Stray Birds

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Cramer, Benjamin Stray Birds--SATB

Benjamin M. Cramer

Stray Birds for SATB Choir

6 IF you shed tears when you miss the sun, you also miss the stars.

142 LET me think that there is one among those stars that guides my life through the dark unknown.

154 BY plucking her petals you do not gather the beauty of the flower.

56 LIFE is given to us, we earn it by giving it.

323 I HAVE suffered and despaired and known death and I am glad that I am in this great world.

279 WE live in this world when we love it. ~Rabindranath Tagore (d.1941) Stray Birds, excerpts

Performance Notes -- This piece utilizes a small number of extended vocal techniques. Although complex in their sound, each technique is fairly simple to perform and does not require exact precision in order for the effect to work.

IPA symbols are used between slashes (example: /a/). Symbols that include a hyphen (example /i-u/) indicate an even slur from the first vowel to the second, including any vowels that lie between the two (for instance, /i-u/ would be sung as /i-y-I-Y-1-}-M-u/).

Such slurs should be performed very slowly, with no strong distinction on any one vowel. If done correctly, singing /i-u/ will result in the production of clear overtones. There is a small harmonic symbol wherever this technique appears, and the pattern may also be reversed (/u-i/) to create an upward arpeggiation of partials. Each singer should stagger their pattern individually to create a more etheral and cascading effect.

IPA symbols within brackets (example: [/o/a/ε/u/]) indicate that singers may slur freely between any of the vowels listed, in whatever order they choose. Slower transitions are preferable.

IPA Guide -- It is preferred that all performers are familiar with the International Phonetic Alphabet.

The guide below shows equivalents for North American English, however your region or dialect may vary from the examples here. /£/ - as in rear /o/ - as in home /a/ - as in father /ε/ - as in Boba Fett /u/ - as in cow goes moo /i/ - as in feed me

Stray Birds for SATB div. Choir Premiered 15 May 2019 Iowa City High School Concert Choir Tyler Hagy, director

Rabindranath Tagore

Reflective q = c.52

Soprano

Alto

Tenor

Bass

4 4







4 4







4 4





 4  4   /£/











  



 



tears,

 

 

If you shed



If you shed

Benjamin M. Cramer





tears,





 



 



tears,

   

 

 

if you shed

if you shed



tears,



/i-u/

[/o/a/ε/u/]*



*Freely transition between vowels



4  4  4  4 1

  

2

  

3

     

4

 



5

Copyright © 2018 Benj Cramer Publications

 

6

 

7

 

8

Cramer, Benjamin









Stray Birds



 

if you shed



 

if you shed

 



  



tears,



if you shed







 

 

tears,

if you shed



/i-u/

tears



  

when you miss the





 

tears



when you miss the

/£/

sun,

  

sun,

 





  

 

[/o/a/ε/u/]



   

 

9

 

   



10

 

3 2

  

  

you al - so

 

11

 

12

13

 



 

 

14

miss



miss



the





the

4  4



4 4



stars.



stars.

/i-u/

3 2 



the...

4 4 

[/o/a/ε/u/]

3 2 



4 4 

 /£/   

 

   

  

15



Freely

     



 

3 2 

you al - so

 

miss

miss

[/o/a/ε/u/]*

the...

[/o/a/ε/u/]*

 

Stars,

 











Stars,





 

 

16

 

17



stars,

stars,





stars,

stars,

  





*Slowly slide from first pitch to the second. Repeat on each breath. Slides should only occur in the direction notated and entrances should be staggered by the singers.



            18

3 2   3  2  

  19



4  4  4  4 

20

5



 

 21



    

22

  

23

  

24

Cramer, Benjamin







 

 



 





stars,

stars.

stars,

stars.







 



/a/

 



   

  

  

  

 



 

  



    

there is one



a - mong those stars

27

    

28



29





that guides my life through the

    dark

un

-

30







 

known.



/o/





 

  



31

 

   

    

32



  

6



33

      

34

By

3 4

 

3 4

/o-a/

 

 

/o/



  43

/o-a/

/o/

    

 

/i-u/

 

26



/i-u/

 

  

25

 

Let me think

 

  



that

 

/i-u/











/a/

  





/a/



Stray Birds

q = c. 52

3 4

/o-a/

 

 

 

 

35



36

3 4 3 4

Cramer, Benjamin



3  4 

Stray Birds



pluck - ing





her

pet - als

3  4 



2 4 

you

4  4



do

not

ga



2 4 

4 4 

 43   



2 4 

4  4

 3  4 

 

2 4 

4  4 

2 4  

4  4 

/a/

/a/

/a/



3  4     3    4 

 

Beau

 

ty.

 

37

-

  

  



Beau

-

 

 42





 





ty

of

 

 

  

  

 

 

39

 

the



 43

 



Beau

  

 

-



Beau



 

-

ty.

