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Black Dog Songs [Bar-Pno]
David Maslanka

Black Dog Songs

for Male Voice and Piano
15 min.   •   
1996
   •   Grade 4

The poems selected for Black Dog Songs are from the collection “If My Black Dog Returns” by Richard Beale. An understanding of melancholia is very old in Western culture. It has been called “the blues,” or simply “the beast.” Winston Churchill, in a letter, mentioned a doctor famous for curing depression. Churchill wrote that he may have use for him “…if my black dog returns.”

  1. When my father’s sperm…
  2. I am smeared…
  3. My friend had a stroke…
  4. When I really want to whine…
  5. Fierce, blinding night!…
  6. On the subway platform…

The poems are grippingly dramatic, and the songs are starkly simple. Emphasis is placed on a clear understanding of the sung word.

Find program notes and more information at davidmaslanka.com.

Play Video
Maslanka D - Black Dog Songs [Bar-Pno] v2 - Performing Score (Engraved) 8½×11 - Poster

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