The Little Things

All seven titles which comprise The Little Things come from Emily Dickinson, who never fails to direct our attention toward nature’s easily overlooked wonders. Movements II, III, IV, and VI evoke various animal life, while I and V portray the sun and moon respectively. The order of the movements suggests the cyclic journey of all living things from morning to night and back to a new morning.

In the final movement, we hear the voice of Nature singing Dickinson’s famous lines:

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

Details

  • For string quartet
  • Category: Chamber Ensemble
  • Year Composed: 2023
  • Duration: 19'
  • Commissioner: Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, and Seattle Chamber Music Society
  • Tags: Literature, Nature, Poetry
  • Movements:
    • I. I’ll Tell You How the Sun Rose
    • II. High from the Earth I Heard a Bird
    • III. Two Butterflies Went Out at Noon
    • IV. A Narrow Fellow in the Grass
    • V. The Moon Was But a Chin of Gold
    • VI. A Spider Sewed at Night
    • VII. If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking
  • View Score ›

Purchase

  • The Little Things Score & Parts - Instant PDF Download (9 x 12)
  • $100.00
  • Add to Cart ›

Awards

  • 2024
  • The ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award
  • Winner

Broadcasts

Performances

  • 8 JUN 2025
  • The Little Things
  • Hill and Hollow Music
  • Saranac, NY
  • Alexander String Quartet
  • 4 MAY 2025
  • The Little Things
  • Music at Kohl Mansion
  • Burlingame, CA
  • Alexander String Quartet
  • 4 FEB 2025
  • The Little Things
  • Berkeley Chamber Performances
  • Lafayette, CA
  • Alexander String Quartet
  • 4 FEB 2025
  • The Little Things
  • Crowden Music Center
  • Berkeley, CA
  • Alexander String Quartet
  • 4 FEB 2025
  • The Little Things
  • Berkeley Chamber Performances
  • Berkeley, CA
  • Alexander String Quartet
  • 3 OCT 2024
  • The Little Things
  • Saint Lawrence University
  • Canton, NY
  • Alexander String Quartet
  • 16 SEP 2024
  • The Little Things
  • Rossmoor Chamber Music Society
  • Walnut Creek, CA
  • Alexander String Quartet
  • 7 AUG 2024
  • The Little Things
  • Musikfest
  • Bethlehem, PA
  • Sonya Quartet
  • 26 JUN 2024
  • The Little Things (excerpts)
  • Monadnock Music Summer Festival
  • Amherst, NH
  • Monadnock String Quartet
  • 28 APR 2024
  • The Little Things
  • Newport County Concert Series
  • Little Compton, RI
  • Newport String Quartet
  • 27 APR 2024
  • The Little Things
  • Newport County Concert Series
  • Newport, RI
  • Newport String Quartet
  • 20 MAR 2024
  • The Little Things
  • Indiana University
  • Bloomington, IN
  • Indiana University Kuttner Quartet (Arthur Trælnes, violin; Gabriel Fedak, violin; Patrick Hayes, viola; John Sample, cello)
  • 20 FEB 2024
  • The Little Things
  • Indiana University
  • Bloomington, IN
  • Indiana University Kuttner Quartet (Arthur Trælnes, violin; Gabriel Fedak, violin; Patrick Hayes, viola; John Sample, cello)
  • 12 NOV 2023
  • The Little Things
  • Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts
  • Katonah, NY
  • Abeo Quartet
  • 8 OCT 2023
  • The Little Things
  • Hayden's Ferry Chamber Music Series
  • Tempe, AZ
  • Viano Quartet
  • 7 OCT 2023
  • The Little Things
  • Chesapeake Music
  • Easton, MD
  • Abeo Quartet
  • 26 JUL 2023
  • The Little Things
  • Chamber Music Northwest
  • Portland, OR
  • Viano Quartet
  • 25 JUL 2023
  • The Little Things
  • Chamber Music Northwest
  • Portland, OR
  • Viano Quartet
  • 18 JUL 2023
  • The Little Things
  • Seattle Chamber Music Society
  • Seattle, WA
  • Noah Geller, violin 1; Tessa Lark, violin 2; Jonathan Vinocour, viola; Astrid Schween, cello
  • 15 JUN 2023
  • The Little Things - Premiere
  • Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival
  • Bloomfield Hills, MI
  • Abeo Quartet
  • 29 MAR 2023
  • The Little Things (excerpts)
  • RED NOTE New Music Festival
  • Normal, IL
  • Momenta Quartet