Mark Abel's life infuses his music, and music has been his life. He's been a classical musician, a punk rocker, a reporter, and a classical musician and composer again. In this episode, Abel talks about "art song," a very particular kind of classical music where song and poetry intersect. Learn about its history, its composers, and hear some of Abel's own work.

Music in this episode:

• "Roll Over Beethoven," The Beatles
• "Mr. Tambourine Man," The Byrds
• "A Love Supreme," John Coltrane
• "Marquee Moon," Tom Verlaine/Television
• "Crazy Rhythms," The Feelies
• "La vie anterieure'," Henri Duparc. Gerard Souzay, baritone; Dalton Baldwin, piano.
• By Mark Abel:
  • "Los Angeles," from The Palm Trees are Restless
  • Excerpts from "Premonition," from The Dark Eyed Chameleon
  • "La sonnambula," from Terrain of the Heart

Audio production by Todd "Hell" Hulslander with editing by Mark DiClaudio and abiding by Dacia Clay.