Suffrage Signatures [15]

Composed in 2020 in commemoration of the 100^th anniversary of women’s right to vote, Suffrage Signatures is a four movement chamber work  which brings the private lives and intimate relationships of iconic New York suffragettes to life through music.  The inspiration for the work is the New York Public Library’s extensive collection of the handwritten letters of these New York pioneers.

Suffrage Signatures’ first movement depicts the deepening friendships between Susan B. Anthony and her colleagues, their increasing intimacy beyond the public proceedings of Seneca Falls or the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

The second movement focuses on Elizabeth Cady Stanton as a granny, advising her grandson on his grammar and his pony.

The women’s fervent belief in the mysteries of seances, phrenology and other now-debunked pseudo-sciences animate the eerie third Séance movement.

And the final movement celebrates the support of 500 British and Irish suffrage leaders congratulating Susan B. Anthony on her 80^th birthday.     A tribute from across the Atlantic!

Composed for the Cante Libra ensemble, the work is set for flute, harp, violin, viola and cello and portrays, through music, the inner lives of these remarkable women.