John.19

Originally called hokku, the familiar three-line verse began as the opening of a group improvisation called renga which evolved in Japan in the middle ages. Often creating spontaneously, one poet would

"American Death Ballads was composed especially for tenor Brian Thorsett and premiered by him at the San Francisco Conservatory, November 1, 2015, with pianist John Churchwell, and at the National

Kohn embarked on discovering and arranging lesser-known folk songs from the American tradition in this set of 15 folk songs. Each is a mini-drama with a story to tell; someone is traveling, working or

Although the texts are adapted from poems by the Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916), the poet's intent, imagery, cadence, and the soulful message remain intact. The composer's wish is that these

Jessie Anderson Chase's short story The Old Things, one of 81 prizewinners in the collection Short Stories from Life, is the basis for this libretto of the same name. The author poetically

For medium voice & piano. First printing. Poems by Robert Bode. Titles include: Cuisine d'amour; The Poet's Choice; A Poet to His Muse; Love Song and Inspiration. Score, 31 p.

The texts for these songs are adapted from Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914), one of America’s most fearless and biting satirists. It is safe to say that these songs are probably not for every performer.

Ogden Nash is often cited as our country's best-known author of humorous poetry. His style emphasizes unconventional rhyming schemes and invented words. These three poems express a loose narrative of

This text was adapted from Mark Twain's The War Prayer, which he wrote in 1904-5 to protest America’s involvement in the Spanish-American War. His family convinced him to keep if from