Virgil Thomson, American composer, was perhaps less inclined to revere William Shakespeare as a literary deity than his English counterparts. In his five Shakespeare Songs, from 1957, Thomson, ever urbane and witty, was more able to strike at the particular meaning of each song. For Thomson does not wear white gloves in handling the master, as so many English composers were inclined; his charmingly simple, polished settings bring out the humor and the passion of the poet nevertheless.

The first song, "Was This Fair Face the Cause?" is a rarely-set text from All's Well That Ends Well. Its sparse, staccato accompaniment sets the tone for the cycle. Reversing the practice of many composers to omit extra verses, Thomson instead adds one by requiring the voice to hum contemplatively during the repeat. The composer's refined sense of humor resounds with Shakespeare in a whimsical setting.

From Measure for Measure, "Take, O, Take Those Lips Away," is something of a required text for any composer setting Shakespeare. Thomson, much enamored of the waltz, uses a very slow 3/4 setting for the forlorn love lyric. Its triply-quiet repeat might as well be hummed, for all the volume the composer requires. The disarmingly simple accompaniment perhaps suggests a lute.

Waltz time is also used in the third song, "Tell Me Where Is Fancy Bred," from The Merchant of Venice. Yet Thomson wavers between three- and four-beat measures, and hints vaguely at a bitonal scheme with chromatic movement in the melody and accompaniment. The fourth song, "Pardon, Goddess Of the Night," from Much Ado About Nothing, begins with an extended solo for the piano, which then turns to arpeggiated chords to accompany the vocal line, which uses text painting on words like "sigh and groan."

The effect is one of a clever and subtle recitative, setting up both musically and textually for the fast-paced finale, also from Much Ado About Nothing, "Sigh No More, Ladies." The song is nearly as long as the other four combined, and is a joyous dance. Thomson mixes waltz time with cut time to create a deliciously off-kilter feeling at times. Like his role model Satie, Thomson creates a sophisticatedly witty piece by being sparse and simple. These little known songs, products of a neo-classical composer, in some small way inform the art songs of the later generations of postmodern and minimalist American composers.

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