Words LIke Freedom (2021)
song Cycle in 9 movements for Soprano and piano
Movements:
I. Refugee in America
II. Earth Song
III. Wisdom
IV. Dusk
V. When the Armies Passed
VI. Today
VII. Oppression
VIII. Spirituals (Sing, O Black Mother)
IX. Reprise
Duration: 18 Minutes
Premiere: October 15, 2022, soprano Jamie Reimer and pianist Stacie Haneline, Irvine, CA.
Words Like Freedom is a nine-movement song cycle for soprano and piano on a collection of poems (of the same name) by Langston Hughes. When soprano Jamie Reimer commissioned me to compose a set of songs on Hughes' poetry, she did not have a particular collection in mind. Instead, she asked me to choose poems that spoke to me—words I felt inspired to musically re-imagine. Deciding proved challenging as Hughes was not only an incredibly gifted poet but also prolific. In studying his work, I was immediately drawn to Words Like Freedom because of how he, in such a rich and timeless way, beautifully captured so much of what it means to be Black and, more broadly, human: Freedom, Creation, Humility, Wonder, Protest, Oppression, and Happiness. The movements vary in complexity and musical language, and unlike other song collections I have composed, Words Like Freedom is meant to be performed as one complete set.