The New Colossus

The New Colossus, SATB Choir Cramer, Benjamin _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Benjamin M. Cramer

The New Colossus for SATB Choir

www.benjaminmcramer.com

“Patriotism cannot be our final spiritual shelter; my refuge is humanity. I will not buy glass for the price of diamonds, and I will never allow patriotism to triumph over humanity as long as I live. ” ~Rabindranath Tagore

The New Colossus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” ~Emma Lazarus

A few years back, I wrote a setting of the powerful sonnet Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley. In it, the poet speaks of the ruins of a statue strewn about the desert with the ironic inscription: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. Look on my works ye mighty, and despair!" For this project, I wanted to create a partner-piece for Ozymandias that would explore a contrary idea--still with a statue as its muse. Emma Lazarus' sonnet The New Colossus is most notable for its inscription at the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York. The title and first two lines refer to the Colossus of Rhodes which stood as one of the Seven Wonders of the World until it was destroyed in 226 BCE. This poem juxtaposes the two statues, one acting as a symbol of conquest, and the other as a beacon of refuge.

Written for "My Refuge is Humanity -- Music and Poetry Celebrating Immigrants & Refugees in Minnesota" Premiered 18 March 2017 Ahmed Anzaldua, Conductor

The New Colossus Emma Lazarus

Benjamin Cramer



Adagio q = c 48

Soprano

Alto

Tenor

 4  4   4  4 

  4  4     4   4 

Ah.

Bass

Ah.

for rehearsal only

  4 4 

  4  4 

5       4         

bra - zen gi - ant of Greek

Not like the

bra - zen gi - ant of Greek

Not like the

5    4           

4 4



fame,

4 4



fame,

5 4 



4 4 

5 4 

  

4  4 

5       4              5  4   

4 4



4  4 

   



2        4

with con - quering limbs

   



2        4

with con - quering limbs



       

Copyright © 2017 Benj Cramer Publications

a - stride from

a - stride from

 2 4

  

         

 2 4 2 4 2 4

4 5

land

4 4 

to

land,

4  4 

 2  4   land

to

land,



 2  4   land

4  4

to

land,

 4  4

  2    4 land

5

     



 2   4  

to

land,



 2  4   

 

 4  4 

here

man

 4  4 

man

 4  4 

man

  4  4

man

  4 4 

10

  4  4

with

  

with

 

here

 

     

   

 

 



 

a torch, whose

       









sea - washed,

sea - washed,



   







 



sea - washed,



 

flame is







the



the



2 4 

   3 4  

  



3 4 

  



2 4 

  



 

2   4 

sun - set gates shall

sun - set gates shall

sun - set gates shall

sun - set gates shall



   





 

















  

  











im - pri - soned light - ning,

  

 

 

 

2  4

stand

a

3  4 a

 

  

4 4

  

4 4

  

4 4

migh - ty wo -

migh - ty wo -

migh - ty wo -

3      4       3  4



im - pri - soned light - ning,





stand

3  4

5 4   

the

the



2 4 

a

5    4

im - pri - soned light - ning,



stand

4 4

a migh - ty wo -



im - pri - soned light - ning,



stand

2  4

 



flame is





  



flame is





sea - washed,

whose flame is

a torch, whose

  

with

at out

a torch, whose

  

with

 

at our

 

a torch,

at our

here

4  4 



 

 

  2    4  4 4 

10

here at our



and her

and her

name.

name

5    4 and her

name

 5    4

  

4 4



4 4

 







  5   4 

4 4

 

4 4 4 4

and her name

5   4  

4 4

   









4 4 4 4

  4   4

  4        4   4    4      4  4

Mo - ther

   

of Ex - iles.

   

of Ex - iles.

  

 

 



mand the

air



 









mand the

mand the

mand the

   

17





   

  

air



air



air

   

   -

  

-

 

-

har - bor

  

bridged



bridged

har - bor

 

har - bor

 

 

har - bor

  

bridged

 

    



bridged



   



 

 

 

   



 

that twin



  

 





 



  







frame.



  

 

her





eyes com -

 

  







 



    

"Keep, an - cient





your



lands,

your

"Keep, an - cient



lands,



your

"Keep, an - cient



your

 

eyes com -

mild

lands,

 

 



"Keep, an - cient

      



    

frame.

 

eyes com -

mild

 

cit - ies



 

mild

         

   





frame.



her

  

  

glows world - wide wel - come,



her

 

glows world - wide wel - come,

     

   

   

  

5

her mild eyes com -



    

 





frame.

cit - ies

 





glows world - wide wel - come,



cit - ies



that twin





cit - ies

 

that twin

  

  



that twin



 

From her bea - con - hand





-

From her bea - con - hand





glows world - wide wel - come,



    



    4 4               4 4



    



From her bea - con - hand



13

17

    



From her bea - con - hand



Mo - ther of Ex - iles.

