KEITH HUMBLE (1927–1995)Eight Cabaret Songs (1985–1989)

This chapter introduces eight cabaret songs by Keith Humble. These songs are quirkily original and distinctly offbeat. Humble has said that, rather than representing cabaret tradition, the pieces are redolent of the period in France just after the Second World War, when groups of artists engaged in political and existential discussion. The texts themselves concern the eternal themes of love and death. As may be expected, piano parts are especially striking and wide-ranging in character. The work’s history is somewhat chequered, however: Humble originally wrote five songs, but added others later, adjusting their order over time. The last is by far the most elaborate.