Work
Myself When Young
a cycle of three songs for soprano and piano
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About
Myself When Young is a cycle of three songs for soprano and piano. They are settings of poems by Jean Alison Bartlett. The poems were published in 1930 when the precociously gifted writer was only 18 years old and a student at Auckland University. They speak with confidence of the poet’s joy in reading and writing poetry, her pride in its publication, and her keen perception of the power of words. 'The New People' is a remarkable text that expresses the determined sense of purpose of the poet’s generation, and an awareness of the dangers of its relentlessness. The composer’s intention in setting the texts to music is to immerse the performers and listeners in the world of the words.
Contents note
Myself When Young is a song cycle of three songs:
I. My Poem Was Printed
II. Stop Look Listen
III. The New People
Text note
Jean Alison Bartlett (1912–2006). The poems are used with the permission of her son, Peter Bartlett.
Performance history
06 Nov 2019: Performed by Felicity Tomkins (soprano) and Maria Mo (piano) at Dr John Gallagher Concert Chamber, Hamilton