I composed the Lake Isle of Innisfree for the 10th annual Brothers, Sing On! Choir
Festival in 2018. I had, however, worked on the theme for some time prior to receiving
the commission, due to the passing of my grandfather, the year before. Knowing the
festival’s emphasis on music for the tenor and bass voice, I found it to be the perfect
setting for this piece in honor of my grandfather, and of the role that father and
grandfather figures played in the way my worldview was shaped.
I chose the William B. Yeats poem for its emphasis on the serenity of living in nature,
as some of my fondest memories with my grandfather involved camping and fishing
around the beautiful lakes of Oregon. The main melodic motives of the piece are
inspired by Celtic musical practices, after the poet’s own origin. This is particularly
seen in the quick ornamentations of the solo line and the droning rhythmic pulse of
the piano. Throughout the course of writing this piece, I came to view the poet’s cabin
on the isle as a parallel to
