Using the Anthology

Words. Music. Inspiration. This is the recipe for millions of art songs in various languages that have been composed over the past hundreds of years. When compiling a resource like this anthology, it is important not to brand its contents as all the same. What you will find are words and music, which together offer an opportunity to communicate feelings that are happening right now. To have access to the words written by contemporaries gives unique connections to a level of understanding that need not span centuries and continents, but minutes and miles.

The texts that inspired these songs were written by primarily nonspeaking individuals who have autism. These individuals share their thoughts, stories, and dreams using the Rapid Prompting Method. Without their words, we wouldn’t have this music. Without this music, we wouldn’t have this anthology. 

While it is important to know the origin of the text, these songs should be valued not only for their source, but for the universal sentiment they express. With this anthology, we encourage you to discover and celebrate the voices of this generation. It is our hope that your encounter with this music and these poems lead you to learn more about the individuals who wrote them. The words and music speak for themselves. All that’s missing is your inspiration… How will you speak into the world?