Performer Reflection: Five Songs of John Shaw Neilson by Margaret Sutherland
Some repertoire stays with us for life.
For Jenny Duck-Chong, Margaret Sutherland’s Five Songs was one of the earliest Australian art song cycles she encountered as a student — and one she has continued returning to over many decades of performance.
Writing for the Australian Music Centre in 2013, she reflected:
“For many years I have enjoyed singing these settings of lyrical Australian poet John Shaw Neilson. Easy to approach, they are a charming set of miniatures from the more substantial and dramatic ‘May’ to the cheeky ‘When Kisses Are As Strawberries’. Although individual songs may be familiar, the cycle as a whole is worth study.”
The cycle’s enduring appeal lies partly in its accessibility and charm, but also in the extraordinary relationship between poetry and music. Neilson’s deeply lyrical writing seems almost inherently singable, and Sutherland responds with vocal lines of warmth, colour, and natural flow.
Jenny later wrote:
“I loved the melodies inherent in his poetry and the corresponding lyricism in her vocal lines.”
That connection between text and music is one of the reasons Australian art song continues to reward performers over time. These works reveal new detail, nuance, and emotional depth with each return.
The entire cycle, Five Songs of John Shaw Neilson, is represented within the AASR database. There are complete song pages for For a Child, When Kisses are as Strawberries and In the Dim Counties, with the rest to be added as research progresses.
Jenny says:
Sutherland’s settings capture both the lyricism and emotional colour of his poetry with remarkable sensitivity. Across the cycle, the Australian seasons unfold through blossoming Spring, intense Summer and fading Autumn landscapes, while themes of love quietly weave throughout the songs.
Works like this remind us that Australian art song did not begin recently. There is a rich lineage of composers whose contributions shaped the development of Australian musical identity long before many of these songs entered contemporary teaching or performance spaces.
Discover more of Margaret Sutherland’s songs here.