Author Description

Stephen Paulus is a prolific American composer of the twenty-first century. Together with his primary collaborator Michael Dennis Browne, an English born, American poet, he has produced numerous compositions ranging from choral works to operatic. This document introduces Paulus' early song cycle for tenor Mad Book, Shadow Book: Songs of Michael Morley ("Michael Morley Creaked," "Falling Asleep in the Afternoon," "I Feel Good Running," "Morley's Root Song," "Calm, Calm," and "Et in Arcadia, Morley"). Included is biographical and stylistic information about the composer and the poet, general information about the song cycle, and a performer's guide to the songs, followed by a conclusion. Appendices include the texts of the cycle, a catalogue of Paulus' published songs, a list of Browne's works, and transcriptions of interviews with the composer and the poet, as well as letters of permission.