#ClassicsaDay #PoetryMonth 2022 Week 4

What's the connection between classical music and poetry? To celebrate Poetry Month, the Classics a Day team encouraged folks to find out. For the month of April, the challenge is to post poetry used in classical music or works inspired by poetry.

Here are my posts for the final week of #PoetryMonth

4/25/22 Ralph Vaughn Williams - Three Shakespeare Songs

Vaughan Willaims completed this work in 1951. The set was originally composed as test pieces for the UK's National Competitive Festival for choirs.

4/26/22 Andre Previn - Three Dickinson Songs for Soprano and Piano

Previn composed this cycle in 2000 for Renée Fleming, who premiered the work.

4/27/22 Amy Beach - By the Still Waters, Op. 114

Beach published this work in 1925. It's inspired by Psalm 23, which also provides the title.

4/28/22 Augusta Read Thomas - Two E. E. Cummings Songs

These settings of cummings' poetry were commissioned by the San Francisco Girls Chorus. The chorus premiered the work in 2008.

4/29/22 Maurice Greene: Spenser's Amoretti

Greene was master of the king's Musick beginning in 1735. "Amoretti" is a setting of 25 sonnets by Edmund Spenser, and published in 1739.

Next Month:

#ClassicsaDay has usually marked May Day by making the May theme Soviet Composers. Not this year.