Jean Valentine (1934-2020)
On December 29 the American poet Jean Valentine passed away at the age of 86. Jean’s poetry has significantly and directly influenced my work for many years, perhaps more than any other non-musical artist that I have ever encountered. I am deeply saddened by her passing, and wanted to share some pieces that would not exist in their current form without her work.
Over the past several years, Jean’s work haas consistently served as inspiration, comfort, and motivation in my music. In 2017, I set several of her poems in a song cycle, Under the Gold, performed first by Whitney Cleveland and Nevada Lozano in New York City and later by Christina Swanson and Sonya Belaya at the Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor. In 2018 her poem “One Foot in the Dark” inspired my trio for Sonya Belaya, Kellen Degnan, and Jasper Zientek (through a Detroit Composers’ Project commission), which I named after the text. In 2019, Perry Roth commissioned a new work for saxophone which nods to a line in one her poems “another frame dragging blue or brighter blue: strange lights:” Her words are more like music than not, capturing indescribable feelings so precisely it seems impossible that her english language is the same as mine. Reading her poems, for me, is like remembering a dream that is critical and vivid, yet unexplainable. Jean has said about her own work — “I am going towards the spiritual rather than away from it.”
I feel indebted to Jean’s work and legacy and I have no doubt that I will turn to her work for years to come. Rest in peace, Jean (1934-2020).
Listen to the referenced works:
“In the Evening” from Under the Gold (2017), performed at the Kerrytown Concert House (Ann Arbor, MI) by Christina Swanson, soprano; and Sonya Belaya, piano.
One Foot in the Dark (2018), performed at the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, MI) by Jasper Zientek, viola; Kellen Degnan, cello; and Sonya Belaya, piano.
Strange Lights (2019), performed at the International Navy Band Saxophone Symposium (Washington D.C.) by Perry Roth (commissioner), alto saxophone and Elisabeth Tomczyk, piano.
“Woman, Leaving” from Under the Gold (2017) rehearsal recording for the 7Songwriters Series (NYC), with Nevada Lozano, piano and Whitney Cleveland, soprano.