Lily Koslow (b. 2001)
The History Of... (2022)

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Emily Hamilton, soprano
Kerry Agnew, piano

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The History Of... is a setting of a poem by the same name, for high soprano and piano. The original poem was written by the composer in the spring of 2021, after being commissioned by Michelle Eisenberg. In the piece, an outcast visits a church at night for some quiet solitude and meditation, and comes across a mysterious book on the altar: The History of Everything. Each chapter of this book elaborates on a particular strand of history, starting from the creation of time itself and spanning across the development of modern human civilization. The poem concludes with the omniscient narrator zooming back into the outcast's disposition, implying that each life is in itself a notable strand of history. Using a musical language that oscillates between mystical, uncanny, dark, and bright, the piece aims to embody the expressive force of the original poem.

The work is dedicated to soprano Emily Hamilton, for whom the piece was composed.

• Program Notes, Lily Koslow