Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Querinous: adj. longing for a sense of certainty in a relationship; wishing there were some way to know ahead of time whether this is the person you’re going to wake up next to for twenty thousand mornings in a row, instead of having to count them out one by one, quietly hoping your streak continues.
— The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is a project by linguist John Koenig. He attempts to fill gaps in language by creating words for emotions that don’t have a word to describe them yet. Caoimhe Lane’s ‘Querinous’ is inspired by this work, and aims to capture the intense longing and uncertainty which many have felt, but never had the words to articulate, or the music to sing to.
Performed by Caoimhe Lane (voice), Miru Shimaoka and Michelle Brown (violins), Annabelle Thorpe (viola) and DJ Hopkinson (cello) at the Lilburn Trust / NZSM Composers Competition, Hunter Council Chamber, 4 October 2025.
Audio engineered by Thorin Williams and mixed/mastered by Graham Kennedy. Filmed and edited by Chris Watson for SOUNZ. Film funded by NZ On Air.
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Learn more about the composers and performers of music from Aotearoa New Zealand on our website (sounz.org.nz), or by following us on Facebook (@SOUNZnz), Instagram (@sounz_nz), or TikTok (@sounz_nz).
#nzmusic
Querinous: adj. longing for a sense of certainty in a relationship; wishing there were some way to know ahead of time whether this is the person you’re going to wake up next to for twenty thousand mornings in a row, instead of having to count them out one by one, quietly hoping your streak continues.
— The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows is a project by linguist John Koenig. He attempts to fill gaps in language by creating words for emotions that don’t have a word to describe them yet. Caoimhe Lane’s ‘Querinous’ is inspired by this work, and aims to capture the intense longing and uncertainty which many have felt, but never had the words to articulate, or the music to sing to.
Performed by Caoimhe Lane (voice), Miru Shimaoka and Michelle Brown (violins), Annabelle Thorpe (viola) and DJ Hopkinson (cello) at the Lilburn Trust / NZSM Composers Competition, Hunter Council Chamber, 4 October 2025.
Audio engineered by Thorin Williams and mixed/mastered by Graham Kennedy. Filmed and edited by Chris Watson for SOUNZ. Film funded by NZ On Air.
--
Learn more about the composers and performers of music from Aotearoa New Zealand on our website (sounz.org.nz), or by following us on Facebook (@SOUNZnz), Instagram (@sounz_nz), or TikTok (@sounz_nz).
#nzmusic
