How happy is the little stone

How happy is the little stone
That rambles in the road alone,
And doesn't care about careers,
And exigencies never fears;
Whose coat of elemental brown
A passing universe put on;
And independent as the sun,
Associates or glows alone,
Fulfilling absolute decree
In casual simplicity.

by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) , no title, from Poems by Emily Dickinson, published 1891

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Ernst Bacon (1898-1990) , "The little stone", published 1952 [medium voice and piano], from Quiet Airs, no. ?
by Allyson Brown , no title, published 1975 [SA chorus and piano], from Songs from Emily, no. ?

by John C. Heiss (1938-) , "From "If I Shouldn't be Alive" and "How Happy is the Little Stone"", published 1978 [mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, violoncello, and piano], from Songs of Nature [see full setting text]

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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Classical Vocal Repertoire