Gregory W. Brown’s “A Black Birch in Winter” is sweetly nostalgic, and easy to learn with clever, expressive writing | MusicSpoke

Gregory Brown’s setting of Richard Wilbur’s poem “A Black Birch in Winter” is compelling for a number of reasons.

There is a sweet, almost nostalgic quality to the opening passage. This opening stanza functions on multiple levels. Musically, it becomes what used to be called a “burden” or a “burthen”. This simple little passage returns between each stanza. By providing a structural framework, this constant returning allows Greg to explore more distant harmonic regions in the intervening verses, but it is more than that. It functions symbolically to represent returning and rebirth. The poem leads us to the point where old trees  “grow, stretch, crack, and not yet come apart.” The music does the same thing. The stanzas make us grow, stretch, and crack. The returning burden keeps it from coming apart. As an added bonus, it also makes the music easier to learn. It’s clever, expressive writing, and you should definitely check it out. 

Hear it. See it. Buy A Black Birch in Winter  on MusicSpoke!