Emily in Love…Emily Alone – song cycle for soprano and piano

Emily in Love…Emily Alone – The six songs in this cycle tell the story of Emily Dickinson’s struggles to find a partner in life. We never know his name, only the story of their brief time together and the love that consumed Emily.

In the first song, “Again — his voice is at the door,” Emily is receiving a gentleman caller.  The meeting is quite awkward at first. The singing comes in fits and starts. Each of them is expecting so much but is afraid. The accompaniment becomes more regular. As they find themselves alone, Emily compares that to the lone flight of an angel. She would give her life’s blood to have those moments again.  The second song, “He touched me,” is the most intimate. It features a graceful, running accompaniment from the piano. Emily has known his touch and embrace. It leaves her in a state that makes day of night and brings her joy.  By the beginning of the third song, “What would I give to see his face,” Emily is alone. She fantasizes about things she might offer in exchange for another meeting with him.  In the fourth song, “What shall I do?” Emily realizes that she will not see him again. She is left to contemplate how she can live her life surrounded by beauty and yet so alone. Here, the piano takes the simple tune and accompanies it with tortured harmonies.  “If you were coming in the fall” is a song about uncertainty. The piano states and restates a repeated-note figure, implying a readiness to wait forever, if only that time is known.  Emily is willing to wait until fall, for a year, for a century or for a lifetime. She only needs to know how long that will be. Because she does not know, life has a bitter sting.  In the last song, “I got so I could take his name,” Emily admits the enduring pain of her loss but claims she is recovering, that the pain is growing less over time. Still, in the end her love for him endures.

Moderate Difficulty

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To listen to “Again – his voice is at the door” – click here.

To listen to “He touched me” – click here.

To listen to “What would I give to see his face?” – click here.

To listen to “What shall I do?” – click here.

To listen to “If you were coming in the fall” – click here.

To listen to “I got so I could take his name” – click here.