Can I buy recordings of your music?

Yes. Recordings are available by clicking here or through Amazon.com or iTunes.com.

Do I need your permission to perform your songs? How do you get performance royalties?

Once the song is published, you automatically have my permission. I am always delighted to hear about performances, so please feel free to email me. I would also ask that if you are performing my music on a concert or series that charges admission, or on a music festival, that you kindly send a copy of the program to Broadcast Music, Inc (BMI), so that I may receive performance royalties. Venues often purchase a blanket license with BMI, so this should not cost you any money.

Here is the address: BMI, 7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10007-0030. Please write: "Attention: Classical Music" on the envelope.

Do you accept commissions?

Yes, and I am always delighted to work with new people and new poetry. At the moment, however, I have a backlog of work — but please contact me if you’d like to discuss a potential project.

Do you have any performance guidelines?

When I first started composing, I mistakenly thought that everyone would intuitively understand how to perform my music, as it was so clear to me. I quickly learned that was not the case, and over the years, I have included more markings in an effort to share my feelings about the music and its performance. For me, having an expressive performance is paramount, so in a way, the markings are only guidelines. I hope each performer will find the best way to make the music leap off the page. Regarding metronome markings — these are guidelines as well. When I perform my own music, I can rarely stay in one tempo for even one measure.

Do you publish errata for your pieces?

Yes. Corrections can be seen under each song’s title in the “Catalog” section.

How do I return to the home page of the site?

Click on the banner (with the logo and the "Lori Laitman" name) at the top of the page.

How do you feel about changing the instrumentation of your compositions?

Many of my songs translate well to other instruments and I am always willing to consider any requests.

In my operas, timbre is specifically used for psychological insight into the characters, and thus, I am less likely to allow any changes.

How do you feel about having someone sing only one or two of the songs from a cycle?

I don’t mind at all. And although my preference would be for you to perform a complete cycle, it would also be fine with me if you created your own grouping from various cycles. This is a bit tricky, however, even for me — as one has to balance many factors (emotions, poetic styles, melodies, harmonies, etc.) to ensure a good dramatic flow.

How do you feel about transpositions of your songs?

I am always happy to have as many singers singing my songs as possible, and so, I encourage transpositions. I feel that my songs can work in any number of ranges, as long as the accompaniment can also work in the new key. Some adjustments might be necessary: for example, a section may sound great on piano in the original key but transposed down a third, it might sound muddy. When the song has an accompaniment other than piano, similar difficulties might arise. Generally, these problems can be solved and I am delighted to assist.

In some instances (see “Living in the Body”), I have provided guidelines for conversion to a different voice type.

How do you go about setting a poem to music?

I use the same process for composing all of my songs. My goal is to create dramatic music to express and magnify the meaning of the poem. I compose the vocal line first, custom crafting the melody to emphasize what I consider important in each line, but also taking great care to set the words properly for the singer. This enables the singer to then communicate the words effectively to the audience. My motto, adopted from soprano Lauren Wagner, is "a happy singer is a good singer."

I always have some idea of the harmonies when composing the vocal line, but I do not flesh out the accompaniment until the vocal line is complete. I typically craft the accompaniment to color the emotions behind the words, and all musical aspects (rhythm, textures, etc.) are chosen to add additional layers of interpretation to the poem itself. Each song thus becomes my musical interpretation of the poem.

How do you select your poetry?

To start with, I have to feel an emotional connection to the poem.

If the piece is not commissioned, I choose the poem. If it is a present for someone’s birthday, for example, I try to choose a poem with an appropriate text.

For a commissioned work, I will generally discuss the poetry or poem or theme with the “commissioner.” For a cycle, I like to keep a variety of poems available, and often do not choose the exact sequence of poems until I have composed the first song…and then proceed to figure out what poems will work for a dramatic sequence. Sometimes I guess wrong, and have to adjust the order of songs, or even remove a song from its intended cycle. (Case in point: “Money” was originally slated to be part of the “Becoming a Redwood” cycle!)

If the poetry is not in the public domain, I must secure the rights before proceeding. Sometimes this is an easy process, sometimes it is quite arduous.

Once permission is granted, there are certain factors I consider when choosing a text. It’s easier when a poem isn’t too long or too short, although I have obviously set very short and very long poems. It’s good if the poem is not too complex, because the audience has to be able to grasp of the meaning of the poem through the song. I have found that poems that tell a story work very well — as it is easy for the audience to follow along (particularly if the text is not printed in the program). I try to avoid poems with a lot of homonyms or complex words (potentially difficult to understand aurally). Most importantly, it is good if the poem has some emotional “breathing space” — so that the music can take over what is left unsaid.

I have also created a body of work commemorating the Holocaust. This poetry is SO important, so deep, so touching and so beautiful.

It has also been very gratifying for me to work with living poets. Their excitement fuels my creative process. I am particularly proud that many times, poets have told me that I revealed things to them about their poetry that they didn’t know. Similarly, sometimes my performers reveal things to me about my own music.

We are going to perform your piece. Will you announce it for us?

If you are planning on performing any of my music, please let me know and I will do my best to post the information here on my site, or my Facebook page, or on Twitter.

What are you working on now?

I try to keep this website's News section up to date so you can know I'm working on and what is coming up. You could also follow me on Twitter.

What is an artsong?

An artsong is a song that sets words to music using compositional techniques that stem from the classical tradition. The text can come from a variety of sources: poems, letters, a libretto, a speech, etc. 

The majority of artsongs have been scored for voice with collaborative piano. However, more than one voice can be used; any instrument(s) can accompany the voice; and if desired, the voice(s) can sing without accompaniment.

Where can I buy sheet music?

PDFs for some of my scores are available on my site at MusicaNeo.com

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Hard copies are available through my distributor, Glendower Jones, at https://www.classicalvocalrep.com

Where can I find newer editions of your songs?

I am in a multi-year process of revising my older scores — improving markings and layout.

I am offering PDFS of these updated scores to anyone who had previously purchased a score. Just contact me directly. 

Who built this website?

Esther Wu designed the site. Gary Poster architected and implemented it. I am using Squarespace.

Esther Wu designed the site. Gary Poster architected and implemented it. I am using Squarespace.

Why don't you use key signatures?

My tonal centers shift so often that it would be impractical to utilize key signatures in my music. Regarding accidentals, they are relevant only for each individual measure.

You have a lot of very specific pedal markings. How strict are you about following them?

I am quite particular about pedal in my piano parts. I often prefer a blurred sound so that the harmonies merge. However, I realize that each performance space is unique and I would hope that each pianist would use their best judgment as to how strictly to follow my markings — sometimes it may be better to change them.