Dennis Tobenski Dennis Tobenski Â
echoes echoes
Sixsongs songs Six poems ononpoems of Mark
of Mark Statman for
Statman for soprano and
soprano and
piano
piano
echoes
1. conspiracy 2.translating Garcia Lorca 3.people shouting 4.inevitable 5.perfect 6.Kenneth’s death
Â
composed for the 2008 Staunton Music Festival in Staunton, VA as a part of the inaugural Emerging Composers Program
Premiere: Â
Julia Turnbull, soprano Matthew Stephens, piano Â
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 Staunton Music Festival First Presbyterian Church Staunton, VA
7
Texts
people shouting
conspiracy
there’s that Ray Charles song I can’t stop loving you it’s not from my past the danger is not but a past beyond my past he’ll take over so it’s part of me but only as memory my poems but that I won’t know of a memory when it happens I can’t stop loving you image of cow, of horse all choral of cadaver or sleepy river the first line or a pure and less and then the single solo than innocent love I’ve made up my mind so when someone points it out it echoes I won’t see this is real already devoured echo eaten redolent of spring and warm and those yellow and green days before I was conscious that loving you or anyone meant anything when I was young those days seemed unimportant and forever and now they seem too fast and everything this walk in the dark while you’re away reminds me that I can’t (stop) I don’t want to past and memory suddenly present conspiring into the future I’ve made up my mind wanting the mind to have that much to do with love
translating Garcia Lorca
sometimes it’s to make a point like watch out for that car so it won’t hit you or No No so the baby won’t put its fingers in the socket there are people who shout as a way to say hello or a way to tell their stories they don’t listen for a response and too often there’s none anyway a part of loneliness a need not to be heard but to speak with a story put in the world a story all hope right there
8
inevitable you were crying at the place in the novel when her husband died she sat in a room full of their books and their furniture paintings, emptiness, dust just before the time when she had the rest of her life to live just before she would realize she wouldn’t know what that would be you think reflexively how you are not her you aren’t a fiction you aren’t created but you also wonder why you were crying the books has a yellow cover the sun makes a yellow softness on the floor the word yellow repeats in your head over and over yellow yellow, yellow yellow he was dead that page she was alive the next you turn pages read pages turn pages read pages the whole afternoon until it’s an evening sun then the sun sets and all the yellow is gone
perfect did you see that couple over there? he was huge and she was tiny they really seemed in love he kept moving her chair so she wasn’t in the sun she kept filling his glasses one red wine the other water
Kenneth’s death he’s dead and I still don’t believe years later I’m walking someplace and I’ll think that this is something I’ll tell him when he gets back when he gets back as though where Kenneth’s gone is simply too far away to telephone or send a postcard which is why we haven’t heard for so long from a man who couldn’t stand not to be in touch when he gets back we’ll be up half the night a good bottle of wine recommended by Sharon at the liquor store maybe even one of those Cuban cigars he’d stopped smoking we’ll be up half the night and Kenneth won’t get in a word
9
for the 2008 Staunton Music Festival's Emerging Composers Program
echoes 1. conspiracy
Mark Statman
Voice
q. = 84
f
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2008)
there's that
Ray
q. = 84
fff bluesy
Piano
4
I
8
past
can't stop
be - yond my
not
song
from
past
so
it's
p
my
Copyright © 2008 Dennis Tobenski
