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About the Score

Medium High Voice

Medium Low Voice

When Mark Stevens and Anna DeGraff approached me about doing a set of Songs for the South Dakota Music Teachers Association, I jumped at the chance. They selected several sets of poems by South Dakota poets, and I settled on a set by Eliza Blue, Lee Ann Roripaugh, and Roberta Haar . The texts are each remarkable in their own right, but they also do nicely as a set. Each poem has some sense of regret and personal growth attached to it. In Eliza Blue's text, the speaker opines, "I just need time, a little bit of time, to untangle myself. " In Lee Ann Roripaugh's poem, the speaker reflecting on lost love thinks back and poignantly says, "Because I let your hands undo me like an origami crane. " In the first poem, the poet tries to untangle herself. In the second, someone has "unfolded" her , and she has to come to terms with it. Finally , Roberta Haar reflects on loss and the way we present ourselves to the world in a deeply honest assessment: "if I look as if the/world cannot/ touch me, it is my/greatest role,/my best acting. " The songs were written for younger singers and pianists. The vocal ranges are limited, and technical facility required to perform them is appropriate for an advanced high school or early college performer . The piano parts are similarly accessible. The emotional scope, however , is unrestrained, and I think the opportunities for young singers (and pianists) to express themselves with these poems and notes will be ample and satisfying. - Kurt Knecht, Kansas City 2026

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