Songs of the Wood
composed by J. A. Devor

dedicated to the performers: 
Strummer Steele - soprano
Aaron Hungerford - piano
© 2020 JDevor Music, LLC

George Washington Sears (aka. Nessmuk) was a sportswriter for Forest and Stream magazine in the late nineteenth century. He is still one of the most widely read authors in the American bushcraft community. In 1887, a few years prior to his death, he published a collection of poems entitled Forest Runes, celebrating the glory of living alone in nature. His poems often depict quirky or witty tales of specific animals or entities roaming through the woods and mountains.

I chose to set these four poems out of Sears' collection because of the direct and self-sustaining narrative written into each. Each poem addresses a contrasting relationship between an individual and the mindset needed to attain peace with the outdoors. “That Trout” tells the comedic tale of a narrator quasi-fighting with the outdoors, failing again and again to catch the piscatorial wonder. "Flight of the Goddess" is Sears' counterargument to an article in the October 1867 edition of Atlantic Monthly. Here, the narrator tells of an encounter with a Goddess who was previously living in the city, only to realize their relationship is eternally fleeting. Differing from the other three songs, "Disheartened" does not have a literal plot, but is an existential reflection of life's purpose if no one is ever truly honest with each other. “Isabel Nye” was a beautiful woman approached by several suitors during the autumn season, only to be won over by the Devil himself.

Songs of the Wood

from "Songs of the Wood"
composed by J. A. Devor

dedicated to the performers: 
Strummer Steele - soprano
Aaron Hungerford - piano
© 2020 JDevor Music, LLC

George Washington Sears (aka. Nessmuk) was a sportswriter for Forest and Stream magazine in the late nineteenth century. He is still one of the most widely read authors in the American bushcraft community. In 1887, a few years prior to his death, he published a collection of poems entitled Forest Runes, celebrating the glory of living alone in nature. His poems often depict quirky or witty tales of specific animals or entities roaming through the woods and mountains.

I chose to set these four poems out of Sears' collection because of the direct and self-sustaining narrative written into each. Each poem addresses a contrasting relationship between an individual and the mindset needed to attain peace with the outdoors. 

Differing from the other three songs, "Disheartened" does not have a literal plot, but is an existential reflection of life's purpose if no one is ever truly honest with each other.

Disheartened

from "Songs of the Wood"
composed by J. A. Devor

dedicated to the performers: 
Strummer Steele - soprano
Aaron Hungerford - piano
© 2020 JDevor Music, LLC

George Washington Sears (aka. Nessmuk) was a sportswriter for Forest and Stream magazine in the late nineteenth century. He is still one of the most widely read authors in the American bushcraft community. In 1887, a few years prior to his death, he published a collection of poems entitled Forest Runes, celebrating the glory of living alone in nature. His poems often depict quirky or witty tales of specific animals or entities roaming through the woods and mountains.

I chose to set these four poems out of Sears' collection because of the direct and self-sustaining narrative written into each. Each poem addresses a contrasting relationship between an individual and the mindset needed to attain peace with the outdoors.

"Flight of the Goddess" is Sears' counterargument to an article in the October 1867 edition of Atlantic Monthly. Here, the narrator tells of an encounter with a Goddess who was previously living in the city, only to realize their relationship is eternally fleeting.

Flight Of The Goddess

from "Songs of the Wood"
composed by J. A. Devor

dedicated to the performers: 
Strummer Steele - soprano
Aaron Hungerford - piano
© 2020 JDevor Music, LLC

George Washington Sears (aka. Nessmuk) was a sportswriter for Forest and Stream magazine in the late nineteenth century. He is still one of the most widely read authors in the American bushcraft community. In 1887, a few years prior to his death, he published a collection of poems entitled Forest Runes, celebrating the glory of living alone in nature. His poems often depict quirky or witty tales of specific animals or entities roaming through the woods and mountains.

I chose to set these four poems out of Sears' collection because of the direct and self-sustaining narrative written into each. Each poem addresses a contrasting relationship between an individual and the mindset needed to attain peace with the outdoors. 

“That Trout” tells the comedic tale of a narrator quasi-fighting with the outdoors, failing again and again to catch the "piscatorial wonder."

That Trout

from "Songs of the Wood"
composed by J. A. Devor

dedicated to the performers: 
Strummer Steele - soprano
Aaron Hungerford - piano
© 2020 JDevor Music, LLC

George Washington Sears (aka. Nessmuk) was a sportswriter for Forest and Stream magazine in the late nineteenth century. He is still one of the most widely read authors in the American bushcraft community. In 1887, a few years prior to his death, he published a collection of poems entitled Forest Runes, celebrating the glory of living alone in nature. His poems often depict quirky or witty tales of specific animals or entities roaming through the woods and mountains.

I chose to set these four poems out of Sears' collection because of the direct and self-sustaining narrative written into each. Each poem addresses a contrasting relationship between an individual and the mindset needed to attain peace with the outdoors. 

“Isabel Nye” was a beautiful woman approached by several suitors during the autumn season, only to be won over by the Devil himself.

Isabel Nye

James A. Devor (b. 1998) is an American composer, sound artist and double bassist whose styles pulls from a diverse array of musical backgrounds. His music grapples with rapidly-changing human emotions and attempts to sort through the natural chaos of the world. When writing, he focuses on the act of collaboration which occurs between the composer, performers and audience.

Contact me via my website or email at jdevormusic@gmail.com for scores, commissions or collaborations.

Songs of the Wood

James Devor