William Grant Still set the poetry of LeRoy V. Brant. According to the unpublished letters of William Grant Still to LeRoy V. Brant,
"Brant was accompanying Theodore Simmons, a music student, to a local cemetery, where he saw a commonly seen statue of an angel with his head down, enclosed in his arms, weeping. The statue inspired Brant who wrote the lyrics as a poem, which he sent to Still, who set it to music. The piece was premiered by Theodore Simmons (tenor), who sang it at a concert, accompanied by his wife Barbara on the piano, also a student of Brant. Still was in attendance."
(Public Domain)
credits
from American Art Song (Exerpts),
track released September 17, 2011
Steven Herring, Baritone
Beata Moon, Pianist
