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So Lit Song Lit

So Lit Song Lit

Written by: Cincinnati Song Initiative
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About this listen

This is So Lit Song Lit, where we reimagine the repertoire by introducing less familiar songs through sound clips and lively discussion! Together we’ll be exploring songs by composers that you may or may not have heard of already, showing how they compare to standard works, and giving you a taste of what they sound like. Join us down the rabbit hole as we expand the song canon!All rights reserved. Music
Episodes
  • Grażyna Bacewicz
    May 5 2026

    Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969) was a Polish composer of Lithuanian heritage. Her father taught all of his children to play violin and piano, as well as a little music theory, and she went on to become the concertmaster of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. After a serious car accident, she could no longer perform and then concentrated on composing. Another Nadia Boulanger student, her musical language is unique, very modern with a great deal of dissonance that comes out sounding incredibly beautiful!

    Musical clips performed by Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, and Ellen Rissinger, piano:

    • 1st Groteski (from 3 Grosteski)


    In her Collected Songs

    • Róże (Rose)
    • Nad wodą wielką i czystą
    • Boli mnie głowa


    We also mentioned the resource Singing in Polish. And don't forget to check out our previous episodes on Szymanowski and Wertheim for more Polish repertoire!

    Recorded at Morningstar Studios in Norristown, PA.


    ***
    So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.

    You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.

    You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree


    This episode is sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about CMU and apply today.

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    20 mins
  • Margarete Schweikert
    Apr 21 2026

    Margarete Schweikert (1887-1957) was the daughter of amateur musicians who went on to become a music critic, pianist, and violinist in her own right, as well as a composer. Her music is all collected at the Badische Landesbibliothek in Karlsruhe, Germany, including 160 Lieder!

    We also mentioned the composer Clemens von und zu Franckenstein--he has some incredibly beautiful Lieder, but since he was composing around the time of Strauss, his name has been mostly lost. His opera Li Tai Pe was recently performed in Germany, and Eastman Library has collected some of his Lieder.

    Musical clips performed by Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, Troy Cook, baritone, and Ellen Rissinger, piano:

    Op 3

    • Rosen
    • Elfenliedchen


    Op 5

    • Seliger Eingang (in Book 2)


    Op 11-Vier Gedichte von Goethe

    • Es war einmal ein König


    Recorded at Morningstar Studios in Norristown, PA.


    ***
    So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.

    You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.

    You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree

    You can find out more about Troy Cook on his website, https://www.troycookbaritone.com/


    This episode is sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about CMU and apply today.

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    17 mins
  • Poldowski
    Apr 7 2026

    Poldowski (née Régine Wieniawski) (1879-1932) was born in Brussels to an exceptionally musical family. Her father was Polish and her mother British, and eventually she moved to London for the remainder of her life. The Verlaine settings have a great deal of French influence; she also has a set of songs of William Blake poems.

    Musical clips performed by Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano, and Ellen Rissinger, piano:

    Songs to Texts by Paul Verlaine:

    • Spleen
    • Mandoline
    • L'heure exquise
    • Fantoches


    Recorded at Morningstar Studios in Norristown, PA.


    ***
    So Lit Song Lit is a production of Cincinnati Song Initiative. You can learn more about its network of podcasts at cincinnatisonginitiative.org/podcasts.

    You can follow Ellen and The Diction Police on Facebook and at www.dictionpolice.com.

    You can follow Toni Marie on Facebook at Toni Marie Palmertree, soprano and Instagram @ToniMariePalmertree


    This episode is sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more about CMU and apply today.

    Show More Show Less
    17 mins
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