I fell in love with the remarkable singing of the “Tenores di Bitti” on hearing their recordings as a student. Their uniquely intense vocal timbre, their harmony, which seemed pure and rough at once, and the sense that this music was, at root, not so much about performance as simply being together in the world, in a community of spirit.

At the time, I had no intention of using this music to my own creative ends, but now, here we are: “Sardinian Songbook” is the second in a cycle of works for ...