Songs for the People 
for soprano and piano accompaniment 
poetry by Francess Ellen Watkins Harper (1825 –1911
6'30"
 
This piece was commissioned by NATS in 2020. I’m grateful for Tom Cipullo’s mentorship when composing this piece. I’m even more grateful for the joy I was able to find when writing this during the Black Lives Matter protests at the time. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s poetry is a balm: “Music to soothe all its sorrow, Till war and crime shall cease; And the hearts of men grown tender… Girdle the world with peace.”