Cherise D. Leiter, Composer

Cowboy Songs for Her (2014)

Medium: female voice and piano

Length: ~15.5 min

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Originally composed for soprano Christina Howell, Cowboy Songs for Her is a collection of four pre-existing cowboy tunes, and one original song, that have been “re-imagined” for female voice and piano. Reflecting various scenes of frontier life, and including several tunes that specifically address the female experience, this set invokes the life and land that was once roamed by the American cowboy and the girl who loved him, or was, at least, fascinated by him. Each of the settings contains the original statement of the folk tune, usually toward the beginning, with the melody then continually embellished, developed, or reworked as the song evolves. Mixed and changing meters provide rhythmic interest, and often added notes are used to create more complex harmonies than those contained in the original tunes. “To Midnight, an epitaph” is not originally a folk song; the text was an epitaph for a horse, and was set to an original tune by the composer.

Available in High or Low--please specify when ordering.

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Price: $15