Team Teasdale is Back at Work!
Let it be forgotten, as a flower is forgotten,
Forgotten as a fire that once was singing gold,
Let it be forgotten for ever and ever,
Time is a kind friend, he will make us old.
-Sara Teasdale
Some experiences will be remembered; others will be forgotten. Poet Sara Teasdale accepts forgotten memories as part of the life process. Once vivid, these memories somehow disappear into the fabric. But as we acknowledge reality, let us also cherish those fires of singing gold!
Some years ago, I was introduced to the poetry of Sara Teasdale. As a composer, I was attracted to the simplicity and directness of her language; her poems displayed a transparency that allowed plenty of room for musical expression. Words like “lyric poet,” and “writer of love poems” floated by in capsule summaries of the poet and her work. But in my own review, I found numerous poems that expressed other ideas and images that challenged my imagination. I made it my mission to concentrate on some of these poems.
A conversation with soprano Carol Dusdieker revealed our common interest in the work of Ms. Teasdale. We were hardly the first musicians to be attracted to these poems, but we hoped that our own ideas and perspectives would add some new, significant work to song literature.
The Covid shutdown allowed me to spend more time with this project. A basic group of six songs emerged; we premiered several of these on the Heidelberg University campus, once public concerts returned to the university calendar in the fall of 2021. We were fortunate to secure the services of Jeff Manchur, a former colleague on the Heidelberg music faculty, whose wonderful work at the piano greatly enhanced Carol’s stylish interpretations of the Teasdale songs. You can read more about the recital and performers here: Heidelberg Retirement Recital, Making Music with “The Dream Team”.
By the time we had a recording session at Stone Soup Studios in Maumee, the list was up to eleven Teasdale songs. Carol proposed that we expand our goal to 15 pieces on the way to a complete CD recording. I made that goal but kept composing; there were still good texts to be set! When the number reached 20, I finally came up for air. My goal was to create more material than we needed. Only the best songs would be on the CD, or so I told myself.
And then life threw us some curveballs. Rehearsals, recording sessions and recital programs were scheduled and later postponed/cancelled due to reasons beyond our control. But in the summer of 2026, we were finally back on track. On August 30th, we presented a recital program on the Heidelberg campus with 18 of the 20 songs presented. We are now looking forward to another live performance or two before returning to the recording studio, where our good friend Mark Bunce waits to record us.
For more information about some of the Teasdale songs, please consult an earlier article in the Ruminations section of this website (Update on the Teasdale Project). The Recordings tab on this website features several early performances of some Teasdale songs; we hope to update this file soon!
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