Finishing Songs sets three early poems by E.E. Cummings originally published in a 1917 compilation called Eight Harvard Poets. All describe different sorts of endings. I originally composed this set as a collection of songs that could remain technically easy enough to be accessible to non-professional singers, while simultaneously being musically and lyrically interesting and profound. However, upon their completion they became one of my favorite works I had written, and have since set me on a general course of paring down my music. Silence is an extremely important part of this piece and rests must not be cut short. All three songs are featured on the 2023 Centrediscs album of my work “Unfinished Business.” The text of “Crepuscule” was also notably set by Björk on her album Vespertine.