Night Wears Black (version for female voice trio)

NIGHT WEARS BLACK

Trio for two sopranos and mezzo soprano/alto Each playing a pitched bell

Music by Juhi Bansal, text adapted from Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī

Text

Night wears black to mourn the dead stars.

This piece should sound ritualistic and prayer-like. Although the vocal style is influenced by Indian folk music, the atmosphere should be more reminiscent of traditional Buddhist chanting.

The overall effect should be that of a meditation or a prayer to the night.

As such, each part should be sung with minimal vibrato (except where desired for expressive effect).

• The ornaments in the vocal line are in the style of Indian folk singing, and should be very subtle, small flips to the primary note rather than clearly articulated pitches. Where indicated, they should be performed with glissandi or portamenti to the primary note.

[The opening of the Lata Mangeshkar song "Ae dil e nadaan" (available on Youtube) is a good example of this kind of ornamentation.]

• All grace notes fall before the beat. Feel free to elaborate and decorate the given line further in this same style.

• The pitched bells needed for each part may be of any type: hand-bells, crotales, prayer bowls, etc that give the correct pitch (in any octave). The bells for each singer do not need to match in timbre, although they should complement each other.

• An optional part is included for a percussionist playing crotales. This is not necessary for the performance of the piece and may freely be left out.

Copyright ©2019 by Juhi Bansal Music All rights reserved

juhibansalcomposer@gmail.com www.juhibansal.com

Night Wears Black h. = 50

  





Always p







The

5 



night

Soprano 1 Solo

   

(D# Bell) Always p

  Soprano 2 Solo

Mezzo-soprano/alto solo

 

(C# Bell)

    

(G# bell)

 

















































 6

   S1. Solo



 



 

 





(with medium-hard mallets; delicate, ringing, without becoming piercing)

(Optional) Crotales

 





 

  4



9



 



Always p





 





























































The





night



 





S2. Solo

M-S.

Crot.

2 11

 

13  

Always p





the

   



night

4

 







S1. Solo

  

 



 



Always p

 

 

 



4







 

 

4

 

night





S2. Solo

















































M-S.

Crot.

 16

  

 

night



4

 



17  

 



wears



S1. Solo





 

 



  

Night



4

 





 

 







wears

S2. Solo

















































M-S.

Crot.

21

3

     

4

 

Night





 

4

 

 

wears

 

Night

 





25  

wears

black

S1. Solo

  

 

 4

 



























Always p

 

 

 







 

Night



 

wears

black

S2. Solo

Night

M-S.

Crot.

 





















 

Always p





29 26

   







Night

 

4

 







  wears

S1. Solo





  

 





 













S2. Solo





  



 

  



 





wears

M-S.

Crot.





















 





4

33 31

   



  





 

Night



4

 



 

 



wears

black

S1. Solo

p

 

 

Night



4

 



 



 



 



























wears

S2. Solo







  



M-S.

Crot.













 





37

36

   









S1. Solo

















 



  

Night



4

 





 



 

  wears



black

S2. Solo

 



 











 

Night

M-S.

Crot.



  

wears

 





 













41    S1. Solo

S2. Solo

 

Night



4

 



 

 



wears



 

black

  



to

 



 

























  

 

 

 



 

black

M-S.

   Crot.

5

45





  to













 





49

46

   

 











mourn

S1. Solo













 





 



 





to

S2. Solo

  

 mourn

M-S.

Crot.













 

 to



















 





6 51

 



53  



to

S1. Solo

 

 







  mourn

M-S.

 



to







  



to















 





mourn







 



 

mourn

S2. Solo



mourn

 



  

Crot.

 







mourn









 





57

56

   

 











mourn

S1. Solo









 





 





  

















mourn

S2. Solo

 





mourn









  













mourn

M-S.

Crot.



mourn

 

  

 









 















61

7

    

mourn

 



 



65  

Night

S1. Solo



 



 



 





 







 

mourn

S2. Solo











 



 

mourn



Night



 



Always p



 











 

mourn

M-S.

   Crot.









Night













 





66

   

 





   wears

S2. Solo

 



to



  

 

 



black

  



 

 













mourn

 





wears

M-S.

 Crot.



black





 



wears

S1. Solo

69













 



 



(blend into ensemble sound seamlessly)

n

 

8 71

    



 

to

73 



  



mourn

to

S1. Solo

 



 

  



  







 

 





  





mourn

 









black

M-S.



 Crot.

