Description
$10.00
Set the poetry of Joseph Smith, Emerson Ead’s beautiful song “An Evening Poem” is available in both baritone and tenor ranges.
An Evening Poem
What now, my friend, brings to mind these gentle thoughts of you?
The evening sun drenching my cozy room?
Or late summer vegetables, sautéed, now simmering in a rich, dark broth?
The crickets song and lazy flight of birds sheltering for the night bring
These homeward thoughts which I feel now,
So deeply in love I know not how.
These endearing thoughts of moments spent
Enriching,
Encouraging,
Enjoying One another.
These are the thoughts which bring you now to mind, my friend.
And for you, I long and love.
Joseph Smith
September 20, 2017
Program Note
While in graduate school at The University of Notre Dame there were two gentlemen who were like family to me, David Eicher and his husband, Joe Smith. David sought me out after a rehearsal with the South Bend Chamber Singers, he handed me this poem that Joe had written for his birthday the previous year and asked if he could commission me to set it to music for Joe’s upcoming birthday. I set the poem and Nolan Carter premiered it at a private birthday party
for Joe, accompanied by his husband, David, in 2017. —Emerson Eads
"The editor, composers, and collaborative curators of Modern Music for New Singers: 21st Century American Art Songs have enriched the genre considerably with this special series.....the editors have included an impressive number of songs by under-represented composers, women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ."— Kathleen Roland-Silverstein, NATS Journal of Singing
"I know of no other anthology that has captured such a wide slice of contemporary American composition. Having the first four volumes tailored to the abilities of high-school and early undergraduate singers demonstrates an unprecedented vision for the needs of young musicians as well as for the future of the genre. These volumes will prove a tremendous resource for teachers, students, and music historians, and they should have a prominent place in music libraries, both institutional and personal, throughout the country and indeed the world."— Tom Cipullo
"As an educator, I try to assign repertoire to students which will engage them artistically and personally. In order to do so, the first point of contact is with the text of songs. Too often younger students struggle to see "themselves" or to find commonality with songs with traditional texts which are widely available and encouraged for festival use."— Dr. Alta Boover, Oakland University
“…such an inviting experience with a forward, your introduction, and the way you’ve organized all of the information. A composer and lyricist couldn’t want for more…A great diversity of composers and styles just in this one volume, and great poetry and lyrics.”— Chester Biscardi, Baritone, Vol. 1