John Eaton

Composer's note: Three Early Songs (1949 to 1954) were all written in my teens. Song was given to two close friends as a wedding present. The mention of Tristram inevitably led a young composer to toy with the harmonies of Tristan and Isolde for a spell. "Irish Poet's Learn Your Trade" is a part of Under Ben Bulben by Yeats, which also contains his epitaph. Its metric was `used by Auden for part of his memorial tribute to him. Like the first song, this one quotes -- only this time it's Schoenberg, the Fourth Quartet. Death by William Carlos Williams was poured out by me in grief and is the earliest song of the three. Notice how it begins with Siegfried's death chord.

This is an archival item from ACA's catalog, and not currently available for purchase.