Simple Songs (soprano and ensemble) (1991)

Simple Songs is Kernis’ unassuming title for his settings of texts from the Book of Psalms, the 12th-century abbess Hildegard von Bingen, the Japanese Zen master Ryokan, and the renowned Sufi poet Rumi. These varied literary sources from cultures that embrace East and West share a common spirituality communicated with deep feeling and orchestral finesse.