songs about music
SATB & Piano | 6' | G. Schirmer Dale Warland Choral Series
I am Music sets an anonymous text, a riddle full of mystery and rich imagery, where music speaks in the first person. In this refrain, music describes the many moods and emotions it can evoke: "Through me spirits immortal speak the message that makes the world weep, and laugh, and wonder, and worship."
SA, TB, or SATB chorus with piano or harp & piano
text: Julie Kane | 7'
"Who will teach me to play / those strings that ring like bells / but cut like knives?"
The Sallow Harp recounts a lost history: the old Irish harp tradition of playing brass- or silver-stringed instruments. Kane's poem explores the relevance of old traditions to today, even as she mourns music lost to time.
SATB a cappella | Graphite | 3.5' | Text: Brandon Elliott
Brandon Elliott's text for Perhaps beautifully captures what musicians try to express in our compositions and performances. "Perhaps we may live an answer or illuminate a story," Elliott writes. "Perhaps we may not..."
SATB a cappella | 10' | Graphite | Text by Kristina Marie Darling
In this piece, a string of fictional footnotes suggest a tale of strange hymns, canaries interspersed within an orchestra, and a mysterious fire. While soloists from within the chorus alternate singing and speaking, the chorus uses only neutral syllables and wordless melodies.
