Neither Man Nor Money Validate My Worth
Leanna Primiani Transposed Score
“I am still learning to feel free... neither man nor money validates my worth”
-Withelma, human trafficking survivor
LeannaPrimianiNeitherManNorMoney Validate My Worth(2021)
Atonepoemdedicatedtothesurvivorsofhumantrafficking for orchestra
Commissioned by the League of American Orchestras with the generous support of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, world premiere by ROCO
WorldPremiere
February 26, 2022
Houston, TX ROCO
Sarah Hicks, conductor
Instrumentation
2Flutes(2nddoublingPiccolo)
2Oboes
2ClarinetsinBb(2nddoublingBassClarinetinBb)
2Bassoons(2nddoublingContrabassoon)
2HornsinF
2TrumpetsinC
Timpani
Percussion(1Player):
Vibraphone,glockenspiel,tam-tam,bassdrum,snaredrum, suspendedcymbal,mountedtambourine
Strings(6.6.4.4.2)
Duration: 8:15’
Program Note
Through Neither Man Nor Money Validate My Worth,Imusicallyexplorethelifeofachildvictimofhuman trafficking.ItisintendedtobeamusicalcommentarybasedonMussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition programmedconcurrently.Themotivicmaterialofthework isbasedontheharmonicandmotivicelementsfrom Mussorgskyoriginal.Theimageryinspirationfortheworkistakenfromtheportraitureof The New Abolitionists–peoplewhoareworkingtoendmodernslaveryandhumantrafficking.
Ifirstheardtheterm‘humantrafficking’whenworkingfortheUnitedNationsontheir 50 for Freedom campaign, andlaterwhenworkingwiththeLosAngeles-basedcharityEverychild.Iwasshockedtodiscoverjusthow prevalentandclosetohomethisissueisinourcurrentsociety.AccordingtoUNICEF,in2021over160million childrenaroundtheworldareinsomekindofforcedlabor,upfrom40millionin2017.Childrenbetweentheages offiveto11nowaccountforjustoverhalfofthetotalglobalfigure.Thismeans1in10childrenworldwideare trafficked.
TheUnitedStatesisnotimmunefromthistragedy.InTexas,forexample,therewereover300,000human traffickingcasesin2016,with80,000ofthosebeingminors.Whentakenintoaccountwiththenumbersfrom UNICEF,itisdifficulttofathomhowtraffickinghasincreased I’mgladTexashadthecouragetopublishthese statistics.MyhomestateofCaliforniadoesnotmakeitsnumberspublic.
Mybackgroundasaconductorinformsmycreativeprocess,whichiscenteredaroundtheperceptionofhowtime -buildingthe overarchingmusicalstructureonthescaffoldoftimeratherthanonthenumberofnotesormeasures,which parallelstoourheroine'sexperience,measuringherexistenceinweeksandyears.
Themusicinthefirstpartofthepieceislowandforeboding,shadowingthedesperationofourheroine'sjourney. AsthemusicinchestowardstheclimaticpointattheGoldenRatio,arayofhopeburststhroughandpropels towardsabrilliantconclusionwhenourheroinebreaksfreefromthechainsthathavebeenconstrictinghersince childhood.
Inmanyways,humanshaveanintensevulnerability,andthatvulnerabilityisavailableforexploitation,especially intheyoung.WhenwethinkofourselvesasAmericans,livinginaninformed,advanced,culturallyenlightened societywherethereishopeforequality,toknowthatthistypeofunspeakablecrueltycanpersistismind-boggling. Theideathatpeoplecanpartake,andbesubjectedto,practicesofslaverycanonlybedescribedasbarbaric.Itis mymostsincerehope,andthehopeofROCO,that Freedom willshedthetiniestbitoflightonthehidden epidemicofhumantraffickingintheUS.Itistheultimateinjustice.
Leanna PrimianiCommissioned by the League ofAmencan Orchestras with the generous support ofthe Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, worldpremiere byROCO
