Cherise D. Leiter, Composer

Three Unlikely Love Songs (2006)

Medium: SSAA and piano

Length: ~10 min

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Three Unlikely Love Songs are settings of poems by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) for SSAA and piano. Each deals with a different element of love from the female perspective—but perhaps not entirely in the traditional views.  In the first, “Where were you last night,” the poet assures her fickle beau that she will not be pining away for him, and wishes him well with his new love. The occasional irregular meter at the end of each verse represents the instability of the unfaithful lover. “Sister Maude” is an a cappella movement. It is the tragic tale of sister rivalry over a lover, and the harmonic language is somewhat bitter and dissonant. The meter changes back and forth between a strict 3/4 simple meter, and a more gentle 6/8 compound meter; and the harmony is dominated by prominent minor seconds. “Sister Maude” was first performed in May 2007 and was the first-place winner in the Ars Nova Colorado Composers Competition. The last movement, “No Thank You, John,” displays the annoyance that a woman feels when a persistent, but unwanted, suitor will not take a hint.

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Single copy: $2.95

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6 or more copies: $1.75--please contact the composer to place a multiple copy order