David Kulma

For Baritone and Piano

    Settings of poems by E. E. Cummings

       1. i thank You God for most this amazing

       2. i like my body when it is with your

       3. when god lets my body be

I began thinking of creating a cycle of five songs from poems of E. E. Cummings back in 2005. After choosing the poems, and an abortive attempt, I set them aside until I revisited the idea in December of 2008. After setting the erotic “i like my body when it is with your,” I decided to eliminate two of the poems for a three-song structure. I wanted to create a large contrast between the poems to show the breadth of Cummings from erotic to religious ecstasy. “i thank You God for most this amazing” celebrates the wonders of nature and our planet, “i like my body when it is with your” celebrates the joys of a lover, and “when god lets my body be” shows the fantastic journey your body might take upon death via the circle of life.