Elizabeth Vercoe

Mezzo Soprano, or Soprano, and Piano

Herstory III is a staged monodrama on the life of Joan of Arc. The music was commissioned by Austin Peay State University in Tennessee for premiere by mezzo-soprano Sharon Mabry in 1986. It has also been performed at the Women's Music Festival in Alaska, sung by soprano Karol Bennett during a Russian-American composer exchange, performed in Vienna and Poland by soprano Kristin Nordeval, broadcast on various radio stations, published by Arsis Press, and recorded on an Owl compact disc.

The piece is not intended as a concert piece but rather as a dramatic performance with lighting and costume. Opening in darkness with the whispered words of Francois Villon, the piece continues with twelve sections ranging from spoken dialogue to an extended dramatic scene based on historical and poetic materials compiled by the composer. There are set pieces, combinations of speech and music, some special effects (gong, finger cymbals, woodblock and use of mallets or fingers directly on the piano strings) and a return to the spare simplicity of the beginning in the concluding prayer.