1. Like Young Men It’s hard not to love the way they stand, easy and affirmed like young men alone together not knowing they’re watched. A sweetness in their power, a hesitancy. One stag lowers his head to my garden. The other, calmly alert, looks to this cabin. They take turns protecting each other in a beautiful simplicity of eating and guarding. Their clay-colored bodies are a massive surprise after the delicate doe I’ve chased from here. Their racks are young, but sharpening. It’s hard not to stare, not to freeze. The guardian arouses the other to a scent of harm that could be me— his antlers toss and almost instantly both deer bound up the hill, take my fence with effortless ease, lithe and cocky as teenagers, armed.
2. Gnat Facts on NPR Now I know for sure every living thing springs for sex. Gnats swarming in your face snuffing up your nose guttering in the liquid of your eye— they're doing a fucking dance! Their aerial male fandango's as hot as Watusi writhing in fireheat, as white boys oiling their torsos to volley a ball at Fort Lauderdale. “They orient themselves to a tall pole” says here—which is you, in June, gnat-exasperated, batting hot air— “and if that pole moves—they go with it.” Down the graveled walk by the black walnut where you wanted to talk, to maybe touch, but you're fanning your sweaty face, your lips are sealed. It's all for the females, says the expert, who “hang back on the sidelines until the frenetic could of their kind is too much to resist.” Then they jump in— mate right there in your shut-down face. It's the radio's word sidelines switches the picture to cold Friday nights, the sidelines swaying to rhythmic cheers, the scrimmagers wild in a flurry of motion's sounds: tackle and crack and knocked-out wind. Then something signals us girls. A buzzer, a gun, and it's time to run onto the field, into the thick, grab the boys tight around stiff plastic pads, thin padded hips, knowing their swarming is all about us, loving the sweat they drip.
3. Without a Philosophy . . . like a dog between 4 trees . . . —email from a friend Toward the end of this summer, this long labyrinth, I thought of you in a clearing green and sunlit, bordered by four tall trees and the dusky spaces between them where barely discernible rhododendron start the process of shadows. Light moves on your turning shoulders and on the four tall trees: the black walnut, the copper beech, two sycamores peeling to bonewhite the sun loves most. It's not only the trees but more than your fabled dog's choices, it's those darknesses between that like me you are lured to choose. But you are arrested there— watching the swallowtails feed on the aster, then go in and disappear. —Elizabeth Seydel Morgan
Commissioned by the Providence Premieres New Music Festival for its 2013 Season
Without a Philosophy for soprano, violin, and harp Elizabeth Seydel Morgan
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2013)
1. Like Young Men
q = 60 Soprano
Violin
Harp
q = 60
3 3 3
3
It's
mf
mf
5
not
hard
to
Copyright © 2013 by Dennis Tobenski. All rights reserved.
love
8
9
the way they stand
12
ea -
firmed
lone
to - geth - er
16
like
young
men
3
they're
watched.
a-
af -
and
not know - ing
sy
3
9
20
A sweet - ness
a
he
3
my
gar
3
-
3
his
3
oth - er,
calm - ly a - lert,
low - ers
The 3
den.
stag
3
One
their power,
si - tan - cy.
head to
-
26
23
in
3
3
10
29
looks
33
a
3
and
pro - tect - ing each
of
Their clay - co - lored bod - ies
turns
3
sim - pli - ci - ty
guard - ing.
take
3
bea - ti - ful
3
3
in
eat - ing
36
3
oth - er 3
They
ca - bin.
3
this
to
3
39
3
11
3
3
are a mass - ive
3
42
de - li - cate
46
3
racks
3
3
af - ter
the
ing.
It's
-
3
Their
but sharpen
young,
3
I've chased from here.
are 3
doe
sur - prise
3
hard
not
to
12
49
stare,
not
to
52
scent
-
es
the
3
3
oth - er 3
his ant - lers toss
a
3
to
that could be me–
3
3
harm
of
3
55
freeze.
The guard - ian a - rous
and
58
3
al - most in - stant - ly
both
3
61
3
3
64
3
with ease,
3
3
cock - y
as teen - ag - ers,
my fence
13
3
and
take
3
lithe
3
3
bound up the hill,
deer
3
armed.
5-9 March 2013 Astoria, NY
c. 4'00"
2. Gnat Facts on NPR
Elizabeth Seydel Morgan
Soprano
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2013)
q = 80 Annoyed
ff
Now
Violin
I know for
gnat-like, with varying bow-weight pizz. arco
p
q = 80 Annoyed
f
fff f
Harp
ff f
sure
3
e- very
6
liv - ing
thing
springs
for
sex.
bisbigl.
mf
Copyright © 2013 by Dennis Tobenski. All Rights Reserved.
mf
12
Gnats
swarm- ing
in your face
mf
16
gutter - ing
in
snuff - ing up
the
li -
quid
3
in
your
eye
19
q = 108
a fuck - ing
as
3
hot
as
q = 108
they're do - ing
Their aer - ial male fan-dan - go's
dance!
nose
your
15
3
16 24
Wa
-
-
-
-
-
tu - si
3
3
q = 80
f
writh - ing in fire - heat,
as
f
29
white boys
oil - ing
3
their
3
tor - sos
to vol
q = 80
f
3
-
ley
a
ball
32
at
3
Fort
3
Lau - der -
dale.
"They
3
o - rient
them-
selves
3
to
a
35
tall
pole"
3
says here–
which is you,
17
in June,
38
gnat
-
ex - as - per - at- ed,
3
bat - ting hot
air–
"and
if that
41
pole
moves–
they
go
with
it."
