Composer Eric Nathan's "Some Favored Nook" adapts texts from the correspondence between poet Emily Dickinson and author/abolitionist Thomas Wentworth Higginson, as well as Higginson's diaries and essays.
Historical Context
Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a prominent figure in the work, was an abolitionist and military commander who led the First South Carolina Volunteers, the first Black regiment in the Civil War.
Composition History
The composer, Eric Nathan, began drafting the piano's opening gestures for "Some Favored Nook" after visiting the Emily Dickinson Museum in 2015.
Recording & Production
This recording was made possible, in part, by the Brown Arts Institute and Brown University.
Compositional Technique
The music of "Some Favored Nook" uses recurring transformations of leitmotifs, or short musical motives, to connect the disparate lives and struggles presented in the work.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The work explores the trauma of a nation divided, moving beyond a simple dialogue between two people to address slavery and the American Civil War.
You might also enjoy...
Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Shakespeare Songs
Joaquín Turina: Saeta en Forma de Salve
Pauls: Aicinajums (Transcr. for Mezzosoprano and Piano)
Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Shakespeare Songs
Rodrigo Ruiz: Goethe Lieder
A. Berg: Jugendlieder
Montsalvatge: 5 Canciones negras: No. 4, Canción de cuna para dormir a un negrito
