Sixteen Dead Men

Composer: James May

Text: Dora Sigerson Shorter

Performers: Dylon Crain, tenor; Katherine Alberts, English Horn; Jackie Royce, bassoon; Elliot Eckel, piano

Recorded live in Comstock Hall, Louisville, Ky

"In 1916, a group of Irish men (and women) began a rebellion that came to be known as the “Easter Rising.” It was a multi-day, bloody affair that ultimately resulted in the death of many and—for the moment—no further independence from the rule of England. However, the Easter Rising is widely accepted as one, if not the, linchpin that set into play following years of rebellion against the Crown, which ultimately resulted in Ireland’s independence. Ireland has historically maintained an incredibly rich literary culture—figures such as James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, Oscar Wilde, and Seamus Heaney dominate the English-language canon. Unsurprisingly, the effects of the 1916 rebellion were etched into poems and novels by nearly anybody alive at the time or alive since—among them, a poet named Dora Sigerson Shorter (1866 – 1918). Shorter was profoundly affected by the events of the Easter Rising and, by all accounts, passed away from the heartbreak and strain of the war. Her poem “Sixteen Dead Men” (which shares its title with a poem on the same subject by Yeats) was published posthumously, and pays homage to the leaders of the Easter Rising who were executed for their involvement in the event. I’m deeply invested in Irish history and culture. My grandparents were from Ireland, and I’ve been fortunate enough to study there. I wanted to somehow bring that investment into my compositional output, and this poem presented the perfect opportunity. However, rather than set every line, I have only given those lines spoken by the poem’s narrator to the vocalist; the words of the “dead men” are rhythmically articulated by the English horn and bassoon, but otherwise go unspoken (perhaps similar to the suggested poetic scene)." -James May