Evolution of the work.

This set of five poems is one of the works that propelled and cemented author T.S. Eliot into a position of great notoriety in the 20th century. It has been the focus of great scrutiny and academic examination regarding its meaning and place in literature of the world.

In 1985 I selected this set of five poems for one of my compositions for my undergraduate music recital. I cannot now remember why. Not aware of the copyright laws at the time, I set the entire set of poems to music before I and my music advisor thought to question possible copyright infringement. So (in the pre-World Wide Web era), I somehow managed to track down the estate of Mr. Eliot to inform them of my graduate project and ask for permission to have my work performed.

After a few weeks I received a reply. I was told first that I should have contacted the estate as it is very particular and guarded about the use of any of Mr. Eliot's works used in any medium or setting that might impinge upon the integrity of his art. However, because my project was set in an academic atmosphere, I was granted permission for the one-time performance.

The late Dr. Robert Kuzminsky (baritone), to whom the work is dedicated, sang the only performance of my music setting.

Noted music critic Alfred Kay reviewed my entire graduate recital for the Sacramento Bee—not a common event for a student concert. Of this work he wrote, "It is a mysterious, brooding, introspective piece of literature, and the composer captured some of these ingredients… with the talented piano accompaniment of Marian Philip, [it] emerged as an interesting if not astonishing interlude and one reasonably evocative if not deeply touching."

As with many of my earlier handwritten works that I recently have painstakingly entered into the digital realm of computer software, I have revised, tweaked, expanded, and enhanced each of the poems.

Because of the marvels of computer software and sample sounds, I can now hear all of my works, especially those that did not garner performances. Before this era, I could only hear my work in my head. I am very pleased to discover that what I had imagined and heard in my head decades ago was accurate. Now, however, after audibly hearing my music in real time, and with real sounds of real instruments and voices, I can edit and improve as did composers in the past when contemporary music was commonly and regularly performed.

So, although this version is very similar to the original, I have made several slight changes, alterations, enhancements, expansions, and trimming.

The Hollow Men was copyrighted in 1925 but is now (2023) in the public domain. Therefore, I can legally share my endeavors with the world. I have remained faithful to the original poems my Mr. Eliot but have embraced some minor repetitions of text for compositional purposes.

Approximate Performance Timings:  

Part I:	2'15"
Part II:	2'59"
Part III:	2'22"
Part IV:	3'04"
Part V:	4'11"
TOTAL:	14'51"

Vanessa McClintock