So Lit Song Lit

Charles Tomlinson Griffes is best known for his song "The Lament of Ian the Proud", but he has many more art songs and German Lieder to his credit. Having studied with Engelbert Humperdinck for a time, his German Lieder have an intense German sound, while many of his English songs have a definite French influence.

"In a Myrtle Shade" and "Symphony in Yellow" are in the book Songs of C.T. Griffes Vol. 1 (available at Classical Vocal Reprints), as is "The Lament of Ian the Proud". There is also a Vol. 2 in that series with different songs for medium voice, while Vol. 3 has several of his German Lieder, including "Wohl lag' ich einst" and one of my favorites, "Nacht liegt auf den fremden Wegen". "Cleopatra to the Asp" is in Seven Songs. To see a more comprehensive list of his art songs, check out his listing on Liedernet.

Recordings featured in this episode, performed by Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, Zachary Dean Smith, tenor, and Ellen Rissinger, pianist:
  • Wohl lag' ich einst
  • In a Myrtle Shade
  • Symphony in Yellow
  • Cleopatra to the Asp
Recorded at Morningstar Studios in Norristown, PA.

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So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about  their network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.

You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.

You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree

You can find out more about Zach on his website, https://www.zacharydeansmith.com/

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Creators & Guests

Host
Ellen Rissinger
So Lit Song Lit Creator & Co-Host
Host
Toni-Marie Palmertree
So Lit Song Lit Co-Host
Guest
Zachary Dean Smith
Season 2 Guest Co-Host

What is So Lit Song Lit?

This is So Lit Song Lit, where we reimagine the repertoire by introducing less familiar songs through sound clips and lively discussion! Together we’ll be exploring songs by composers that you may or may not have heard of already, showing how they compare to standard works, and giving you a taste of what they sound like. Join us down the rabbit hole as we expand the song canon!