Composer’s notes: Traditional haiku incorporates a seasonal word or topic in its three lines
to evoke an image. These pieces were originally created for the 2013 Haiku North American
Conference. We decided to collaborate to create new pieces for the event to express the joy
found in making music in harmony with nature; Marcyn wrote haiku, and I realized her
words in sound. The Village Pipers have performed these in many outdoor venues.
In some of these pieces, the poem is read before the music is played. In others, the words are
incorporated into the fabric of the music. The poems can be read by a guest reader or by the
players themselves.

The joy in Mockingbird reflects the playful nature of the bird’s song with little repetitions
throughout.

Nighthawk imagines a sunset fading. At the end, you hear the plaintive call of the bird in the
grace notes.

One can imagine the ripples from various Lotus Flower Seeds as they spread and overlap
with others as the white koi swims smoothly underneath.

Rainbows mentions early music. The independent lines of each voice recall the linear
compositional style of medieval music.

Editor's notes: Four delightful short pieces match the carefully crafted brevity of their accompanying poems while evoking the imagery suggested by them. Playalong recordings with one part missing are available for ARS members at www.americanrecorder.org — Glen Shannon