The Music of Elizabeth Alexander

Works about Creation

Title

Poet/Lyricist

Voicing/Instrumentation

Level

I Write This Poem Out Of Darkness
A solitary poet offers unvarnished compassion and solidarity to her imagined readers
Poet/Lyricist: George Ella Lyon
  • Vocal trio, flute, violin, piano
  • SSA, flute, violin, piano
Level: MA
Into the Silent Darkness
A searching mediation on facing life’s wild, primeval mysteries with fear, faith and alleluias.
Poet/Lyricist: Richard S. Gilbert
  • SATB, violin, piano
Level: MA
Nature Creature (CD/mp3)
Songs on being alive in this beautiful, complex world
Poet/Lyricist: Lyon, Ignatow, Moore, Ammons, Erdrich, White, Hafiz / Ladinsky
  • Voice, cello, piano
Level: Various
Nature Creature (musical score)
A passionate, eclectic song cycle on the beauty and complexity of being alive
Poet/Lyricist: Lyon, Ignatow, Moore, Ammons, Erdrich, White, Hafiz / Ladinsky
  • Low voice, piano, opt. cello
Level: MA
Off the Page
Nine improvisations for string players and other adventurous people
  • All Instruments
Level: Various
Song of Kabir
A luminous song of wholehearted devotion
Poet/Lyricist: Kabir
  • SATB a cappella
Level: M
The Gospel Isn’t Written In the Bible Alone
An expansive embrace of the sacredness of all creation
Poet/Lyricist: Elizabeth Alexander
  • Low voice, piano
  • Medium / high voice, piano
Level: M
The Meadow Doesn’t Know About the Stock Market
A sweet and wry tribute to the meadow’s timeless wisdom
Poet/Lyricist: George Ella Lyon
  • Low voice, piano
Level: M
To Make a Prairie
An ethereal setting of Emily Dickinson’s timeless musing on creation and dreams
Poet/Lyricist: Emily Dickinson
  • SSA, piano
Level: M
Why I Pity the Woman Who Never Spills
A gutsy, sensual song in praise of messy women
Poet/Lyricist: Joan Wolf Prefontaine
  • SSAA a cappella
Level: MA