Peace

Years ago, I encountered Sara Teasdale's poem "Peace" in a lightweight anthology of American Poetry published by Dover and edited by The American Poetry & Literacy Project. It's easy to hear music in Teasdale's words since the language moves effortlessly from the page into speech, since her rhymes are simple and direct, since the images are universal and evocative. I wrote my first setting of this text in about 2010, but wasn't satisfied with the outcome. But I'm glad I never throw away drafts and sketches! In 2026, when it was time to celebrate the opening of Salt Lake Art Museum (SLAM) with music, it was time to revisit this piece. This setting recasts some of my early melodies in new harmonic and contrapuntal garb. The premiere was performed by Sound of Ages and violinist William Hagen, and this new conception of the work is dedicated to my artist friend Doug Smith.