Louisa May Alcott grew up in Concord, Massachusetts in the mid-19th century with her three sisters: Anna, Elizabeth, and May. The four March sisters in Alcott’s classic novel Little Women are based on these real-life siblings. In the Garret is a single poem with six distinct sections. Each of the four middle sections of the poem describes one of the Alcott sisters, with the first and final sections setting the scene. Picture a dusty but sun-lit attic where four small wooden chests lie in a row, each filled with memories and keepsakes from four lives lived to the fullest. Each sister has such a unique personality and life experience, that any reader is sure to find a common spirit.

The poem can also be found in Little Women using the names of the characters and with slightly different wording (Chapter 46). The version I have set can be found in The Poems of Louisa May Alcott (Ironweed Press) and was originally published on March 18, 1865 in The Flag of Our Union, a weekly Boston newspaper.

In the Garret was written for and premiered by soprano Rebecca Sjöwall. The examples below are performed by April Amante, soprano, and Nic Gerpe, piano.

“I loved this piece. It is an extraordinarily moving work, thoughtfully constructed and shaped with great skill and commitment. “In the Garret" is, at once, constantly surprising and completely inevitable. I hope this piece is performed a thousand times - it deserves a permanent place in the repertoire.” - Tom Cipullo, composer and finalist judge for the 2010 NATS Art Song Composition Award. In the Garret was awarded 2nd place.