Category: Vocal Music / Art Song
Instrumentation: male voice, piano
Text / Source: Poem by Thomas Hardy
Publisher: North Star Music

If You Had Known is an art song for male voice and piano, setting a text by Thomas Hardy. Published in Modern Music for New Singers, 21st Century American Art Songs, Baritone, Volume 2 by North Star Music, the song offers a loving tribute to an adored woman.

Baxter’s setting gives the poem a direct, heartfelt character, shaped by lyrical vocal writing and clear attention to the expressive weight of the text. The piano supports the voice with sensitivity, allowing Hardy’s words to remain central while adding harmonic color and emotional depth.

If You Had Known is well suited for baritone recital programs, student singers, and contemporary American art song collections. Its affectionate tone and accessible expressive world make it especially useful for singers developing clarity of diction, sustained phrasing, and sincere communication.