I am currently finishing up a new song cycle for soprano and piano titled Alcott Songs. The piece sets six short poems of Louisa May Alcott, most of which are very whimsical and fun. Much of Alcott's poetry is about nature - flowers, birds, etc. After spending some time reading through much of her work, I chose six poems that I thought would work best for this piece. I also ordered them in a way that I thought could communicate a summer's day; the first poem begins with "Awake! Awake!" and the last poem is titled "Lullaby." In between there are short tales of sunrise, flowers, lily pads, acorns, and finally sunset and sleep.
I am having a lot of fun with the poems and trying to write music that is as whimsical and fun as these poems are. You can read the texts here.
More soon!