The Nervous Family

Edward Lear

The genesis of this work came when a commission was offered me by the Young People's Chorus of New York. I had never written a choral work for young people before, and the challenge was one that fascinated me. Suffice it to say I accepted the commission and began exploring texts. One had to be very careful and avoid writing "down" to such a choral group. I was sent examples of other compositions written for them, all of excellent quality.

What struck me, however, was the nature of the texts themselves. Some were more serious in nature than others, some had flashs of fantasy and others were whimsical. It seemed to me, however, that a text rooted in humor would be a natural medium for a young chorus, and so I began my exploration.

In due course I came across the poetry and wit of the English poet Edward Lear. His writing appealed to me immediately and before long I discovered The Nervous Family. In this work an entire family is hilariously nervous - mother, grandmother, daughter, dog, and so on. It carries on from one nervous discourse to another. In choosing a musical accompaniment for this piece the choice of a bassoon seemed the most logical and natural one.

Writing this work presented its own challenges, i.e., not to write too high or too low the vocal range. What I learned was that, as always, necessity is the mother of invention. One does what one has to do. When the last note of the piece was put down I had a feeling of total exhilaration with this choral effort, and in my mind's eye I already saw and heard the young choristers giggling with delight at their task.