The music of American composer, Lori Laitman, has charmed and impressed many art song enthusiasts, inspiring both admiration and devotion. Having written over 200 art songs, the American composer has continually earned the respect of critics as well as other composers, and perhaps most of all, singers. Her great respect for and assiduous attention to text and melody, in an age where something as simple as a memorable melody can seem scarce, has won her a place within the hearts of many. Known for her lyric writing - her soaring phrases and brilliant climaxes – Laitman’s music is both rewarding, and at times, deceptively difficult. Her music has been recorded and performed by numerous professional artists, and has finally landed the composer an entry in the eminent Grove Dictionary of American Music (which will be added to the 2012 edition).
Along with a biography of the composer, this paper takes a look at Laitman’s compositional technique as applied to the song cycles Sunflowers and Early Snow. An examination of these songs reveals Laitman’s various melodic and harmonic methods used both to enhance her music as well as bind it together. This exploration provides insight into Lori Laitman’s compositional style, devices, architecture, and musical palette.
","abstract_html":"<p>The music of American composer, Lori Laitman, has charmed and impressed many art song enthusiasts, inspiring both admiration and devotion. Having written over 200 art songs, the American composer has continually earned the respect of critics as well as other composers, and perhaps most of all, singers. Her great respect for and assiduous attention to text and melody, in an age where something as simple as a memorable melody can seem scarce, has won her a place within the hearts of many. Known for her lyric writing - her soaring phrases and brilliant climaxes – Laitman’s music is both rewarding, and at times, deceptively difficult. Her music has been recorded and performed by numerous professional artists, and has finally landed the composer an entry in the eminent Grove Dictionary of American Music (which will be added to the 2012 edition).</p><p>Along with a biography of the composer, this paper takes a look at Laitman’s compositional technique as applied to the song cycles Sunflowers and Early Snow. An examination of these songs reveals Laitman’s various melodic and harmonic methods used both to enhance her music as well as bind it together. This exploration provides insight into Lori Laitman’s compositional style, devices, architecture, and musical palette.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Allen, Helen Teresa"],"institution":"The Ohio State University","degree_name":"Doctor of Musical Arts","degree_level":"doctoral","degree_discipline":"Music","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Rice, Robin"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-05-20","date_published":"2013-05-20","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:36:08Z","subjects":["Music","Lori Laitman","Sunflowers","Early Snow","Laitman Songs Analysis"],"languages":["English"],"rights":["unrestricted","This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1356105865","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Rice, Robin"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Allen, Helen Teresa"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2013-05-20"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["The Ohio State University / OhioLINK"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Electronic Thesis or Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Music"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Musical Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["The Ohio State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Music","Lori Laitman","Sunflowers","Early Snow","Laitman Songs Analysis"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["unrestricted","This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1356105865"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["The music of American composer, Lori Laitman, has charmed and impressed many art song enthusiasts, inspiring both admiration and devotion. Having written over 200 art songs, the American composer has continually earned the respect of critics as well as other composers, and perhaps most of all, singers. Her great respect for and assiduous attention to text and melody, in an age where something as simple as a memorable melody can seem scarce, has won her a place within the hearts of many. Known for her lyric writing - her soaring phrases and brilliant climaxes – Laitman’s music is both rewarding, and at times, deceptively difficult. Her music has been recorded and performed by numerous professional artists, and has finally landed the composer an entry in the eminent Grove Dictionary of American Music (which will be added to the 2012 edition).
Along with a biography of the composer, this paper takes a look at Laitman’s compositional technique as applied to the song cycles Sunflowers and Early Snow. An examination of these songs reveals Laitman’s various melodic and harmonic methods used both to enhance her music as well as bind it together. This exploration provides insight into Lori Laitman’s compositional style, devices, architecture, and musical palette.
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Along with a biography of the composer, this paper takes a look at Laitman’s compositional technique as applied to the song cycles Sunflowers and Early Snow. An examination of these songs reveals Laitman’s various melodic and harmonic methods used both to enhance her music as well as bind it together. This exploration provides insight into Lori Laitman’s compositional style, devices, architecture, and musical palette.
"],"dc:format":["application/pdf","p.131","6.11 MB"],"dc:identifier":["http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1356105865"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:publisher":["The Ohio State University / OhioLINK"],"dc:rights":["unrestricted","This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws."],"dc:subject":["Music","Lori Laitman","Sunflowers","Early Snow","Laitman Songs Analysis"],"dc:title":["The Songs of Lori Laitman: An Analysis of Sunflowers and Early Snow"],"dc:type":["Electronic Thesis or Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Music"],"thesis:degree_level":["doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Musical Arts"],"thesis:institution_name":["The Ohio State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:36:08Z"}