Keats
Articles
Keats
Articles
Keats

John Keats was a poet, not a lyricist.

But now, he can be both.

After more than a decade of historical research and composition, a new idea in musical theatre is becoming reality. Meet Keats The Musical and fall in love as a true romantic would do.

Listen now to “When I Have Fears”

The Project

There is music in every word.

As Keats once said, words have their own melody. The composer Álvaro Nascimento Vieira truly lived this concept when he brought music to some of John Keats’s poems. The result is a marvelous musical project with every song created from Keats’s work, and having his own life story as the plot.

We are, right now, looking for people (producers, directors, sponsors) who can take us from here to our destination: the West End.

In this pursuit of “fame and fortune”, we’ve achieved good things already. For example, to celebrate the bicentenary of John Keats’s death, Keats House Museum invited the composer to perform some songs from the musical at an event in London – originally for 2020, and now, for as soon as the pandemic is over! We are all very excited and hoping that this could be a very important first step towards a West End full production someday. Fingers crossed.

Icon Keats within image

Songs

Here are a few songs from the musical arranged in the simplest way: just one instrument and the voice. These are only demo songs and we truly plan/hope/believe that they will all be fully orchestrated soon.

Note: if you are a supporter, you will have access to detailed information about the songs and their context in the story.

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{"title":"Meg Merrilies","artist_name":"","audio_file":"http:\/\/keatsthemusical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Meg-Merrilies-demo.mp3","poster_image":"http:\/\/keatsthemusical.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Meg-Merrilies_m.jpg","duration":"2:57"}

Are you Keats-inspired?


If so, here is a wide variety of articles from special guest writers written exclusively for Keats The Musical. Read them and explore the world of John Keats through poetry, music, medicine, fantasy and reality.

By Tamar Zhghenti on 11/28/2020

Keats: Physician to all men
Physician to all men If poetry has a healing power, then John Keats is twice a doctor – for he, one of the greatest poets of all time, was actually a physician, a licensed apothecary-surgeon and a general practitioner of medicine. Among romantic poets Keats was the only one who had scientific training. In years […]
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By Will Sherwood on 11/03/2020

Oral Enchantment in Keats and Tolkien (Part III)
The Synaesthetic Link Synaesthesia is the condition where an individual’s experiences of the senses blur. Sounds are colourful, words have taste, smells have feelings. Poetic synaesthesia has been considered an ‘innovation of the eighteenth (or even nineteenth) century’ that is associated with a ‘specifically Romantic psychology’ (O’Malley, 1957, pp. 397 – 398). The Romantic poets […]
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By Will Sherwood on 11/03/2020

Oral Enchantment in Keats and Tolkien (Part II)
The Romantic Lyric Structure The answer lies in the structure of the Romantic lyric. Jack Stillinger identified that the lyrical poetry of Keats’s time followed a structure as identified in this diagram:  The horizontal line represents the boundary between the real world (below) and the imaginary, or ideal, world (above). The ideal world is placed […]
READ MORE
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About us

We are not a company, with budget or investors. But “we” are not just one individual anymore. As the composer described his musical idea to friends and acquaintances, help naturally came, quite often in the form of high-quality work with no cost at all. Blessed human beings!

Although we thank everyone, these below are what we consider The Team, being the people working on a regular basis and deeply connected to the whole project.

Please note: if you have talents that could develop further this project – and are happy to work voluntarily – please drop us a line and we may find a position for you.

Álvaro Vieira

Álvaro Vieira

Composer and writer. Does whatever it takes to keep the project going, which includes annoying people. Sometimes, writes songs.

Luísa Fioravante

Office Assistant. Does all the important and necessary work that the composer can’t do – about 99%. She is the one, not him.

Anita Miller

Anita Miller

A friend and Keats specialist who leads walks on the life of John Keats in London. She always has the best ideas to help us (well, not always).

Cesar Benzoni

Cesar Benzoni

Amazing guitar player and multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer, with endless nights dedicated to making music instead of sleeping.

Tamar Zhghenti

Tamar Zhghenti

Marketing Director. Like Keats, she is also an ex-doctor who abandoned medicine to pursue her love for English Language and Literature.

Tim Grayson

Tim Grayson

Producer. Romantic poetry aficionado with a passion for creating alluring and interactive literary experiences for diverse audiences. Also a poet, apparently.

Benedetta Carrara

Benedetta Carrara

Having published a play about Keats at the age of just 20, she is working with the composer in the challenging task of developing the script for the musical.

Tiago Rosa

Tiago Rosa

Designer. Works his magic – and exercises his patience – in adjusting every part of our website for hundreds of different devices and resolutions.

Both songs are full of the passion of Keats’s words, they are perfect.

@stormiemills

“Something that I loved in the Grasshopper song is the pause, the silence, after line ‘when the frost has wrought a silence…’.”

@sindhu.anand

“I heard the two pieces on your site. They are thoughtful and lovely. Keats would love them, I’m sure.”

@tonyvita2753

“A great new musical about the life and work of the legendary romantic poet John Keats titled “Keats The Musical” is on its way. I had the chance to listen to two of the songs online! They are absolutely riveting. The song “When I Have Fears” has the psychological intensity of a great piece of art. (…)”

@simritadhir

“I listened to the demo songs and all I can say is that your project is brilliant! Something unprecedented, I really enjoyed it. (…)”

@il.siriano

“[…] I never thought Keats poems could be sung as they are extremely personal and pure. I hope your musical results in a success – another outlet to keep Keats alive in our hearts.”

@novel.poetry.drama

“OMG, are you serious: A KEATS MUSICAL!!!! I am freaking out right now! I listened to both of the songs. Amazing. “When I have fears that I may cease to be…” Ah, bliss. I’ve often said his poems were like songs. I hear their music when I read them. (…)”

@akleighauthor

“Both (songs) are beautifully composed and a treat to listen to. “On the Grasshopper and Cricket” is one of my favourite Keats’s poems, it was wonderful experiencing it in musical form.”

@avid_wonderer_82

“It’s exciting to hear that you are composing a musical for Keats. I listened the demo songs and I really liked them both.”

@gulbirol6

“It is the most beautiful thing that I read and listened! Seriously, it touched my heart.”

@ecohause_py

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Funding

If you are a multi-millionaire, please give us one of your millions and we can stop asking. Mankind is waiting.

But, if you’re not a millionaire, we’ll be glad if you could contribute any amount. Remember that we are independent musicians with much more hope than money. We really need your help to make this happen.

Please consider making a donation and becoming a supporter!

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