Night Wears Black (version for soprano with cello and bells)

NIGHT WEARS BLACK

For solo soprano with cello and pitched bells

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 very 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.

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

Night Wears Black h. = 50

Soprano Solo

  



 



Cello

Bells







The



  

 



Always p



Always p



night



 



5 

  



 6

S. Solo

  

 



Cello





Bells





 S. Solo

Cello

Bells

 S. Solo

11

Bells

 

13  



4





 

 



17    





   

 

 





 



4

 





  

 

    

 





  



4

 



 

 



wears

4



 

   

 



 

 4





 

16

night



espressivo Always p



Always p

 

     

 

the

 





9

 

night

Cello

  4





 







 

4

 





  

21

2

S. Solo

     

4

 

Night

Cello

Bells

 





 

wears

   

 

4

 

Night

 

 

4

 

 





 





25  

wears

 

black



 

 





  

Always p

 26

S. Solo

Cello

Bells

   



  

 

29 



 

Night



 



 





  wears

 

 

 





 

4

  





 31

S. Solo

    p

Cello

Bells

  

33 



 

Night

4

 



 

 





4



 







 

wears

black

 



  



 

 



 

    

37 

  

 

36

S. Solo

Cello

Bells



 

Night



  



4

 





 

  wears



black

 

  

 

 



  

3

41 S. Solo

  

 

Night

Cello

  

Bells

   



4

 

 

 





wears

45



 

black

 

to

 

 

 



 



 

 

  



 46

S. Solo

 

   







49  







to

mourn

Cello

Bells

  

 

 







 

  







53  

51

S. Solo

    





mourn

Cello

Bells

  

 



to





 

 



mourn



 





  









 



57

56

S. Solo

 

   











mourn

Cello



Bells



  

 

  

 















mourn

 



 

  

 



4

S. Solo

61     Night

Cello

Bells



 

wears





      

 

black



 



 





to



 

 



 



 

65



 

 

 

 66

S. Solo

   





mourn.

Cello



Bells



69

to

 



  

 

 



  









mourn



 



 

 

 

      71

S. Solo



to

Cello



Bells



 

73 





mourn

 



 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 



  

  

to

mourn





 

 



77

S. Solo

Cello

Bells

               

81





To

 

  









 

 

  

 

 

mourn



  



5 82

S. Solo

Cello

Bells

  to

  

85

 

   





mourn



 

 

 

 



 





 

 



  

 87

S. Solo

Cello

Bells

   



the

   

89



 



dead



 

 

 

 

   









 

stars



 



 

dead



   

 92

S. Solo

     

93

stars

Cello

Bells

     

   

dead

stars

dead

stars

 

   

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 



97 S. Solo

Cello

Bells

  



 

       

   

dead

stars



     

   



   

dead

stars



     

101



 dead

  



6

105 102

S. Solo

      stars

Cello

Bells

dead



     

   





stars





mourn

the



   



 

 

 

 



 

 



 



109 107

S. Solo

  

 



3

dead

Cello



Bells





  



 

mourn





 

 

  

 

 112

S. Solo

3

  

  





the

Cello



Bells





3

  





dead







 

 





 

 

 

 S. Solo

117 pp    

121 

stars

Cello

Bells



        

pp

 

 

  

   

   

 

 



7 122

S. Solo



 

Cello



Bells











 pp



 

 

125

 



4



 

 

 



 

 

 

 127

S. Solo



 



129

pp  

  

4

 



mourn

Cello



Bells



    

4

 





 

 



 

the

dead

 

 



 

 

 

stars

    

4

 

 



133

132

S. Solo

Cello

Bells

   



wears

p

 





Night

   

p

  



 

 





 

black

to

 



 

 

 

p

 S. Solo

137    

 mourn

Cello

   



Bells

      

 



141

  



  



 

 

 

the

dead

 



stars,

 to

  







8 142

S. Solo

   

 mourn

Cello



Bells



  



 

 

145

  



  



 

 

 

the



 

dead



stars,

to





 

 147

S. Solo

  

  

 mourn

Cello



Bells



  

 

 

 

the

149 



 

dead



stars,

  



 

 

 



to







 

 



153 S. Solo

 

157 ppp



 

mourn

the

 







dead

 

Bells

      







 

stars.

ppp

Cello









 

 

 





   

ppp

 S. Solo

   





   







Cello

  





   







 

 

 

158

Bells



 