past
Charles
mf
it's
lov -ing you
mf legato, an aside - detached from the piano accompaniment
4:3
part
but a
of
me
10
on - ly
as
me- mo - ry
but
11
3
I` can't sop
lo - ving
q = 60 slow, very free
20
3
it e - choes q = 60 slow, very free
f
f
I've made up
my
so - lo
mf
all
sin - gle
me- mo- ry
mf
the
a
you
of
ff
17
ff
14
this is
the first
line
and
then
mind
cho ral
3
q = 74 with motion
real
e -
cho
q = 74 with motion
3
23
re -
do - lent
of
spring
3
3
and
warm
and those yel - low
days
be - fore
3
I
was
con - scious
3
a - ny- one
meant
31
3
3
e
a - ny - thing
when I was young
for -
3
-
green
you
or
3
and
too fast
those days seemed un - im-por - tant
and now theyseem
and
3
ver
3
lov - ing
3
that
28
3
3
26
11
3
and e - very - thing
12
34
q = 63 relaxed
3
this walk in the dark q = 63 relaxed
37
3
minds
3
3
3
I
me - mo - ry
3
3
pre -
3
3
3
3
con -
re -
sent
3
don't want to
you're a - way
3
I
sud - den - ly
can't (stop)
3
that
when
me
past and
41
3
3
3
spir
-
ing
3
43
3
in - to the fu
-
3
46
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
to have thatmuch
3
3
3
3
with
3
3
3
my
the
mind
3
3
3
3
love 3 3
3
3
3
3
ing
3
to do 3
3
49
3
3 3 3 3
want
3
q = 72 as at the beginning
mind
3
I've made up
ture
13
bluesy
q = 72 as at the beginning
3
14
2. translating Garcia Lorca Mark Statman
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2008)
Voice
Piano
q = 44
f
4
he'll take o - ver
my
3
dan - ger
is
not
poems
q = 72
5
The 3
q = 72 mp mysterious
3
but
3
that
strum strings with fingernail†
q = 44
depress keys silently*
8
5
won't know
3
3
whenit
q = 102
3
I
hap - pens
3
im- age of cow,
q = 102
ord. mf
* - On upright play one octave lower, with pedal † - On upright, play on keys
Copyright © 2008 Dennis Tobenski
3
f
of horse
3
3
(release pedal simultaneous with strum)
3
15
12
of
3
q = 56
14
or
sleep
-
3
3
ca
-
dav
-
er
3
3
pp sub.
3
3
3
q = 56
y
ri
3
and
less
than
3
3
3
3
or
a
3
3
ver
-
3
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 f ff fff 3
3
15
pure
in - no - cent
love
3
3
3
16
molto rit. 3
3
3
21
(release pedal
3
q = 56
see
al - rea - dy
de - voured
q = 56
strum strings with fingernail
depress keys silently
out
ord.
depress keys silently
3
when some - one points it
simultaneous with strum)
24
3
q = 74
won't
so
3
strum strings with fingernail
I
A tempo
3
p
q = 74
A tempo
molto rit.
17
(release pedal simultaneous with strum) 3
eat - en
3
ord.
Pause
1'32"
17
3. people shouting Mark Statman
Voice
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2008)
h. = 70 rollicking, circus-like
5
some - times
it's
to
make
17
out for
that
a
point
like
watch
car
f sempre
9
f
Piano
so
Copyright © 2008 Dennis Tobenski'
it won't
hit
you
or
25
18
No
put its
41
fin - gers
3
sock - et
the
on the piano:
in
won't
ba - by
the
33
so
No
44
there are
peo - ple who
52
way
60
tell
their
they don't lis - ten
for
a
way to
and too
say hel - lo
or
of - ten there's none
a res - ponse
sto - ries
to
shout as
a
19 3
a - ny - way
20
68
76
a
need
84
to
be heard but
to
of lone - li - ness
sto
-
-
part
speak with a
not
a
ry
put in
the
world
21
92
a
sto
-
ry
f
100
p sub.
104
right
there
hope
all
fff
19-20 June 2008: NYC Library for the Performing Arts
fff sub.
1'24"
22
4. inevitable Mark Statman
Voice
q = 100 reserved
q = 100 reserved
3
mp distant
9
mf
3
place in the no - vel
3
she
sat in her
q = 116 with more motion
mf
when
q = 116 with more motion f
were
room
3
full of their
her
books
cry - ing
at
3
the
hus -band died
17
you
Piano
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2008)
3
3
and their fur - ni - ture paint -ings,
Copyright © 2008 Dennis Tobenski
3
emp - ti - ness, dust
mp 22
3
just
23 3
be - fore
the
3
3
mf
you
think
3
f
you aren't cre - a - ted
3
her
3
she would - n't know
life
3
how
you
are
not
but you al - so
won - der
live
her
3
you aren't
3
to
mf 3
3
mf
p sub.
