Song for Soprano and Piano
on a letter of Emily Dickinson
Publisher
E. C. Schirmer Music Company
Catalog Number
8565
Order – Print
Classical Vocal Reprints
E. C. Schirmer Music Company
J. W. Pepper
Music Shop Europe
Presto Sheet Music
Sheet Music Plus
Order – Download
E. C. Schirmer Music Company
Description
The text of the song “A Northeast Storm” is taken from a letter written in early 1851 by Emily Dickinson to her brother, William Austin Dickinson, who was away from home at the time. Her letter describes the family’s activities in their drawing room in their home in Amherst, MA, and their feelings that night as a storm raged outside their windows, while Emily’s sister entertained the family at the piano. The letter ends comically, as Emily declares that she will start crying if her sister doesn’t stop singing.
Year of Composition
2015
Duration
3 minutes
Commission
Lyric Fest
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dedication
Ann Newman
First Performances
April 2, 2016
Lyric Fest Series
Haverford College, Haverford, PA
April 3, 2016
Lyric Fest Series
The Academy of Vocal Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Kelly Ann Bixby, soprano
Laura Ward, piano
Listen
Nadine Benjamin, soprano
Nicole Panizza, piano
A Northeast Storm