Good-Night at the Door (2026)

for soprano and piano (12min)

By all accounts, the English poet Charlotte Mary Mew led a life marked by sorrow and personal tragedy – three of her brothers passed away in her childhood, while two of her other siblings were committed to mental asylums later in life. Because of this family history, she and her remaining sister Anne refused to have children, as they were afraid of passing on what they thought was a hereditary form of mental illness. Mew’s homosexuality put her at odds with the societal norms of England at the time, which was undoubtedly compounded by the rejection of her advances toward other women throughout her life. All of these experiences flowed into her poetry, which is suffused with a profound sense of longing and loss. This cycle sets four poems by Mew that deal with loss from different perspectives – Fin de Fête, From a Window, The Cenotaph and A Quoi bon Dire. All of the poems offer inroads into a deeply personal and yet universal experience that goes beyond words, that nonetheless can begin to be confronted through them.

The songs are dedicated to the memory of my grandfather.

— Tan Tiag Yi

Please contact me for a perusal copy of the score.