A line-storm song

A LINE-STORM SONG

FOR SOPRANO AND PIANO

Music by Juhi Bansal, text by Robert Frost

Contact information: Email: juhibansalcomposer@gmail.com Website: www.juhibansal.com

A Line-Storm Song is a setting of one of Robert Frost’s earliest published poems. Amidst a scene filled nature – tattered clouds, wet woods, crushed flowers and gusting winds, Frost places two lovers whose story mirrors the flow and ebb of the sea. In this setting of the text, the piano evokes the shapes and gestures of sea and wind, while the voice captures the innocence and sweetness of the lovers in the oncoming storm.

The line-storm clouds fly tattered and swift, The road is forlorn all day, Where a myriad snowy quartz stones lift, And the hoof-prints vanish away.

The roadside flowers, too wet for the bee, Expend their bloom in vain.

Come over the hills and far with me, And be my love in the rain.

The birds have less to say for themselves In the wood-world’s torn despair Than now these numberless years the elves, Although they are no less there: All song of the woods is crushed like some Wild, easily shattered rose.

Come, be my love in the wet woods; come, Where the boughs rain when it blows.

There is the gale to urge behind And bruit our singing down, And the shallow waters aflutter with wind From which to gather your gown.

What matter if we go clear to the west, And come not through dry-shod?

For wilding brooch shall wet your breast The rain-fresh goldenrod.

Oh, never this whelming east wind swells But it seems like the sea’s return To the ancient lands where it left the shells Before the age of the fern; And it seems like the time when after doubt Our love came back amain.

Oh, come forth into the storm and rout And be my love in the rain.

Notes on Performance: Voice: The rhythms for the sung text are meant to be very natural and flexible.

Feel free to treat them with a certain amount of freedom, to allow the text to come across in this way.

Piano: The overall role of the piano in this piece is to provide a sense of atmosphere for the text.

To facilitate this, the sustain pedal should be used throughout.

You will see two different types of grace notes in the score: 8th notes (as at mm 5), and 16th notes (as at mm 63).

The 8th notes indicate ON the beat grace notes, while the 16th notes should fall BEFORE the beat.

Notes in boxes (as at mm3) are to be played randomly and extremely rapidly, like a tremolo figure.

This 'flurry' effect should last for the duration marked on the box.

Music by Juhi Bansal

Text by Robert Frost Lightly, delicately Voice Ethreal, with lots of pedal

9

Piano

7

7

10

3

3 (

)

(

)

(

)

Pno.

(

)

5

3

The 5

Pno.

© 2010

3

line- storm clouds fly tatt - ered and swift,

the

3

7

3

road for - lorn

all day,

where

my - riad snow - y quartz stones lift,

and

7

Pno.

3

9

hoof - prints va - nish a -way.

The

9

3

Pno.

3

9

3

3

3

11

road - side

3

flow'rs,

too

3

wet

for the bee,

ex - pend their 3

11

3

3

Pno. 3

3

bloom

in 3

vain.

Come 3

13

3

3

o'er the

hills

and far with me,

3

and

3

be my

love

3

in the rain.

13

3

3

Pno.

3

3

3

15

15

3

3

3

3

3

3

Pno.

17

3

The 17

3

Pno.

3

birds

have

less

to

say for them -selves

in the

cresc.

19

3

wood - world's

torn

des - pair

than

3

3

now

these num - ber

-

3

less years

the elves,

al -

6

Gently, crystalline

19

6

6

6

6

6

Pno.

3

3

21

3

though

3

they are no 6

less there: 6

All 6

6

21

Pno.

3

(

(

)

)

23

3

song

3

of

the

woods

is

crushed

like

some wild, eas - i - ly shat - terred rose.

6

23

Pno.

(

)

(

)

6

6

Come, 6

rit.

3

25

be

3

my

love

in

6

25

3

3

the wet woods;

6

come, where the

boughs

rit.

6

rain

when it blows.

6

6

6

Pno.

6

6

a tempo 27

27

a tempo

6

6

3

Pno.

3

3

(

(

)

)

6

6

29

6

3

29

6

3

Pno.

6 6

(

)

3

(

)

6

poco allargando

31

poco allargando

3

31

6

Pno.

cresc.

6

6

(

(

)

)

Dramatic, elegant a tempo

33

3

3

There is the gale Dramatic, elegant

to

urge

3

be

-

hind

and bruit our sing - ing down,

a tempo 33

Pno.

35

3

3

and sha - llow wa - ters a - flut - ter with

3

wind

from which

to ga - ther your

35

3

Pno.

3

3

3

3

3

gown.

37

3

What mat - ter

if

37

we

3

go

clear

to the west,

and come not

3

3 3

Pno. 3

dim.

39

3

through

3

3

dry shod?

For wild - ing

3

brooch shall wet

your breast

the rain -fresh

dim.

39

3

3

3

3 3

Pno.

3

3

3

3

41

3

gold - en

3

rod.

41

Pno.

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

rit.

43

3 43

rit.

3

3

Pno. 3

molto rit.

molto rit.

6

45

6

6

6

6

6

47

3

3

47

Pno.

3

3

45

Pno.

3

3

3

3

3

49

a tempo

a tempo

Oh,

49

Pno.

51

3

3

nev - er

the whelm - ing

east

wind swells

but it

seems like the sea's

51

3

Pno.

re - turn

to the

3

3

3

3

3

3

3 3

53

3

3

an - cient

3

lands

where it left

the shells

be - fore

the age of the fern;

and

3 53

Pno.

3

3

3

3

3

3

it

3

55

seems like

the

time

when

af - ter

doubt

our

love

came

back

a - main.

Oh,

Light, delicate 55

Pno.

6

6

6

6

6

57

come

forth

3

in - to the storm

and

rout

and

be

3

my

love

in the rain,

Oh,

57

6

Pno.

6

3

6

6

3

6 6

6

3

3

6

59

3

come 59

Pno.

forth 6

3

in - to

the storm

and

rout

and

be

3

my 6

6

love

in

the

rain.

6

3

6

6 3 3

3

61

61

Pno.

63

Slower, rit.

63

Pno.