Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

We’ve all heard the name Robert Frost (1874-1963) who is most famous for his poem The Road Not Taken. He is hailed as one of the great American Poets and the only person to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He was appointed the Poet Laureate of the United States in 1958 along with winning other various prizes and titles for his poetry. He spent most of his adult life teaching at various colleges and universities. Many of his poems feature realistic depictions of rural life and incorporate natural settings, while maintaining an almost speech like cadence to his prose. His poetry explores some deeper feelings and examinations of life and we can see that in his poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.

Many of Robert Frost’s poems have be taken and used in musical pieces and famously the set of poems put into the Frostiana piece by Randall Thompson. This collection of songs composed to Frost’s poems, the poet himself was able to see performed. However, there are many different compositions set to Frost’s poetry and even many compositions set to Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. The most recent composition by Eric Whitacre, gives a whole new perspective to the poem with the purposeful dissonance. Eric Whitacre wrote this composition in 2000, but had to take it out of publication due to not gaining permission from Frost’s estate and the poem was not yet in the public domain for use. Now that the poem is in the public domain, Whitacre’s version is once again able to be released. He uniquely captures the scenes set in Frost’s poem in a way that truly makes you feel the way the words intend you to feel. It’s a wonderful blend of music and poetry unlike previous iterations of this poem in musical composition. Hearing the music while reading the poetry transports you to a cold winter in the countryside.

Take a listen to the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCHFxcHf0r4&list=PLYHiSe5KqJNU&index=3

You can also listen to Eric Whitacre discuss his composition and how it came to life here: https://ericwhitacre.com/music-catalog/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening

Robert Frost has always been my favorite poet and it has been a great joy to hear his poetry gain new life.

JL