Originally released on LP by Columbia Records in 1964, this album features some of the most outstanding soloists of the day: Charles Bressler, Phyllis Curtin, Gianna D’Angelo, Donald Gramm, and Regina Sarfaty, accompanied at the piano by the composer, Ned Rorem. The original recordings were digitized and re-mastered on a Sonic Solutions system to minimize tape hiss and other sound artifacts. The resulting clarity and brilliance far surpasses that of the original release offering a fresh look at this legendary album. Includes a 24-page booklet.
POEMS BY ROBERT HERRICK, BEN JONSON, JOHN DRYDEN, AND ORLANDO GIBBONS
1 · Song for a Girl (Dryden) — Gianna d’Angelo, soprano (0:57)
2 · To the Willow Tree (Herrick) — Donald Gramm, bass (2:01)
3 · Echo’s Song (Jonson) — Charles Bressler, tenor (2:08)
4 · Upon Julia’s Clothes (Herrick) — Donald Gramm, bass (0:41)
5 · Silver Swan (Gibbons) — Gianna d’Angelo, soprano (3:06)
THREE PSALMS from the CYCLE OF HOLY SONGS — Phyllis Curtin, soprano
6 · Psalm 134: “Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord…” (2:14)
7 · Psalm 148: “Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens…” (2:11)
8 · Psalm 150: “Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary…” (3:01)
POEMS BY PAUL GOODMAN AND THEODORE ROETHKE
9 · The Lordly Hudson (Goodman) — Regina Sarfaty, mezzo-soprano (2:34)
10 · Snake (Roethke) — Gianna d’Angelo, soprano (0:53)
11 · Rain in Spring (Goodman) — Regina Sarfaty, mezzo-soprano (1:19)
12 · Root Cellar (Roethke) — Donald Gramm, bass (2:07)
13 · Sally’s Smile (Goodman) — Donald Gramm, bass (0:43)
14 · Such Beauty As Hurts to Behold (Goodman) — Regina Sarfaty, mezzo-soprano (2:32)
15 · My Papa’s Waltz (Roethke) — Donald Gramm, bass (1:23)
POEMS BY ROBERT HILLYER, GERTRUDE STEIN, HOWARD MOSS, AND ELIZABETH BISHOP
16 · Early in the Morning (Hillyer) — Donald Gramm, bass (1:45)
17 · I Am Rose (Stein) — Regina Sarfaty, mezzo-soprano (0:18)
18 · See How They Love Me (Moss) — Charles Bressler, tenor (2:02)
19 · Visits to Saint Elizabeth’s (Bishop) — Regina Sarfaty, mezzo-soprano (3:36)
THREE MEDIEVAL POEMS (Anon. c. 1500)
20 · A Christmas Carol — Charles Bressler, tenor (1:30)
21 · The Nightingale — Phyllis Curtin, soprano (1:17)
22 · The Call — Donald Gramm, bass (1:04)
POEMS BY GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS AND WALT WHITMAN
23 · Spring and Fall (Hopkins) — Donald Gramm, bass (1:52)
24 · Spring (Hopkins) — Phyllis Curtin, soprano (1:50)
25 · To You (Whitman) — Donald Gramm, bass (0:37)
26 · Youth, Day, Old Age, and Night (Whitman) — Charles Bressler, tenor (2:08)
27 · O You Whom I Often and Silently Come (Whitman) — Regina Sarfaty, mezzo-soprano (0:23)
POEMS BY ROBERT BROWNING, PADRIAC PEARSE, EDMUND SPENSER, AND R. L. STEVENSON
28 · Pippa’s Song (Browning) — Gianna d’Angelo, soprano (1:53)
29 · Lullaby of the Woman of the Mountain (Pearse) — Charles Bressler, tenor (1:59)
30 · What If Some Little Pain (Spenser) — Regina Sarfaty, mezzo-soprano (1:49)
31 · In a Gondola (Browning) — Gianna d’Angelo, soprano (2:12)
32 · Requiem (R. L. Stevenson) — Charles Bressler, tenor (2:00)
