Cherise D. Leiter, Composer

Three Songs for the Soul (2006)

Medium: SATB with some divisi, piano, oboe (or any C instrument)

Length: ~5 min

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Three Songs for the Soul is a cycle for choir, piano, and oboe on the poetry of Walt Whitman (1819-1892). These short poems from Leaves of Grass are linked by pensive musings on the soul and its relations to peace, music, death, and immortality. The first movement “A Clear Midnight” refers to the calm and peace felt at the end of the day, when private contemplation is possible. “Joy, Shipmate, Joy” compares the soul to one’s shipmate, and shows an eager desire to move beyond mortal life, and the last movement “Then Last of All” is again an exploration of life’s meaning. These poems come from the latter period of Whitman’ life and display his intense fascination with the relation of the soul to its surroundings. Three Songs for the Soul won the Braintree/Nashoba Valley Composition Competition in 2006 and was premiered by the combined Braintree and Nashoba Valley Chorales.

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Single copy: $2.50

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6 or more copies: $1.50--please contact the composer to place a multiple copy order