Octaves and Sweet Sounds

Octaves and Sweet Sounds was commissioned in 1989 by Art Song Minnesota, a festival sponsored by the University of Minnesota. It was written for mezzo-soprano Glenda Maurice and pianist Ruth Palmer, and was premiered by them in St. Paul, June 9, 1990 at the McKnight Theatre. It consists of five songs and is appropriate for an advanced singer, either male or female. If performed as a group, the duration is approximately 13 minutes. The set is published by Boosey & Hawkes, 1993 and is available in a medium key (VAB-304) and a high key (VAB-305). The high key lies one step higher than the medium, with the exception of "Well Welcome," which is in the same key as the medium version. In a review of Octaves and Sweet Sounds, Louise Lerch (Sept. 1994), regular music reviewer for the NATS Journal of Singing says, "Hundley's songs are always melodically appealing and harmonically interesting...Richard Hundley is a first-class composer of American song and this set is definitely worthy of...attention." (p. 59) --Esther Jane Hardenbergh