somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond for soprano and glockenspiel

Jonathan Posthuma

2 Program Note: somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond is dedicated to Emily Hageman, who asked me to write a piece for soprano on this text, which we discovered through The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, who quotes the last lines in the preface to his play. The poem is filled with rich language and symbolism, often contradictory elements such as closing/opening, fragility/intensity, seeing/touching. The accompaniment uses the glockenspiel, which offers a range of expressions from the beautiful to the clashing, the gentle to the aggressive, at times bright and cheerful but also solemn and sad. These moods, as well as attention to phrasing, punctuation, word stress, and text painting, all contributed to this simple setting that expresses a complicated and emotional relationship.

Performance Note: The text should be sung freely and fluidly, a mixture of expressivity and restraint.

The accompaniment should remain cold and distant, only warming up where indicated or when echoing the melody.

The singer should take great care in capturing the emotional qualities of text, ranging from sadness, wonder, loneliness, and comfort, but always retaining an overall feeling that is perplexing and parodoxical.

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond any experience,your eyes have their silence: in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me, or which i cannot touch because they are too near your slightest look will easily unclose me though i have closed myself as fingers, you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens (touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose or if your wish be to close me, i and my life will shut very beautifully ,suddenly, as when the heart of this flower imagines the snow carefully everywhere descending; nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals the power of your intense fragility:whose texture compels me with the color of its countries, rendering death and forever with each breathing (i do not know what it is about you that closes and opens;only something in me understands the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses) nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands -- E. E. Cummings

"somewhere I have never travelled,gladly beyond".

Copyright 1931, Š 1959, 1991 by the Trustees for the E. E. Cummings Trust.

Copyright 1979 by George James Firmage, from COMPLETE POEMS: 1904-1962

by E. E. Cummings, edited George J. Firmage.

Used by permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation.

For Perusal Only - Do Not Copy

3

for Emily Hageman

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond Jonathan Posthuma (b. 1989)

E. E. Cummings

Very Freely; q = 60

Soprano

4 &4

-j -œ œ œ œ #˙ -j -j œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ J

p gentle, serene

∑

-œ #œ-œœ 4 ‰ Œ Glockenspiel { & 4 J J ‰ Œ

some - where i

have ne - ver tra - velled, gla - dly

∑

p

-pp U 3 œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 4 #œ #˙

5

S.

pe - ri - ence, your eyes have their

Glock.

{&

mf

10

S.

∑

&

˙

œ #œ 44 œ ˙

p

Glock.

{&

15

S.

4 4

in

∑

ff concerned

∑

∑

U ˙

f broadly

Ó

3 4

∑

∑

U #n>˙˙

3

#nœ-œ ‰ Œ -œ ‰ Œ J J mp

mf relaxed

p

U 3 ‰ œJ œ#œ œ œ 2 œ™ j 3 œ ˙ " 4 4 4 œ 4 4

ea - si - ly will un - close me

5 4 Ó

ge - sture are

or which i can - not touch be - cause they are too near

mp warmly

∑

your most frail

mp

œ 5 & ‰#œj œ #œ ˙ 4 #œ œ œ œ #œ

{&

∑

sfz

your sligh - test look

Glock.

j j ‰ œ œ œ œ œ 43 #œ œ™ œ p tenderly

-œ -œ # œ 4U œ Œ ‰ 4 J‰Œ J

∑

a - ny ex-

∑

U ‰ œj #œ œ œ nœ œ #œ #œ nœ #œ œ #˙

things which en - close me,

∑

3 4

be - yond

∑

4 4

si - lence:

œ , œmf œ œ

f yearning

though i have closed my - self as

œœ œœ U œ # 3 Œ #œœ 4Ó f

© Jonathan Posthuma, 2011 Demodocus Music Publishing

Œ

2 3 4 ∑ 4

fin - gers,

∑

4 4

For Perusal Only - Do Not Copy

4

20

S.

4 &4

Smoother and lighter

∑

mf

j œ œj œ

‰ #œj œ œ œj œ

Ó

j œ œj #œ

œ ˙ J

you o - pen al ways pe -tal by pe - tal my - self œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ j # œ j # œ j # œ j j #œ œ 4 œ œ œ œ Glock. { & 4 œ ‰ J ‰ J ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ J ‰ J ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ J ‰ J ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ J ‰ œ J J J J

mf

j #œ œ œ & œ J

24

S.

œ

œ

œ œŒ

mp

œ œ #œ œ J J ‰ œ ‰ œœ ‰ Œ Glock. { & J J J pe - tal

my - self

as

spring

o - pens

p

28

S.

& w

∑

rose

Glock.

S.

{&

Œ

34

œ

&

˙

œ œ

pp

shut

Glock.

{&

care - ful - ly

œ #œœœ

∑

and my life

mf p , œœ œ œ j j #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ J

œœ œ œ œ ˙

#œœ œœ™™

Ó

Ó

˙

∑

3 4

∑

- - - -œ. -. -. œ. . . œ. œ œ #œœ œœ œ #œœœ œ ˙ J ‰ œ œ œ œ œ #œœ ˙ œ#œ - > -. 3-. -. -. -. -.

