Leonard Bernstein

A Choral Quilt

A quilt is often referred to as a comforter; and it is in this sense of warmth and protection that I have designed this musical quilt.Of the six songs that make up the quilt, two are choral to begin with; but they are not exact replicas of the originals. Adaptations of various kinds have been made; and only the last two numbers are presented in full. Shortened versions of the other selections are basically due to the leading factor of going from one number to the next. I use a stitching technique in which one lyric or musical segment either overlaps or anticipate the following.The composer was a man not only driven by the belief that we can can envision a better world, but by the Hebraic precept of tikun olam, that we are obligated to repair it. Perhaps this Bernstein quilt can be part of that healing process. Jack Gottlieb