Words of Wisdom is a collection of North American songs written between 1690 and 1950. Some of the authors are known, most of them not. The songs espouse varying perspectives, by turns humorous, frank, sentimental and stoic. This album is the first volume of the Humanitarium Series: recordings of musical artifacts drawn from folk material, parlor music, ditties, chants, jingles, historic popular song, and music for liturgical and institutional use. Brian Dewan has played zither with the Raymond Scott Orchestrette and three different symphony orchestras; collaborated with They Might Be Giants, and written scores for theater and films of Ladislaw Starewicz, Sesame Street, MTV and Blue Man Group.
Brian Dewan is an artist whose vision takes form equally well in many media, including art, music, audio-visual performances, decorative painting, furniture design, poetry and musical instrument design. He has produced two albums of songs and concertized extensively as a solo artist, as well as having performed in various collaborations and as a sideman. He lives in upstate New York.
