 Photo by Gabrielle Hensch on Unsplash | When I was in high school in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, there was a patch of goldenrod and milkweed that grew between the railroad tracks and billboard signs along an industrial highway. I passed by it each day on my walk to school. In autumn there would be monarch butterflies feeding on the goldenrod as wisps of silky milkweed seeds floated into the air. Back in 1972 that scene inspired me to write a poem called "Butterfly Dance". In 2020, during a certain lengthy global health incident, I found that old poem and decided to set it to music. The first half of the composition is for piano and spoken word, but it could also work as a solo piano piece. The second half is a piano solo which is essentially a repeat of the first section but with additional notes to thicken the harmony and flourishes in the upper register that are meant to depict the butterflies and milkweed as they seemingly dance together. My thanks to pianist and Trio Vivo colleague Lucy Banner for her assistance with the piano part. Click here to learn more about monarch butterflies. |
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From the album Pop Songs, Poetry & Other Flights of Fancy. Printed music for this composition is available to preview at Sheet Music Plus and SheetMusicDirect.
Listen on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music,
Pandora, iHeart Radio and all streaming platforms.
Click the image below to listen to the song on YouTube.
Free to listen, no account or subscription required.
From the album Pop Songs, Poetry & Other Flights of Fancy. Printed music for this composition is available to preview at Sheet Music Plus and SheetMusicDirect.
Listen on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music,
Pandora, iHeart Radio and all streaming platforms.
Click the image below to listen to the song on YouTube.
Free to listen, no account or subscription required.
Follow the score!
