20th Annual Student Research Conference
Fine Arts
“The Four Seasons of the Year”—A song cycle on texts of Anne Bradstreet
Kevin P. Becker♦
Dr. Warren Gooch, Faculty Mentor
“The Four Seasons of the Year” is a song cycle in six movements, comprising musical settings by Kevin Becker on excerpts from the poetry of Anne Bradstreet. Bradstreet is regarded by many as the first American female writer and was the first woman to be published in America; much of her poetry observes the everyday life of a Puritan woman in colonial America. Musically, the composer employed a traditional approach toward setting the texts, given their place in time and straightforward manner. The presentation will include discussion of the song cycle as well as live performance of the music.
Keywords: Anne Bradstreet, colonial America, poetry, voice/vocal, song, piano, music, seasons
Topic(s):Music
Presentation Type: Performance Art
Session: 34-5
Location: OP 1393 (Performance Hall)
Time: 2:15 pm