Sweet William

Art song (2024)

Info:

Premiered by Luke Paulino and Daniel Schreiner of InfraSound at the LGBT Center (New York, NY).

Available in piano-vocal setting. Ensemble arrangement soon to come. Originally composed for countertenor, but open to any voice.

Program Note:
Sweet William is a setting of the Child Ballad “The Famous Flower of Serving-Men”, by Laurence Price. It follows the tale of a woman whose family is murdered by bandits, and how following this experience, they reinvent themself as Sweet William; transitioning and taking a job serving the king. The King eventually learns of their history and proposes, but they only accept under the condition of remaining to live as “William”, which the King accepts.

I was compelled by this story of transition, transformation, and reinventing oneself. It is the only Child Ballad (that I know of l) that makes any reference to queer identity. Gender is something I myself have struggled with for many years - remembering as early as 7th grade getting in trouble at school when a teacher overhead me say I was a “girl trapped in a boy’s body”.

Duration: c. 13’