In the May/June, 2008 issue of Journal of Singing, editor Richard Sjoerdsma described Chester Biscardi as “. . . a major American composer, a remarkably talented, imaginative, and mature voice of one whose oeuvre seem destined to enter the canon of important contemporary American song literature.” Although Biscardi enjoys an illustrious reputation and has been the recipient of some of our field’s most prestigious awards, including the Rome Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a commission from the Koussevitsky Music Foundation, his vocal works have not been disseminated and performed perhaps as much as they deserve. It is to be hoped that the recent publication of this anthology of sixteen songs will rectify this omission and make his excellent work more readily known and available to voice teachers and singers.

The anthology (also available as an e-book on Kindle) includes individual songs, an aria excerpted from his chamber opera Tightrope (1985), songs from the cycles Modern Love Songs, Sailors and Dreamers (2007–10), originally a piece for voice and chamber ensemble, and The Gift of Life (1990–1993), written for the talented husband and wife duo, soprano Judith Bettina and pianist James Goldsworthy. Mr. Biscardi’s poet choices for these include Emily Dickinson, Denise Levertov, Thornton Wilder, Allen Ginsberg, Sheldon Harnick, Muriel Rukeyser, and Carl Sandburg. Like his contemporary, composer Ricky Ian Gordon, Biscardi imbues many of his songs with a sense of lying “somewhere between cabaret/standard tunes and the contemporary art song” (chesterbiscardi.com). Many of these pieces have an incantatory feel, with chant-like delivery of phrases. The songs range in difficulty, with most melodic lines rangy and challenging, tessitura-wise, while giving the illusion of ease and tonal accessibility. Biscardi’s extraordinary gifts as a composer are informed by his training as a pianist, by his deep appreciation of iconic American voices like Aaron Copland and George Gershwin, and the importance of literature as a springboard for all his creative effort. The resulting effect is one of open, transparent, and effortless song built over a deep and structurally complex (harmonically and melodically) foundation.