Steven Mark Kohn

Three Impudent Arias

The texts for these songs are adapted from Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914), one of America's most fearless and biting satirists. It is safe to say that these songs are probably not for every performer. They require a good dose of theatrical dash and a bit of raw nerve, not exactly your formal recital staples. While they do have a suggestively masculine tone, a female singer with the right irreverence and attitude could certainly bring them off. (The composer suggests that these three songs be performed as a set as opposed to individually. They were constructed to achieve a certain balance as a set.)