As an impoverished young composer in the 1920s Walton lived with the literary Sitwell family, Edith and her two brothers. Edith wrote a series of experimental poems for the feeling of their rhythms and evocations of their individual lines. Walton selected several of them and wrote accompaniment to the poems for chamber orchetsra. The poetry is read by a narrator in a rhythm preciesly noted by the composer while the little salon-like orchestra and its drum set strikes up a satiric music in pop and dance tune styles of the day. This raucous and irreverent music scandalized some and charmed many. Ultimately Walton published the main body of these poems as "Fa€ade." Later there was a "Fa€ade 2" which gathered up remaining and newer parts of the entertainment. In addition, there are various "Fa€ade" Suites where the numbers are scored for full orchestra. Decidedly off-beat music, and generally quite a bit of fun. A full diet of these pieces can cloy. Furthermore, either because she was satirizing the upper crust's casual racism or because she shared it, Sitwell's verse does have some mildly racist lines that are somewhat disturbing today. A late song cycle called "Three songs to poems by Edith Sitwell" are in fact three of the Fa€ade numbers arranged with melodies for the words for singing voice and piano. 4/19/95

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