3
3
what that would be
of
3
rest
re - flex - ive - ly
36
the
3
32
had
3
just be - fore she would re - a - lize
3
time when she
mp
26
3
a
fic - tion
why
3
f
you were cry - ing
f
24 41
mp
3
the book has a
3
yel - low
mf
co - ver
3
the sun makes a
yel - low soft - ness
poco 3
o - ver and o - ver
poco
cresc
ff
-
yel
-
3
low
a
3
yel
low
3
3
low
poco
-
low
ff
mp
he
yel
q = 100 as at the beginning
yel
-
the word yel - low re - peats in your head
q = 100 as at the beginning
3
poco
3
on the floor
a
3
55
cresc
61
3
mf
49
was
dead that page
she
p
25 69
3
was
3
a - live
the
next
you
3
turn pa - ges
read
mf
3
f
3
un
3
til
it's
an
e - vening
mf sub.
sun
all
3
pa -
ges
the
3
then
the
sun
mp
sets
the
3
yel - low
3
f
mp
3
read
and
pa - ges
-
turn
whole af - ter - noon
84
pa - ges
79
3
rit.
is
gone rit.
20-23 June 2008: NYC Library for the Performing Arts, Starbucks 110 & Broadway
74
mp
3'16"
26
5. perfect Mark Statman
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2008)
q. = 74 quasi-recitative, energetic Voice
did you see
that cou - ple o - ver
there?
he was huge
and
q. = 74 quasi-recitative, energetic
she
was
ti - ny
q. = 60 free, rubato
6
f let ring
Piano
4
he
kept mov - ing
her
q. = 74 rhythmic
8
she kept fill - ing his glass - es
they
real
chair
-
ly
so
she
red
seemed in
was - n't in the sun
wine
love
one
theoth- er
wa - ter
Copyright © 2008 Dennis Tobenski 32"
27
6. Kenneth's Death Mark Statman
Voice
mf earnest, yet unsentimental
q = 60
3
He's dead q = 60
Piano
mf
3
3
5
years
is
3
I'll
tell
3
some
3
3
3
3
and I'll think
gets
that
3
when he
3
him
don't be lieve
place
3
ing
3
3
3
-
3
3
and I still
3
3
some - thing
3
3
7
I'm walk
3
this
lat - er
3
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2008)
back
Copyright © 2008 Dennis Tobenski
3
3
28 gently self-mocking
9
3
when he
3
gets
back
3
far
a - way
3
to
te - le phone
3
which
is why
we
or
17
3
3
ha - ven't heard
3
for
so
long
3
3
could- n't
stand
not
3
3
3
to be
3
in
touch
3
3
3
too
send a post card
3
3
3
from a man who
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
15
is sim- ply
3
3
where Ken- neth's gone
3
3
3
3
as though
3
3
12
3
3
3
gets
whenhe
3
3
back we'll be 3
3
29
20
3
up
3
a good
bot - tle
3
3
3
at the 3
3
3
li- quor store
re - com - mend- ed bySha - ron
3
3
of wine
3
3
3
23
3
the night
3
3
3
half
3
may- be e- ven one of those Cu ban
3
3
3
3
3
3
26
3
ci gars
he'd
stopped
3
-
3 3
3
smok - ing
3
3
3
29
3
3
3
3
3
we'll be 3
3
3
3
3 3
3
3
30
32
up
the night
3
3
35
3
a
won't
get
3
3
in
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
38
Ken- neth
word
3
3
and
3
half
3
3
3
3
3
molto rit.
molto rit.
3
3
3
3
3
2'42"