Summersongs for soprano, mezzo & piano
This set of three duets, Summersongs, was written and composed in New York City, in June of 1981. I was living on the top floor of a fifth-floor walkup on East 85th Street, between Second and Third Avenues in Manhattan. My room looked out onto the street, and one golden late afternoon, I watched children play on the sidewalk and stoops across from my building. Their innocence and joy was inspirational, and the poetry and musical gestures of the first duet, “Street Dance,” occurred to me then.
In creating two companion pieces for this set, I went back to a love poem I had written earlier in the year (“Morning”) and then developed my ideas for the third duet, “The Useless Comedy,” based on a recently-ended relationship. The duets were premiered 28 January 1982 at the Mannes College of Music in a recital of my work, with Judy Drudge (soprano); Leneida Crawford (mezzo); and Deborah Jamini (piano). They were also included in a concert I produced of my work 7 November 1987 at Carnegie Recital Hall (Weill).
Summersongs was not heard again until 14 years later, when Tania Elisa Garcia asked me for possible pieces to program on her recital with Suzanne (Kyung) Ma at California State University, Fullerton, in October of 2001. Grateful for this performance of a composition I hold close to my heart, I decided to re-edit my manuscript in Finale, making a few minor changes and corrections in the process. This second edition was finished in May of 2002 in Louisville, Kentucky, and is dedicated to Tania Elisa Garcia.
The recording here is from the Mannes premiere.
- Instrumentation:
- soprano, mezzo, piano
- Date completed:
- 1981; 2002
- Duration:
- ca. 8:00
- Author:
- Texts by the composer
- Audio:
III. The Useless Comedy
Order Music
You may order this composition securely with PayPal. Please use the pull-down menu to select the format you prefer (PDF or printed copy) and click the "Add to Cart" button. You may also click "View Cart" which brings you to your "Cart" page. Prior to ordering, please review the Contact & Order page.