Ernest Charles: Songs

Ernest Charles (1895 - 1984) was an American composer of art songs. He first became widely known in 1932, when the popular baritone John Charles Thomas performed his song Clouds in a New York recital. Following that success, Charles continued to compose songs regularly until about 1950.

He composed about 45 songs for voice and piano. The songs are known for their rubato, sweeping vocal lines, sumptuous melodies, and ingenuous charm. Two of his songs are popular encores: the Viennese Waltz Let My Song Fill Your Heart, made famous by Eileen Farrell; and When I Have Sung My Songs, recorded by singers such as Kirsten Flagstad, Rosa Ponselle, and Thomas Hampson, and featured in the closing credits of the 2016 movie Florence Foster Jenkins, sung by lead actress Meryl Streep.