In the Garret ~ soprano & piano ~ poem by Louisa May Alcott

Prologue

Nan

Lu

Bess

May

Epilogue

Take Peace ~ SATB choir

text by Fra Giovanni Giocondo

No la debemos dormir ~ SATB choir & organ

poem by Fray Ambrosio Montesino

Louisa May Alcott grew up in Concord, Massachusetts in the mid-19th century with her three sisters: Anna, Elizabeth, and May. The four March sisters in Alcott’s classic novel Little Women are based on these real-life siblings. In the Garret is a single poem with six distinct sections. Each of the four middle sections of the poem describes one of the Alcott sisters, with the first and final sections setting the scene. Picture a dusty but sun-lit attic where four small wooden chests lie in a row, each filled with memories and keepsakes from four lives lived to the fullest. Each sister has such a unique personality and life experience, that any reader is sure to find a common spirit.

These three poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow each approach life from a different angle. The Sound of the Sea is a melancholy musing on the unpredictability of life. Longfellow’s beautiful sea imagery reflects the changing tides of the human soul. The music has a contemplative, searching quality that only finds resolution within the final measures. In The Arrow and the Song, the poet confesses that he has found fulfillment in spite of the myriad uncertainties of life’s journeys. I have chosen a hymn-like setting for this movement in order to preserve the simple structure of this poignant text. A Day of Sunshine celebrates the freedom that one can enjoy if one chooses to live life to the fullest. In this concluding movement, the carefree flow of the piano supports the joyous choral lines, which weave together energetic melodies and driving rhythms.

What struck me upon reading these words of Fra Giovanni Giocondo was the universal relevance they still have almost five hundred years later. The text is simple and straightforward, yet it touches the soul deeply and inspires us to look at life from a different angle.

Here is an intimate piece for Christmas Eve, when all is quiet save for Mary’s labored breaths as she prepares for the birth of the King of Peace. Here is a lullaby to sooth her worries, and to calm all Christians as they await, as Mary did, the birth of Jesus Christ.

The Sound of the Sea

The Arrow and the Song

A Day of Sunshine

Three Songs of Life ~ TTBB choir & piano ~ poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow