I wrote Lyric Music in 1963 at the suggestion of a friend who said that band music does not have to be noisy and bombastic. It is an essentially gentle piece, although it does rise to a somewhat impassioned climax. I had originally called it Reverie, a title suggesting dreams, but I like the new title Lyric Music much more and since the trumpet is really featured only at the beginning and the end it need not be included in the title. The work has been unavailable for a number of years and I am very pleased that it is being reissued by Manhattan Beach Music.
Robert Starer