Four Motets

My tastes have tended long to run
Towards the quite obscure:
In music and in painting and
In much of literature

It’s never really bothered me
Or, not enough to fuss:
That there are few I’ve ever found
To chat with or discuss

These things I love. For instance,
In his early college days
A. Copland wrote these four motets
In which there’s much to praise

Of sadnesss, yet of hope, and then
Of exultation, too:
I’m sure there’s some who would agree
If there were more
Who knew

 (The first of the Four Motets, “Help Us, O Lord”, sung by the Chestnut Street Singers)

Unsung Heroes

We all have our semi-secret, less-known personal favorites — a great B-side, an early work by an artist that later became famous, an obscure (but delicious) family recipe. Share one of your unsung heroes with us — how did you discover it? Why has it stayed off everyone’s radar?

5 thoughts on “Four Motets

    1. That is an obscure one…. Always thought the riff had a kind of James Bond thing going. My favorite late Beatles would probably be “Julia”. I also always loved “I’m A Loser” from their earlier days. “Junk” was a late period song they never released: Paul did on the McCartney album. I love that song.

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