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Texts by T. Roethke set in Art Songs and Choral Works

 § Author § 

Theodore Roethke (1908 - 1963)

Text Collections:

  • I Am! Says the Lamb
  • Open House
  • Praise to the End!
  • The Far Field
  • The Lost Son and Other Poems
  • The Waking: Poems 1933-1953
  • Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke

Texts set in art song or choral works (not necessarily comprehensive):

Legend:
The symbol [x] indicates a placeholder for a text that is not yet in the database.
The symbol ⊗ indicates a translation that is missing an original text.

A * indicates that a text cannot (yet?) be displayed on this site because of its copyright status.
Special notes: All titles and first lines are included in this index, including those used by composers.
Titles used by the text author appear in boldface. First lines appear in italics.
A language code in a blue rectangle like ENG indicates that a translation to that language is available.
A grey rectangle like FRE indicates a particular translation (usually one set to music) exists but isn't yet available.

  • A head or tail which does he lack? * - I. Venables (The Hippo)
  • Believe me, knot of gristle, I bleed like a tree (from Praise to the End!) * - W. Bolcom (Give way, ye gates)
  • Dolor (I have known the inexorable sadness of pencils) (from The Lost Son and Other Poems) - H. Lindenfeld *
  • First meditation (On love's worst ugly day) (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke - Meditation of an Old Woman) - W. Bolcom *
  • From whence cometh song (From whence cometh song?) (from The Far Field) - N. Rorem *
  • From whence cometh song? (from The Far Field) * - D. Hagen, N. Rorem, S. Sargon (Song (From whence cometh song?))
  • Give way, ye gates (Believe me, knot of gristle, I bleed like a tree) (from Praise to the End!) - W. Bolcom *
  • Goo-girl () (from I Am! Says the Lamb) - S. Adler [x] *
  • I have known the inexorable sadness of pencils (from The Lost Son and Other Poems) * - H. Lindenfeld (Dolor)
  • I knew a woman, lovely in her bones (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) * - W. Bolcom (I knew a woman)
  • I knew a woman (I knew a woman, lovely in her bones) (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) - W. Bolcom *
  • Interlude () (from Open House) - N. Rorem [x] *
  • I saw a young snake glide (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) * - N. Rorem (Snake)
  • I strolled across an open field (I strolled across) (from The Lost Son and Other Poems) - N. Rorem *
  • I strolled across/ An open field (from The Lost Son and Other Poems) * (The waking) - J. Cloud, D. Hagen, N. Rorem
  • I strolled across (from The Lost Son and Other Poems) * - J. Cloud, D. Hagen, N. Rorem (The waking)
  • I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow (from The Waking: Poems 1933-1953) * - A. Betinis, W. Bolcom, S. Grill, N. Rorem (The waking)
  • Let others probe the mystery if they can * - W. Bolcom
  • Meditation at Oyster River () - S. Gendel [x] *
  • Meditations of an old woman (What can I tell my bones) (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) [x] *
  • Memory () (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) - N. Rorem [x] *
  • My lizard, my lively writher (from The Far Field) * - S. Barber (Wish for a young wife)
  • My lizard (My lizard, my lively writher) (from The Far Field) - S. Barber *
  • My papa's waltz (The whiskey on your breath) (from The Lost Son and Other Poems) - D. Diamond, N. Rorem *
  • Myrtle's cousin () (from I Am! Says the Lamb) - S. Adler [x] *
  • Myrtle () (from I Am! Says the Lamb) - S. Adler [x] *
  • My secrets cry aloud (from Open House) * - W. Bolcom (Open house)
  • Night crow () (from The Lost Son and Other Poems) - N. Rorem [x] *
  • On love's worst ugly day (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke - Meditation of an Old Woman) * - W. Bolcom (First meditation)
  • Open house (My secrets cry aloud) (from Open House) - W. Bolcom *
  • Orchids (They lean over the path) (from The Lost Son and Other Poems) - N. Rorem *
  • Root cellar () - N. Rorem [x] *
  • Snake (I saw a young snake glide) (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) - N. Rorem *
  • Song (From whence cometh song?) (From whence cometh song?) (from The Far Field) *
  • Song (From whence cometh song?) (from The Far Field) - D. Hagen, N. Rorem, S. Sargon *
  • The apparition () (from The Far Field) - N. Rorem [x] *
  • The cow (There once was a cow) (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) - K. Benshoof, H. Lindenfeld *
  • The Hippo (A head or tail which does he lack?) - I. Venables *
  • The kitty-cat bird () (from I Am! Says the Lamb) - G. Kubik [x] *
  • The lamb () (from I Am! Says the Lamb) - G. Kubik [x] *
  • The monotony song () (from I Am! Says the Lamb) - G. Kubik, J. Lamb [x] *
  • There once was a cow (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) * - K. Benshoof, H. Lindenfeld (The cow)
  • There was a Serpent who had to sing (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) * - W. Bolcom, L. Hoiby, A. Imbrie, G. Kubik, N. Rorem (The serpent)
  • The right thing (Let others probe the mystery if they can) - W. Bolcom *
  • The serpent (There was a Serpent who had to sing) (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) - W. Bolcom, L. Hoiby, A. Imbrie, G. Kubik, N. Rorem *
  • The sloth () (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) - G. Kubik [x] *
  • The voice () (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) - H. Baumgartner [x] *
  • The waking (I strolled across) (from The Lost Son and Other Poems) - J. Cloud, D. Hagen *
  • The waking (I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow) (from The Waking: Poems 1933-1953) - A. Betinis, W. Bolcom, S. Grill, N. Rorem *
  • The weeds () - M. Timpson [x] *
  • The whiskey on your breath (from The Lost Son and Other Poems) * - D. Diamond, N. Rorem (My papa's waltz)
  • The yak () (from I Am! Says the Lamb) - S. Adler [x] *
  • They lean over the path (from The Lost Son and Other Poems) * - N. Rorem (Orchids)
  • What can I tell my bones (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) [x] * - N. Rorem (Meditations of an old woman)
  • What can I tell my bones (What can I tell my bones) (from Words for the Wind: The Collected Verse of Theodore Roethke) - N. Rorem [x] *
  • Wish for a young wife (My lizard, my lively writher) (from The Far Field) *

Last update: 2023-02-05 11:38:07

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