Arguably, no artist grows up: If he sheds the perceptions of childhood, he ceases being an artist.
-Ned Rorem
Early in the Morning, an art song by American composer Ned Rorem (b. 1923), is filled with wistful nostalgia. The text, by the poet Robert Hillyer, offers a distant memory of a far-off summer morning. Both the words and the music are shrouded in a dreamlike haze. We’re presented with the ephemeral- sights and smells of the morning- rather than the concrete. The piano’s gentle rocking rhythm vaguely suggests a lullaby.
Here is Susan Graham’s 2000 recording:
Recordings
Rorem: Early in the Morning, Susan Graham, Malcolm Martineau Amazon
Tim, thanks so much for the Rorem piece! It SO reminds me of growing up between PA and the Finger Lakes. Really nostalgic summer days (daze?)