Remarks on Lyricism

Nick Reeves

"Lyricism is extending the connection that we have in between the notes. It lets us experience what's going on around it in a meaningful way. Recently, I've been drawn to the soaring melodies that come from the middle of the second movements of the Chopin and Prokofiev sonatas for cello and piano. They both rise out of some of the most prickly and spirited passages. In the Chopin, this rising melody provides a more loving feeling. The melody in the Prokofiev also provides this feeling but moves in a grounding, downward direction."

- Nick Reeves, Cello

"There are many beautiful pieces of music that I can connect to, one of them that I recently felt was Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt, Morning Mood Op. 23. As a composer I think Peer Gynt is a very touching piece because it will take the listener to a beautiful journey with its beautiful climax and touching modulation. Edward Grieg felt the scene and came up with this wonderful piece of music. Edward describes it: "The piece depicts the rising of the sun during act 4, scene 4, of Ibsen's play, which finds Peer Gynt stranded in the Moroccan desert after his companions took his yacht and abandoned him there while he slept. The scene begins with the following description: 'Dawn. Acacias and palm trees. Peer Gynt is sitting in his tree using a wrenched-off branch to defend himself against a group of monkeys.'"

- Milad Yousufi, Pianist/Composer/Visual Artist

Erini

"Lyricism for me is when I sing a song and feel an influx of emotions that derive from images from the past and hope for the future. I feel pain and happiness at the same time, I think of my loved ones, the warmth of family, beautiful visuals from home (Crete), the pain of separation and the bitter sweet desperation of love."

- Erini, Vocalist

"As a vocalist, lyricism often occurs at the intersection of music and poetry. When learning a song, I love exploring the lyricism of a written text alone, delving into the composer's musical setting, and allowing the two to unite in live performance."

- Rose Hegele, Soprano

“As a composer contemplating lyricism, I might ask myself the following question: Is it possible to draw from the deepest wellspring of melody within myself, and to bring what I find there into being while keeping it intact? That is to say, must I subject it to the coercive forces of judgement, taste, ego, and fear which shape my self-awareness; or can it remain sacrosanct, a vital expression which will wither if seized upon by critical scrutiny?"

- Chris Rippey, Multi-instrumentalist/Composer

“Lyricism: Lyricism is the natural state of things. Continuous and ever-evolving, melodies and harmonies emanate from the beauty of this earth.”

- Lauren Vandervelden, Violinist/Composer