A DOME OF MANY-COLOURED GLASS
for tenor and piano
 
An Expressive Contemporary English Art Song Cycle
A Dome of Many-Coloured Glass (2002) by Lior Navok is a 20-minute song cycle for tenor and piano, setting poems by Amy Lowell. Inspired by Lowell’s verses for children, the work shifts between the perspectives of child and adult, capturing moments of discovery, imagination, and emotional nuance. Commissioned by Joe Dan Harper and Anne Kissel Harper with support from the St. Botolph Club Foundation, the cycle offers performers a rich and expressive addition to the modern English art song repertoire and the contemporary catalog for tenor and piano.
 
Listen to the Recording and Find More Information Here
 
About the Music
A Dome of Many‑Coloured Glass is a 20‑minute song cycle for tenor and piano setting five poems by Amy Lowell. The work moves between the imaginative world of childhood and the reflective voice of adulthood, capturing moments of wonder, playfulness, and emotional nuance. Lowell’s vivid imagery becomes a springboard for musical scenes that shift between lyricism, rhythmic clarity, and intimate storytelling. Written for tenor Joe Dan Harper and pianist Anne Kissel Harper, the cycle offers performers a substantial and expressive contribution to the modern English‑language art‑song repertoire. It is suited to advanced students and professional singers, favoring clarity of text, flexibility of color, and expressive nuance. The five‑song structure allows for either full performance or selective excerpting in recitals exploring childhood, memory, imagination, or American poetry. It is highly effective for competitions and auditions that value storytelling, diction, and interpretive depth, proving particularly strong in intimate halls where the piano serves as an expressive partner without overshadowing the voice.
 
Program Notes
Amy Lowell’s verses for children brought back many flashbacks from my childhood – a period of exploration, discovery, and achieving little victories that we as adults often take for granted. My approach while composing the songs was to constantly shift between the perspectives of a child and an adult in interpreting the given situations.
A Dome of Many-Coloured Glass was commissioned by Joe Dan Harper and Anne Kissel Harper and was made possible by a grant from the St. Botolph Club Foundation.
 
Specifications
Duration: 20 minutes
Year Composed: 2002
Instrumentation: Tenor and Piano
Text: Amy Lowell
Language: English
 
Product Information
Hard Score (Score)
Condition: New
PDF DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE