporary poet Diane Thiel, share a common theme: the wonder of watching a child acquire a new language. In “The First Sea,” language opens new worlds to children, unfolding fears and dreams alike. In “Counting Two,” it’s an adult perspective that shifts as a child learns to count to two.
