The Long Hill
Garth Baxter, Composer
Listen on Apple Music / Spotify
Category: Vocal Music / Art Song
Instrumentation: female voice, piano
Duration: 2.5 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Text / Source: Poem by Sara Teasdale
Publisher: Alymar
Recordings: Ask of Me What the Birds Sang / Songs and Arias
The Long Hill is a concise art song for female voice and piano, setting words by Sara Teasdale. The song expresses the quiet realization that one cannot always live up to one’s own expectations, giving the text a reflective and deeply human emotional focus.
Written in ternary form, the work reflects Baxter’s sensitivity to poetic structure and emotional nuance. Its lyrical vocal line and supportive piano writing create an intimate setting in which the meaning of Teasdale’s words can unfold with clarity and restraint.
Suitable for intermediate performers, The Long Hill is well suited for vocal recitals, contemporary art song programs, and concerts centered on poetry, introspection, and emotional honesty. Both voice and piano are written at an intermediate level, inviting careful ensemble balance and expressive text delivery.
“The Long Hill, its text by Sara Teasdale and a superb example of Baxter’s art song writing and in particular the way he studiously matches music to a poet’s words.”