Category: Vocal Music / Art Song
Instrumentation: voice, piano
Duration: 2.5 minutes
Text / Source: Words by Marguerite
Publisher: North Star Music LLC

Pretend is a powerful art song for voice and piano addressing mental health, inner struggle, and the pressure to appear “normal” while suffering privately. With words by Marguerite, the song gives voice to a person navigating the difficulty of daily life while feeling compelled to hide distress behind an outward mask.

Baxter’s setting offers a direct and emotionally serious musical response to the text, combining lyrical vocal writing with an intimate piano part that supports the song’s psychological weight. The result is a compact but affecting work suited to programs exploring vulnerability, identity, and emotional truth.

Pretend calls for sensitive text delivery, emotional restraint, and careful attention to the balance between private pain and outward composure. It is well suited for contemporary art song programs, mental health awareness concerts, and recitals centered on personal struggle and resilience.