Category: Vocal Music / Art Song / Guitar Music
Instrumentation: voice, piano; also arranged for voice, guitar
Duration: approximately 1 minute
Text / Source: Poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Publisher: North Star Music

Afternoon On A Hill is a short, accessible art song setting of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem, dedicated to Audrey Desjardins and Gabriel Jean. Originally part of the voice and piano cycle Three Poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay, the song captures a bright, gentle vision of an afternoon marked by quiet happiness, natural beauty, and open-hearted charm.

The work belongs principally to Baxter’s vocal and art song catalog, while the voice and guitar version gives it an additional place in intimate guitar-based recital repertoire. In both forms, the piece retains its clear poetic focus and direct expressive appeal, with the accompaniment serving as a delicate partner to the vocal line.

Baxter’s setting emphasizes simplicity, lyricism, and tonal clarity. The vocal writing allows Millay’s text to speak naturally, while the accompaniment supports the poem’s freshness with lightness and sensitivity. Its brevity and ease make the song especially effective as a concise introduction to Baxter’s lyrical style and his graceful approach to text setting.

Afternoon On A Hill is well suited for student singers, teaching studios, and recital programs seeking a brief, accessible song with poetic charm. It may be performed on its own, in either the piano or guitar version, or as the opening song of the complete Three Poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay set.