-

 

 



ty



of



the











 

-

the flow'r.

 

  







pluck - ing

her

flow'r.



ty

of

-



ty

 

of



the



 

 



  



 

 

 



44

The

 

-



the....

 

ty,

41



-

-

 

40

 



  

7





the flow'r.

By

beau

  



Beau



of

of

 

 

beau - ty

beau - ty

Beau



the

 





the,

 

ther

 

   

Beau

 

 

-

4  4 

of the flow'r.

/a/



 

of,

beau - ty





 



ty

The

2 4

38

-

of the flow'r.

  

   

     

-

beau - ty

 



  







By pluck - ing

flow'r.

 

45



Cramer, Benjamin



  

pet - als



you

 

Stray Birds

 

do not gath - er





Beau

    



her pet - als

  

 



46



of

 

flow'r,

  

beau

  

    

-

  50



  



  

   



47



 

the



-

 

flow'r,



 

ga

    



 

    





flow'r.

-



48





er,

-





the beau - ty of the

 

the

         51

8

ty





flow'r,

 

   

the beau - ty of the



ther



the





the

 

  



 

49

 

  is

 

  



 

 

   3

giv - en to us, 3



 

Life







flow - er.

 



flow - er.

 

 



-

Life

flow - er.

     

        

 



of

  

You

beau - ty of the



 

  



Beau

the beau - ty of the



   

flow

 

er



beau - ty of the flow'r,



   

 

  



the



flow'r.

do not gath

   

  



  



 

the



er,

ty

  

of

  



beau - ty of the flow'r,



 

the beau - ty of the

-



  

the

 

the



beau - ty of the flow'r,



ty

you

 



     



Flow

       



-



   

 

 

 

 

   

 

52



Life



is



Life

      

is

 53

   



    

giv - en to us,





giv - en to us,

3

is

  

   



        3

giv - en to us,

     3

3

            3

3

54



Cramer, Benjamin

Stray Birds

    we

earn

we

earn

we

earn

    

 

    

 

55

 



 

 

 

known

       



61

by

by

giv

it

by





 

    I

 





ing

it.





 

death,





it.

 

 



 



  

 

 

57

   

that



and



 I

and

and

62

  

 

58

rit.

   



am

in this great

  

  I

have

I

 

 

have



 

    

  

59



world.



am



in



this

   

I

 







    

   

63

   

 

9

64



world.

world.

world.



60

a tempo

this

 

 





     

in

this

and



am

in



 

have

 

am





I



I

 



 



I



suf - fered and de - spaired







I have



 

death

Life.



  

 

   

 

Life.



  

it.





Life.



giv - ing

    

death,

  



ing



 

   



  

-

it.

  

am glad

         

ing

-



 



-

giv

      

 

  



 

known death and

known



56

 

known



it

 

we

giv

 

earn

  

by

it



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

it



 



 



 

65

We





 



  

We

live

in this

 

We

live



live

       

  





We



      





 

   

66

 

Cramer, Benjamin

Stray Birds

      great

    

world

  

when

live

 





when

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



  

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         



   

 

when

when

67



      great

 

live

 

in



this





world

  



         



   

      71

love



 

we

love



we

love





we

      



  

 

68

 





    

when





it.



love







    



We

live

 

live

       



it.



 

it



it.



      



       We



We









We

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  

      

73



in this

    

it.



 

live

love





70







 

 

10



  



72





in this

 

 

we love

 





We

 



live



69

 

We

We





love

we

     



we





it.



when

         

we

 

    

    



it.

it

 





love





when





we

when

     great





    

world







live



We



  

     74

  

Cramer, Benjamin

Stray Birds

             great

 

live

  

in this

      

world

when

great

when

world

    



when

when

           

      

 

   



 

it.



love



it.





 

 

love

love

    

 

81

we



     76



/a/



it.

By

 



/a/

  



/a/



82

 



pluck - ing

we

 

it,

it,

love



 







love

it,





  

 

 

 



we

it,

love

  

77

it,

love

it,

  



   

 

love





love

 

     

78

 

If





her



 







pet - als, by

it,

 

  

79

    

  

    

pluck - ing

80

 

you shed



   

tears.







 



  



her

pet - als, by



/£/

 

/i-u/

[/o/a/ε/u/]

  



 

 



 



it,

 

  

/a/

it.

 



we





love

 



love

love

 

  

75

   

    

we

we

  

live

  

 

 

    





83

   



  

84

11

85



  

86

  

87



Cramer, Benjamin

    





pluck - ing





her

Stray Birds

 

If



pet

   

you

-

 

shed







als, by



 

tears.



pluck - ing



her





pet

-

  

 

/u-a/







als.

 



/i-u/

/u-a/

 

 



/i-u/

      

/u-a/

/u-a/



88



    

    

89



     





     

90



91

    

    

 

  92

 



93

Waco 2019

12