The Desire for Solitude: The Secret Poems of Irish Monks

Medieval monks worked long hours in silence copying and illustrating manuscripts. But what happened when their minds began to wander? Composer Samuel Barber has set to music real marginalia from Irish monastic texts between the 8th and 13th centuries. Hear Barber’s songs in a live performance and learn more about the lyrics and the lives of the monks who wrote them.
Elizabeth-Jane McGuire, Ph.D. - Lecturer
Elizabeth Springuel, M.Ed. - Soprano
Barbara Browne - Piano