FOUR LOVE SONGS

By Kenneth Mahy

These four songs set to poetry of John Dowland, Edmund Walker, W.B. Yeats and Hans Christian Andersen are, respectively: 1. I saw my lady weep; 2. Go, lovely rose; 3. Brown penny, and 4. Thought of my thoughts. The songs are equally suitable for young singers and for mature artists.

“Kenneth Mahy has written four beautifully romantic love songs. They are harmonically traditional in style with broad flowing vocal melodies. These songs are reminiscent of the earlier twentieth-century English style of Roger Quilter and Ralph Vaughn Williams... Brown Penny, the third in the set, is especially clever with a sparkling quick tempo. Its 6/8 meter enhances the light, humorous texts. Thought of My Thoughts is a song which may be used effectively at weddings. The piece begins in a quiet, subdued mood and builds in intensity toward a long interlude where the piano developes the previous musical material to a powerful climax. It has been suggested that the exchanging of rings may take place at this time. The conclusion is comprised of a restatement of the opening phrase by the voice...”
Louise Lerch The NATS Journal [Now Journal of Singing]

19 Pages Medium High Range ca. 9:20