Composer

:

Ben Moore

Genre

:

Vocal

Average_duration

:

05:37

No Choice but Love is a song cycle composed by American composer Ben Moore. The cycle was composed in 2007 and premiered on February 14, 2008, at the Weill Recital Hall in New York City. The cycle consists of six movements, each of which is a setting of a poem by a different poet. The first movement, "The Sunflower," sets a poem by Mary Oliver. The music is bright and optimistic, with a lilting melody and a buoyant accompaniment. The second movement, "The Fish," sets a poem by Elizabeth Bishop. The music is more introspective, with a haunting melody and a spare accompaniment that evokes the stillness of the water. The third movement, "The Red Wheelbarrow," sets a poem by William Carlos Williams. The music is playful and rhythmic, with a syncopated accompaniment that mimics the sound of a wheelbarrow rolling over uneven ground. The fourth movement, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," sets a poem by T.S. Eliot. The music is brooding and introspective, with a dark melody and a dissonant accompaniment that reflects the anxiety and uncertainty of the poem. The fifth movement, "The Road Not Taken," sets a poem by Robert Frost. The music is wistful and nostalgic, with a gentle melody and a simple accompaniment that evokes the quiet beauty of the woods. The final movement, "The Love Song of Chimney Sweep," sets a poem by William Blake. The music is joyful and exuberant, with a lively melody and a playful accompaniment that captures the innocence and wonder of the poem. Overall, No Choice but Love is a cycle that explores the many facets of love, from the bright optimism of new love to the introspective uncertainty of unrequited love. The music is varied and expressive, with each movement capturing the unique mood and tone of its respective poem.

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