Instrumentation: Soprano and Piano
Duration: 10 minutes
Year: 2024
Program Notes
I came across the poetry of American Ogden Nash (1902-1971) in the summer of 2023 as I was doing research on poetry for a different song cycle. While his words ultimately didn’t fit that project, it lit an idea in my mind to set his short yet witty poems for voice and piano. I chose ten poems on animals written by Ogden that would showcase a variety of characters and textures for voice. From the multi-legged centipede to the high and (somewhat) mighty ostrich, these are ten character miniatures for soprano that complements and augments the words from Mr. Nash. This song cycle was written with support from the Toronto Arts Council.
The complete song cycle comprises ten songs (The Centipede, The Porcupine, The Shrimp, The Turkey, The Praying Mantis, The Hippopotamus, The Duck, The Dog, The Termite & The Ostrich).
Score Sample
Roydon Tse 