The Book of Etiquette

This song cycle takes its words from early American books of etiquette and “manuals of politeness.”

I specifically chose excerpts that aim to suppress the voice—by dictating how loudly one may speak, for example, or by controlling what words emerge from the voice. It is sad but unsurprising that most of this advice is directed toward women, and even more sad and unsurprising that many of the rules set forth in these century-old manuals continue to be enforced.