PoemSongs

Rob Cook - Notes on PoemSongs

Beginning around 2020, I’ve been working on what I’m calling “PoemSongs.”  I’m writing melodies, to be sung, using the words of the poems as lyrics. Included are poems by: e.e. cummings, Elizabeth Bishop, Emily Dickinson, Wallace Stevens, Robert Frost, Rita Dove, W.H. Auden, W.B. Yeats, Theodore Roethke and many more.

My intention has been to make music that supports the beauty, rhythm, meaning, sound and feeling of the poems. The music draws from many styles:  jazz, blues, classical, folk, Latin, funk etc. Most of the songs are arranged for piano/vocal, although I would love to see them arranged for other ensembles too.

The recordings here (there are more coming!) are meant to “document” the songs. My hope is to get many of these recordings onto my website.    

I’d like to thank Ray Stewart for his tremendous expertise and generosity in engineering many of the recordings!  I’d also like to thank Xavier Cruz for helping me get set up with some home recording equipment and for his patience in teaching me how to use it!