18
45
q = 60 Intimate, delicate p
rit.
3
Down slow trill gently
rit.
p
49
3
talk,
mp
but you're
mp
to
touch,
to may - be
where you want - ed
by the black
52
walk
wal - nut
q = 60 Intimate, delicate
the grav - eled
56
fan- ning your sweat - y
It's
all
for
the
are
sealed.
p
19
your lips
f
face,
q = 80
60
mf
fe - males,
says
the
ex - pert,
who
f
q = 80
63
"hang
back
3
on the side - lines
un
-
3
til
the fre - ne - tic
cloud
3
of their
20
kind
is
too
66
3
much
to
re - sist."
Then
they
jump
in–
bisbigl.
f
70
mate
right
3
there
in
your
mp
It's
the
3
ra - di - o's
word
side -
lines
q = 60 Suddenly contemplative
mp
face.
q = 60 Suddenly contemplative
shut - down
72
76
3
switch - es
the
3
pic - ture
to
Fri
-
day
78
cold
21
nights,
the
sway - ing
to
side - lines
rhyth - mic
80
cheers,
f
3
the scrim mag- ers
wild
3
in
a flur - ry
of mo- tion's
f
22
84
sounds:
tack - le
and
crack
and knocked - out
wind.
88
bisbigl.
Then some-thing sig - nals
us
girls.
3
and it's time to run
3
on - to the field,
3
buzz - er,
a
gun,
grab
the
boys tight
in - to thethick,
A
91
95
3
a - round stiff
plas - tic pads,
thin
pad - ded
97
3
3
know- ing their swarm ing
is
all
3
3
sweat they
us,
lov
ing
the
f
-
100
a - bout
hips,
23
drip.
returning to gnat-like buzzings
n
9-10 March 2013 Astoria, NY
c. 4'30"
3. Without a Philosophy "...like a dog between 4 trees..."
Elizabeth Seydel Morgan q = 126
Soprano
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2013) mf
Toward
the
end
mf
Harp
3
3
3
4
3
3
of
this
sum
3
-
3
3
3
3
mer,
3
3
3
this
long
3
3
7
3
3
la - by -
3
3
3
3
3
3
rinth,
I
3
3
3
thought
of
you
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
10
3
in
a
clear
-
ing
green
25
and
3
3
sun
-
3
13
3
3
3
3
3
lit
3
bor - dered
3
3
3
by
four
3
tall
3
3
16
3
3
3
3
3
trees 3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
and
the
dusk
3
3
3
3
3
3
-
y
3
spac
3
-
3
3
26
19
-
es
be - tween
3
3
3
3
them
3
3
where
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
22
bare - ly
3
3
3
dis - cer - ni -
3
ble
3
3
-
3
den
-
3
rho - do
3
dron
start
3
3
3
3
3
25
3
the
pro
-
cess
of
sha -
dows
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
Slightly slower (q = ca. 104)
28
27
Light
moves
3
on
your turn
-
ing
shoul -
ders
slow roll
rit.
and on the
four
black
wal
-
tall
36
A tempo (q = 126)
32
trees:
The
3
3
nut,
3
3
3
3
3
the cop - per
3
3
beech,
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
28 39
two
sy - ca - mores
peel - ing to bone -
3
white
the
3
43
3
3
3
sun
3
loves
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
It's not 3
3
3
3
most.
3
3
3
3
onl - ly the
3
3
trees
3
3
3
3
47
3
3
3
but 3
3
3
3
3
3
3
more
3
3
3
than your fab
3
3
3
3
-
dog's
3
3
led
3
choic -
3
3
3
es; 3
3
29
51
3
3
3
3
3
it's
those
3
3
3
dark - ness
3
3
3
-
3
es
be -
3
3
tween
3
3
3
3
55
like 3
3
3
3
that 3
me 3
you 3
3
3
3
3
3
3
58
are
lured
to
choose.
3
3 3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
q = 63
30
61
3
But
you are ar -
3
rest
-
ed there
3
3
watch - ing the swal - low tails
feed
slow roll
64
3
on the as
-
ter,
then
rit.
go
in
and
q = 126 67
dis - ap -
pear. pizz.
p
f
3
3
3
3
3
3
p
f
fast roll
3-5 March 2013 Astoria, NY
f
c. 2'00"
Additional vocal works by Dennis Tobenski
Drinking Alone with the Moon (2003) song for soprano and vibraphone text: Li Po
And He'll Be Mine (2005) song cycle for tenor and piano texts: Robert Burns
It's all I have to bring to-day (2007) song for voice and piano text: Emily Dickinson
till night is overgone (2007) song cycle for tenor and piano texts: James Joyce
Sweet Briar Songs (2007) song set for soprano or tenor and piano texts: Patricia Valdata
Starfish at Pescadero (2007) song cycle for soprano, viola, harp, and percussion texts: Idris Anderson
echoes (2008) song cycle for tenor or soprano and piano texts: Mark Statman
at least a moment (2009) song cycle for soprano or tenor and harp (or piano) texts: Kenneth Koch
To a Western Boy (2009) song for voice and piano text: Walt Whitman
meditation (2011) song for solo voice text: Mark Statman
All works are available digitally at http://newmusicshelf.com/dennistobenski. For print copies, send inquiries to dennis@dennistobenski.com
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For more works by Dennis Tobenski, please visit: www.dennistobenski.com