Poldowski (née Régine Wieniawski) (1879-1932) was born in Brussels to an exceptionally musical family. Her father was Polish and her mother British, and eventually she moved to London for the remainder of her life. The Verlaine settings have a great deal of French influence; she also has a set of songs of William Blake poems.Musical clips performed by Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, and Ellen Rissinger, piano:Songs to Texts by Paul Verlaine:SpleenMandolineL'heure exquiseFantochesRecorded at Morningstar Studios in Norristown, PA.***So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree

For your "Twix-bar of an episode", today we are talking about Jane Vieu (1871-1955) and Mel Bonis (1858-1937). Jane Vieu started composing at age 11 and studied composition with Massenet. Mel Bonis had rather Wagnerian-opera life story, due to her parents' attempts to control her--she became a musician despite their machinations.For anyone who has never heard Anna Russell, check out the YouTube clip of her with Canto dolciamente pipo (her Italian is intentionally not perfect!).Musical clips performed by Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, and Ellen Rissinger, piano:Vieu (found in Anthology of Songs, the score is available from many libraries and through ILL):Belle au bois dormantChanson fleurieBonis:Le chat sur le toitRecorded at Morningstar Studios in Norristown, PA.Exactly Counter: Ellen 1, Toni 1***So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree

Get ready for this gold mine as we welcome the Dr. Louise Toppin to the pod. She shares her experiences and wisdom with a beautiful sense of purpose, including the importance of mentorship, how we can all engage with Spirituals and art song by Black composers more widely, and that one time she sang five different sets of ornaments for Joan Sutherland and felt very thankful for being extra prepared. As Director of both the George Shirley Vocal Competition and Singing Down the Barriers workshop at the University of Michigan, she knows firsthand how to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Dive in and get ready to learn!Listen to Louise's latest album, Dear Friends and Gentle HeartsOrder Black Song: A Manifesto for Music and Justice***Have a question you want answered by Laura and Sam on a future episode? Share your thoughts with a voice memo or written note through our new #TeamArtSong Mailbag!Nominate a phenomenal artist in your local community for a shoutout in our Songsters in Your Neighborhood segment!***Song Cycle is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.

Carrie Jacobs-Bond (1862-1946) was the most successful song composer of the late 19th-early 20th centuries, combing Parlor Songs with traditional art song and creating her own publishing company to support herself as a single mother. She had songs that sold over 25 million copies--in the 1910s! She also self-published her own autobiography, The Roads of Melody. 11 Small Songs as Unpretentious as the Wild RoseWhere Youth's Eternal7 Songs as Unpretentious as the Wild RoseI Love You Truly11 Small Songs as Unpretentious as the Wild RoseTis Summer In Thine EyesHalf-Minute SongsMusical clips performed by Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, and Ellen Rissinger, piano:Recorded at Morningstar Studios in Norristown, PA.Exactly Counter--Ellen 0!!!, Toni 0***So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree

Written for amateur SATB ensemble and piano four hands, the opus 52 Liebeslieder Waltzer were the original Hausmusik and so popular with the people that sales of the waltzes were the source of much of Brahms' wealth.  Live performance by soprano Murrella Parton, mezzo-soprano Kathryn Leemhuis, tenor Dominic Armstrong, baritone Jorell Williams, and pianists Marie-France Lefebvre and Allen Perriello.Follow the Lieder is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about their network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.