 



to

S2. Solo

 





 

   



 

 

 



 

pp sempre



    76





77 

  



mourn

to







mourn

S1. Solo

S2. Solo





 





   to

  

 

  











 







mourn

 









 



to

M-S.

 Crot.



  



 

 



 



 



 



S1. Solo

81    



  



 S2. Solo





to

mourn







 

 



 

 





 







 to

mourn



 





 



To

   Crot.

 

mourn

  

M-S.



To

  

 

 

9

85 



mourn

 to











  







mourn

 





    

 

86

89 





mourn

S1. Solo

 





 

 

to

  

 

 to

M-S.

Crot.

  

 mourn







 







 

 to





  

mourn









 

S2. Solo



 





 mourn

   







the



 









10 1 ossia) 93 (Soprano  

    S1. Solo

the





S2. Solo

 

   

 



 

the

dead







 













 

 











 







 



 

stars

dead

stars

M-S.

 



 





(still p)



stars.

  

 

Crot.







dead





 

stars

dead















 

96

 S1. Solo



97

 

  

     stars

S2. Solo





  



   

  dead



stars



   

  dead

 

    

 

   

 

   

dead

stars

dead

stars

stars

  



 

stars

  

M-S.

Crot.



 









 











 















11

101    



dead





105





stars

S1. Solo

  

 

   

 dead

S2. Solo

M-S.

    Crot. 



stars

  

 

 



 dead

 





   

dead

stars





     

 

   

dead

stars





 dead





dead







stars







 







 









106

 









109 



mourn

  

the



dead

S1. Solo

 

    



stars

S2. Solo



      Crot.



stars

M-S.

 

 dead

  

 dead



    stars





 



stars

 the

 

   

 

  

 

 

dead







mourn

 





 





 













12 111

   

 

  

mourn

S1. Solo

the

  



 

 







   

 



 3

  



 

 





 







 



 



 

 



dead

 

stars



the

mourn

 



  

mourn

stars

M-S.

 

dead

dead

S2. Solo

Crot.

113 





  













116

  



 mourn

S1. Solo

 





     3



 

  

 



stars

  



 



 



   





 



dead

 



dead

3



  

M-S.

Crot.



the

S2. Solo

the







 









 











13

121 pp    

125 

stars

S1. Solo



  pp



pp

  



 

 

stars

S2. Solo





pp

 

 

   

 

 

  

 

   

 











 

   

 

 



 







pp

Crot.

   



pp

stars

M-S.





 

 

 



 

126















129





S1. Solo

 





 









S2. Solo

  







 



 



pp



 

mourn

M-S.

 Crot.

 

   





 



 



4

 





 

the

dead

 



 



n

14

133 131

 





  



pp

     

4

 

mourn



4

 



 

the

dead

 

the

dead

  stars

 







 



stars

 

  



 

 







 





pp



 

  

stars

M-S.

Crot.

    

mourn

S1. Solo

S2. Solo

pp

4

 





mourn













 



the











137  

136

   

p

Night

S1. Solo





 





 

  

Crot.

p





 

Night













 

black

to



 



 



  to







wears

 



black

 

p

dead



wears

 

  



wears

Night

S2. Solo

M-S.



 

 

 

black

to













15

141    

 mourn

S1. Solo

  

  mourn

S2. Solo

  

M-S.

  



stars,

 

dead

 

mourn

the



dead

 



 



stars,



 to





 



 

dead

  

the



 

   Crot.

the



  



  

145 

 to

 

 



 

stars,

 to













 





146

   

 mourn

S1. Solo





  

mourn

  

dead

  

the

dead

M-S.

 

 

mourn

the



dead



stars,





  

Crot.

the



 

 

S2. Solo

  

149  

to

 





 



stars,

 

 



 















 to

 



stars,





 to



 





16 151

  

 mourn

S1. Solo

the

  

  

mourn





 M-S.

  

dead

 

  mourn

the













to





dead

 



 



ppp



stars,

 

 



stars,

 

the

ppp



 

dead



S2. Solo

Crot.

  

  

 

153 

to

 







 

ppp



stars,

to

 













157 

156

  

mourn

S1. Solo





  

Crot.

the

  

 

   









 the



 









dead

 

 















dead

 

mourn



 

mourn



 

 



S2. Solo

M-S.

 





the

dead





 















17

161    



stars.

S1. Solo

  



  



  

 

stars.

S2. Solo

 M-S.

 

stars.





   



 







 













 

   

 



   Crot.



 

   















 

