Song of Solomon: a cantata

Abstract

Song of Solomon is a cantata in six movements set to texts from the book, Song of Solomon, from the King James Version of the Bible. Passages are selected from chapters one, two, four, five, seven, and eight and ordered in a manner to facilitate a literary and musical flow. The cantata follows the romantic journey of two young lovers, and the story is an exploration and celebration of the beauty and delight they find in each other. The instrumentation features soprano and baritone solos accompanied by an ensemble of five wind instruments (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon) and four string instruments (two violins, viola and cello).