3

e - ve - ry - where de - scen

-

f

4Ó 4

the

œ #œœ œ

mp

ding;

œ ˙ e - quals

œ the

#>œ >œ œ œ œ #œ œ 45 po - wer

œ #œ œ œ œ #œ œ #œœ œ

mf cresc.

© Jonathan Posthuma, 2011 Demodocus Music Publishing

3 4

mf forcefully

p delicately

mf (pushing forward)

will

œœ

as when the heart of thisflo -wer i - ma gines

œ œœJ œ œ œ #œ Œ œ œ

œœ™™

i

mf

no thing which we are to per - ceive in this world:

3 Glock. { & 4

(expressively) œ œ #œ œ ™ , œj

œœ ™™ j œ j j œ œ œœJ œ œ ‰ nœ œ ‰ œ nœ œ

3

#œœ

pp

or if your wish be to close me,

3 3 œ 4 œ #œ œ œ œ 3 >> œ & 4 œ œ™ œ œ œ œ 4

42

S.

œ œœ

œ ˙

her first

∑

f

sud - den- ly,

œ œœJ œ œ

pp (sustained)

œœ J ‰ Œ Ó

my -ster i - ous - ly)

j j œ ˙™ #œ œ œ œ œ œ mp

mp

ve - ry beau - ti - fully,

#œœ œœ™™ snow

(tou - ching skil - ful - ly,

œ œ #œ œ œ œ à œ œ #œ œ

38

& ˙

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ Œ

œœ J ‰ Œ

œœ œœ œ #ww

œœ œœ œ œ Glock. { & J œ J S.

∑

p (quickly and hushed)

œœ œœ ™™

of your in -

j œ 45

For Perusal Only - Do Not Copy 46

S.

5 &4

b -œ ™™ ff

œ œœœ œ R

tense

fra - gi -li - ty:

5 œ Glock. { & 4 #œ œ Œ

Œ

mf

œ œ 45 œ œ œ œ whose

#œœœ ‰ J Œ mf

f

49

S.

4 & 4 #œ œ ˙™ f

#œ #œ #œ ˙˙ ™™

coun - tries,

4 #œ Glock. { & 4

mf

54

S.

Glock.

f

Piu mosso q = 64

5 &4

∑

4 œ œ œ bœ 45 œ bœ œœœ œ œ 4

tex - ture

5 4Ó

com - pels me

‰ œ bœ œ

3

œ œ œ ˙

œ 5 ˙˙ ™™ 4

œ œœ œ˙

ren - de - ring death

and fo - re - ver

œ œœ ˙˙

œ ˙˙

mf solemnly

Ó™

∑

Œ

& œ

what

4 œ bœ œ 4

˙

brea - thing

4 ww 4

p very sustained

œ

œ

œ

(i

do

not

know

œ

4 4œ

p

œ

œ

œ

it

is

a

œ #˙ - bout

you

œ

˙

that

clo

œ -

ses

œ

and

˙ o

˙ -

pens;

œ ‰ j ‰ j ‰#œœœ ‰ œ ‰ j ‰ j ‰#œœœ ‰ œ ‰ j ‰ j ‰#œœœ ‰ œ ‰ j ‰ j ‰ œœ J œ œ J J œ œ J J œ œ {& J œ œ J 61

S.

its

œ œ œ œ 5U Œ #œœJ ‰ œJ ‰ œj ‰ œj ‰ #œœJ ‰ œJ ‰ œj ‰ œj ‰ œœJ ‰ 44 œJ ‰ œj ‰ œj ‰#œœJ ‰ 4 & { 57

Glock.

of

4 œ œ4 ˙

with each

mp warmer and sustained

S.

co- lor

5 4 ‰ œ bœ œ

œ

mp

with the

mf solemnly

5 4 Ó

5

˙

& ˙ on

-

ly

#œœ œ œ œ Glock. { & œ

œ

œ œ œ

some - thing in me

œœ

œœ œ œœ

œ œ #˙ œœ œœ œœ œ

un - der

stands

© Jonathan Posthuma, 2011 Demodocus Music Publishing

œ œ ˙ the voice

œ œ œ

œ ˙ 6 4œ of your eyes

œ œ

is

œ œ œ 6 4 œ œ œ œ

5 4 5 4

For Perusal Only - Do Not Copy

6 66

S.

& ˙

dee

˙ - per

˙

˙

than

all

œ œ œ Glock. { & œ œ œ 71

S.

p

& w no

-

œ

œ ˙

bo - dy,

#˙

ses)

-

œ œ

not

4 4

∑

∑

˙ e

-

œ œ

ven the

˙

˙

rain,

has

˙

such

œœ #œ œœ #œœ œœ #œœ œ œœ œ œ #œ œ Glock. { & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 77

S.

&

∑

∑

∑

œœ #œœ œ œœ œ œ #œ œ œ 4œ 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ p

ro

œ

˙

∑

∑

œ œ #œ œ œ˙ #œ ˙ œœ #œw œ œœœ ˙ #˙˙˙ Glock. { & œ > œ œ œ pp > œ >

˙

pp

small

hands

w

œœ #œ œœ #œœ œ œœ œ œ œ œ

∑ ˙ #˙˙˙

∑ ˙ #˙˙˙

U ∑

˙˙ ˙ #˙U ppp

dim. poco a poco

-- Winter 2011 Sioux Center, IA

© Jonathan Posthuma, 2011 Demodocus Music Publishing