Art Songs

Only rarely have I been moved to, or been asked to compose vocal solos. Choral music for concert or church use I have composed. But only rarely have I read poems which I felt would be enhanced by music. One such was an excerpt from the Invocation which begins Stephen Vincent Benét's "John Brown's Body". Even when I first read it as a 17-year-old I knew there was music for it. I kept it it my mind for a quarter of a century until I finally had the musical language I needed for the exquisite picture. The songs with texts by Penny Harter were written by her for the purpose of being set to music by me. "The People Who Walked in Darkness" having been so famously set by Handel, I took as a challenge. The final two poems are by me. Each paints a picture which did included the use of music. Postcard is inspired by Verdi's use of Spanish gestures in Don Carlos. - Paul Mack Somers