As an American composer, especially one born and raised in New England, It feels like setting text by American poet Emily Dickinson is a rite of passage. Tales of the Amherst Troubadour is a short song cycle setting three of Dickinson’s poems. For each song, I wanted to try composing in the style of three different movements within music history. The Soul, due to its darker material, was written in a borderline post-tonal style common in the early 20th century. Summer Shower was written in an Impressionist-influenced style. A Liquor Never Brewed draws upon Romantic era lieder in its compositional approach.

 

This song cycle was written for Daniel Caramante and Brendon Lewis, who premiered the work at the URI New Music Concert on December 8, 2018 with piano accompaniment by Peter Kelmelis.