Chrales Ives' song diptych "Memories" (1897), which presents an odd yet pleasing stylistic dichotomy, is a favorite of singers and audiences alike. The first of the songs, entitled "A. Very Pleasant," recalls Ives' childhood memory of the anticipation preceding the opening curtain at the opera house. The comical text flies by at breakneck speed; the performance direction in the score is "As fast as it will go." The listener is treated not only to some impressive lingo-labial acrobatics, but also to a delightfully flippant pair of whistled interludes.

As soon as the curtain rises, however, the mood suddenly takes a sudden, dramatic turn towards the plaintive. The next section, "B. Rather Sad," sets a somber and bittersweetly nostalgic text to a tune "my Uncle hummed from early morn." Few could juxtapose the jocular with the gentle in this way without posing at least a hint of irony; despite the lightheartedness of the first part, though, "Rather Sad" is skillfully and ingeniously sincere.

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