My Boy Jack

The great English author, Rudyard Kipling (18651936), wrote the poem My Boy Jack during the early years of World War I. The poem quickly came to be identified as Kipling's lament over the death of his son John, who was killed during the Battle of Loos in France in 1915. However, it is just as likely that the poem is a tribute to all who were lost during The Great War, and to those who mourned them. In this setting, the composer casts the forlorn questioner not as one person- a grieving parent- but rather as a mixed solo quartet, representing everyone. The harmonic language in the poem's first three stanzas is intended to portray the sorrow and angst that Kipling's words so effectively convey. In the last stanza, however, the tone of the poem suddenly changes, becoming more positive and resolute: "Then hold your head up all the more, this tide, and every tide" To reflect this shift, the setting uses a quasi-English folksong style, one that is more lyrical and direct. Duration: 3:30