Two Songs That Aren't What They Seem
Two Songs That Aren't What They Seem
Voice and Piano
Composer's Note:
Over the last few years, I’ve become very interested in the “volta” or “turn” — the point in a poem where a significant shift in perspective or theme occurs. Hazel Hall’s quietly devastating “Before Quiet” shifts not on a phrase, or even a single word, but on the “n” in the word “wooden.” With this single letter the poem makes a hairpin turn from a languid, nature-inspired ode to a reassuring message from beyond the grave.
Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Spring” reads as two poems in one, alternating between two distinct voices. The first ironically questions the return of spring, while the second makes self-assured proclamations. They eventually come together in absurd, existential decay.
Movements: Before Quiet Spring
Authored (or revised): 2024
Published: 2025
Text source: Hazel Hall and Edna St. Vincent Millay
Duration (minutes): 5
First performance: Daveda Karanas and Vincent Trovato, Muhlenberg College, October 2025
Book format: Score
SKU
ACA-ARDA-039Subtotal
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