Mo - ther

    



13

lands,

    



 

6

23

 

 

   







subito

sto - ried pomp!"







subito

sto - ried pomp!"













subito

sto - ried pomp!"



she with si - lent lips.

 

she with si - lent lips.



    



    



she with si - lent lips.

cries

she with si - lent lips.



    

cries

sto - ried pomp!"

       

    

cries subito





cries

23

 

 

     





    



 5   4       3

28

hud

3

-

dled mass - es

 5 3 3  4       hud

-

 5  4 

dled mass - es



  5  4



 



 

Your

Your

 5        4          3

28

  5  4

3

3



3

 

  

  



   "Give

me

  

"Give me

tired,

"Give me

your



 



5 4







your

tired,

your

 

 



your

   



5 4

your

 

your

 

tired,

  



  

poor,

poor,

3

 3    

5 4

poor,

 



5 4

poor,

 

 

  

Ah.

Ah.

 

4   4  3

hud

3

    3



-

3



   

3

-

4          4 3

3

3

3



  3

3



   3

3 year - ning to

  



  



3

year - ning to breathe,

    

5 4

free,

dled mass - es 3

 

  

year - ning to breathe,

3

hud

5 4

year - ning to

dled mass - es

4      4

 

free,

  

year - ning to breathe

your



your

 

year - ning to breathe

4  4

3



tired,



 stagger breathing throughout       

4  4

4  4



your



      

 

your

"Give me





year - ning to breathe,

3

year - ning to breathe,

   

   3

   3

3



3

   

 

31

breathe

free,

   

breathe

  



3



3

year - ning

    











33





3



 

breathe

free,

 

breathe

     3



year - ning to breathe,

     3



year - ning to breathe,

33

  

 

free,

  3

3

3





3





year - ning



3



3

 



3



 









breathe



3





3

  





3

 





to

to

breathe,

breathe,

falsetto   

3



to breathe,

year - ning

fasletto



  

3

to breathe,

  

year - ning



   3



3

year - ning





to



to



to breathe,





to breathe,

   3

3

    3

3





3





3

year - ning

 









to breathe,

to breathe,

 





3





year - ning



3



to breathe,

year - ning

to breathe,

year - ning

3 3

  



  



year - ning



3

year - ning

year - ning

3





3

to breathe,

   

year - ning





3

to breathe,

 

free,





3



  

3

to

year - ning

3

3

 



to breathe,

year - ning

3

free,

year - ning

  

year - ning

breathe



3

3

to

 

to breathe,

year - ning

year - ning



3

  





3





3



   

 

year - ning

to breathe,

 

    



year - ning

  



year - ning

to breathe,

31

  

 

free,

year - ning

  



  

 

3

year - ning





to



to



to breathe,

3

    3

    3

3

3

to breathe,

   3

    3

3

3

7

8

35



 

   3

breathe,

year - ning

  



   





  



3

 

year - ning

3

year - ning

3

to breathe,

3

   

    3





 

breathe

to breathe,

free.

  

3

    

3

          

The wret - ched re - fuse of your



   



your



tired,

your

 



         

       

teem - ing shore. The wret - ched

       

teem - ing shore. The wret - ched



poor,







poor,





free.



 

  



Give





   

  

re - fuse of your teem - ing shore.

-

your

hud

 

3

-

3

dled mass

       

-

3

3

3

  

es.

    

            3



your













Send these, the



    



  

es.

3

dled mass

 

  

re - fuse of your teem - ing shore.

-

your

       



  

hud

me



    

your

 

Give me

   

3



             



  

breathe

3

The wret - ched re - fuse of your

         

 

  

to breathe,

   

3

                

tired,



breathe free.

3

3

  



 

year - ning

39

39

 

to



breathe.

3

3

35

 

to



3

year - ning

   

  

 

year - ning

year - ning



 

year - ning

to breathe,

to breathe,

   3

to breathe,

  

breathe,





Send these, the



Send these, the



Send these, the

  





 

 



43

 



temp - est - tost

temp - est - tost

temp - est - tost



    

    



48

 

lamp

  

lamp

         

48

   

me,

    

  

me,



   

     

me,



   

to



temp - est - tost



to



 



be



be



be

-

-

to

 

side

the

gol







side

the





3

I lift my lamp,

3

I lift my lamp,

       





gol



I

lift my lamp,

    





lift my lamp,

3

3

I

3

I lift my lamp

   



3

I lift my lamp

     

door!"

-



 





den

door!"

be

side

the

gol

-

den

door!"















 

3

door!"

-



3



gol



3

3

den



  

      

the



3

I lift my

   

-



I lift my

lift my lamp,



den

9

3

lift my lamp,

side



-



I



            

   

I



      

home - less,

43

  

me,

    



home - less,

    

     

to

    



home - less,

  

     

      

home - less,

   

cresc. al fin



  Minneapolis, 2017