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Elizabeth Alexander
Elizabeth Alexander (Seafarer Press)
Give Me a Laundry List (and I’ll set it to music)
A lighthearted spin on a boast by Rossini.
SATB a cappella
The composer Giaocchino Rossini was well known for his clever witticisms, including this boast about his famous speed and alacrity: “Give me a laundry list and I’ll set it to music.”
As far as anyone knows Rossini never actually set a laundry list to music, but composer Elizabeth Alexander did. And what a list it is: balaclavas, bandanas, bikinis and beyond! This musical spin cycle will leave your audience in stitches, offering even the most clothes-minded loads and loads of fun.
Composer’s Notes
Unlike us mortal composers who can easily labor over a single measure for hours, Giaocchino Rossini was famous for composing with confidence and speed. Legend has it that some of his overtures were composed the night before they were premiered.
Creating a musical setting of Rossini’s clever if somewhat arrogant boast was an irresistible challenge. Along the way I threw in my own “laundry list” and capped it off with one of his favorite compositional shortcuts: the “Rossini crescendo.”
-Elizabeth Alexander
Text
Laundry List:
A shirt, a skirt, a girdle and a turtleneck,
A frock, a smock, a bonnet and a cotton sock,
Mitten and mufflers, diapers and dusters,
Garters and gaiters.
Ribbons and rompers, jumpers and jodhpurs,
Boxers and bloomers and blazers.
A tartan, a parka,
A cardigan, a caftan and a cami and a cap.
A pajama, a pashmina, a kimono, muumuu, tutu,
A dashiki, a dupatta, balaclava, bandana, bikini!
-Laundry list © 2025 by Elizabeth Alexander
$ per licensed PDF
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