About the piece

“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune – without words,
And never stops at all…”

Inspired by 16th century madrigals, this setting of Emily Dickinson’s poem of the same name uses rich word painting and a traditional structure, but with more modern harmonic language. Originally intended for a trio of soloists, an SATB version more appropriate to choral performance was created at the request of the Festival Singers of Atlanta.

Listen

performed by AMA vocal trio, Tenby, Wales

Instrumentation

SATB Chorus; SAB Chorus

Duration

2 minutes 30 seconds

year written

SATB (2019); SAB (2004)

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