With sincere affection and gratitude, this piece is dedicated to honor both Gregg Smith and the

Gregg Smith Singers, in their golden season. “We Are Not Robins” was commissioned by the

Gregg Smith Singers for their 50th anniversary season and premiered in NYC in January 2006.

The text was written for this occasion by hymn/poet Richard Leach, drawing a contrast between

robin songs and human songs.  The piano represents the robin. The choir represents itself (and

all of us). While it’s not really the case, I’ve preserved my childhood impression of a robin song

being a series of short motives repeated in pairs as the piano part. The choir speaks the first verse,

sings the second verse homophonically, and sings the third verse in unison/octaves. "Robins" uses

a repeated I, III, V, V7, II, IV, VI harmonic progression in three different keys for the three different

verses. This progression creates an overlap of two common pitches between each chord. Although

the progression harmonically ascends, in the last verse (both  symbolically and literally) the piano

slowly descends on us with that ascending progression.

We are not robins!  We can sing

a song no one has heard before.

A robin song is no surprise;

the song today is like the song

of yesterday, and like the song

a year ago, or fifty years.

Let there be new song and surprise.

We are not robins.  We can sing

in harmony, as they cannot.

Though robin song delights the ear,

no two or three or four or more

will ever join to make a song

that each could never make alone.

Let harmony delight the ear.

We are not robins, yet we sing

like robins, for we have to sing.

Or so we feel and think and say,

though singing is a choice we make.

In song our freedom and our need

are one, as are the breath and voice.

Let singing always be our choice.