Search - Dillon Bustin :: Willow of the Wilderness

lyrical verses by Ralph Waldo Emerson adapted into song by Dillon Bustin In his seminal essay Nature (1836) Ralph Waldo Emerson asked, concerning his generation, "Why should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe?" Seven generations later, I ask, "And why should we not enjoy an original relationship with Emerson and his writings?" Here are poems?and fragments of unfinished poems?that I?ve enjoyed for a long while, and I believe Emerson would endorse their release from printed books and archived manuscripts into the open air again. At Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts, we sing his verses at the seasonal celebrations of the Musketaquid program in arts and the environment. Emerson began writing poetry at age nine, shortly after the death of his father. Before he tried being a teacher, or a minister, or a lecturer, he aspired to be a poet. As he once wrote to a friend, he wished to supply the choral hymns of a new age. Like all poets of the Romantic period, Emerson welcomed his lyrical verses being sung or at least recited aloud from memory, especially for public occasions. As a singer who internalizes texts and composes melodies "by ear," I have memorized Emerson?s pieces as I may and remembered them as I will. Any excisions or ellipses or tinkerings with phrasing have been done for the sake of the music. Several of the poems have been adapted for extemporaneous group singing, with a passage repeated as a refrain. Readers who wish to know exactly how the words were written should consult the bibliographical notes inside. One hundred and fifty-six years after Emerson published Poems, his lyrics are not only in the idea stream of the public domain, they are sublimating into oral tradition. Many of his most striking stanzas were not published during his lifetime, yet he continues to become the bard he wished to be. ---Dillon Bustin, Executive Director Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts is housed in the former Emerson School, a public high school built in tribute to Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1929. With studios for individual artists; classrooms for visual art, craft, dance, and creative writing; a theater; and offices for other non-profit organizations, this arts center is indeed a cultural umbrella for Concord and the surrounding region. The Musketaquid program at Emerson Umbrella seeks to link discovery of art with passion for nature. Believing we can find our interconnection with the earth through the arts, Musketaquid provides opportunities to create and experience art while exploring and learning about the regional environment. Before this area was known as Concord, the indigenous people called it Musketaquid, "the place where water flows through the grasses." Honoring the wisdom that names a place according to its nature, a group of local artists founded an arts-and-environment program and named it Musketaquid. In the truest sense of community, everyone is encouraged to participate?children and adults of all ages and skills, environmental groups, schools and businesses. While centered in Concord, Musketaquid extends to and welcomes the broader community. All proceeds from sales of Willow of the Wilderness will benefit our educational outreach efforts.