Written in the Summer of 2009, "Seven Short Songs for a Longfellow" is a song cycle that uses simple textures and forms to create a different world for each song.  Whether it is the isorhythmic piano part in "Snowflakes" (featured to the right) or the strophic approach to melody in "Dark and Dreary," the simplicity makes music of a reflective quality, much like the texts by Longfellow.  Although it has never been given a formal performance, many of the ideas explored within the song cycle have been important to the development of subsequential works.