In 1979, Libby Larsen composed a set of art songs for Jeannie Brindley Barnett to sing for a concert. That set called Cowboy Songs, written for soprano and orchestra focused on the “cowboy experience” through the “Wild West” vernacular of her poetic sources. Libby Larsen is considered one of the most prolific composers with a catalog that spans from opera to band to dance to orchestral. Because of this, she is considered one of the most performed living composers. She is praised for music that has an inspirited composition method that is deeply rooted in the contemporary American style. Larsen utilizes the rhythmic nature of the American speech in all of her works. She has such a natural flexibility when it comes to setting her text—whether
