There was an Old Man (2013)

For tenor (or soprano) and violin
Poems: Edward Lear
Duration: ca. 6 min

Here is a recording of the premier by Brian Thorsett and Natalie Carducci.

There was an Old Man with a beard
Who said, “it is just as I feared!–
Two Owls and a Hern, four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nexts in my beard.

There was an Old Man of the Isles
Whose face was pervaded with smiles;
He sang “High dum diddle,” and played on the fiddle,
that amicable Man of the Isles.

There was an Old Man with a flute,–
A “sarpent” ran into his boot!
But he played day and night, till the “sarpint” took flight,
And avoided that Man with a flute.

There was a Young Lady whose chin
Resembled the point of a pin;
So she had it made sharp, and purchased a harp,
And played several tunes with her chin.

There was an Old Man of West Dumpet
Who possessed a large nose like a trumpet;
When he blew it aloud, it astonished the crowd,
And was heard through the whose of West Dumpet.

There was an Old Person of Wick
Who said, “Tick-a-tick, Tick-a-Tick;
Chickabee, Chickabaw.” And he said nothing more,
That laconic Old Person of Wick.

There was an Old Person of Ischia,
Whose conduct grew friskier and frisker;
He dance hornpipes and jigs, and ate thousands of figs,
That lively Old Person of Ischia.

There was an Old Derry Down Derry,
Who loved to see little folks merry;
So he made them a Book, and with laughter they shook,
At the fun of that Derry Down Derry.