Song Cycle (2006) Instrumentation: high voice, piano and live electronics Length: 8:30 Text: William Carlos Williams Click Here for Text (Word Doc) Premiere:      December 5, 2006      Tuesday Night New Music      New England Conservatory, Boston, MA      Jean Q. Lee, voice; Dan VanHassel, piano/electronics Audio: Studio Recording (Excerpt)      Jean Q. Lee, voice; Dan VanHassel, piano/electronics Program Note: Song Cycle is a setting of four poems by William Carlos Williams. In many ways this piece follows the form of a classical song cycle. It is a collection of poems set to music which form a general narrative arc. The sound of the piece however, couldn’t be further from a classical song cycle. The extensive use of live electronics is used to provide sounds inspired by rock and electronica studio techniques. There are also sections in the piece which require the performers to improvise. I believe that this extensive use of the sounds and techniques of popular music is especially fitting given Williams’ use of American vernacular speech patterns in his poetry. It is intended that singers from any vocal tradition can perform this piece.