Keane Southard
In the Spaces of Thought for
a cappella SATB choir
(2014) (Duration: c. 2’30”)
Program notes: In the Spaces of Thought was composed in its entirety during a single day in November 2014 and revised in December while I was living in Bennington, Vermont. The text is by Henry David Thoreau and taken from his essay “A Walk to Wachusett” (1843, public domain) about his trip to the top of Mt. Wachusett, which lies in central Massachusetts not far at all from where I grew up. I was reading this account when the following lines resonated with me: In the spaces of thought are the reaches of land and water, where men go and come. The landscape lies far and fair within, and the deepest thinker is the farthest traveled. For this setting, I made two small changes to the text, changing “go and come,” to “come and go.” and “farthest” to “furthest.” These lines highlight the influence of eastern philosophy on Thoreau’s thought, of looking deep within one’s self as opposed to exploring the world around us. They also remind me of George Harrison’s lines in the Beatles’ song “The Inner Light” which also come from eastern philosophy: “The farther one travels the less one knows.” Keane Southard 2014
Keane Southard/Spindrift Pages Email: keane.southard@hotmail.com Website: keanesouthard.instantencore.com
In the Spaces of Thought
Henry David Thoreau
Keane Southard
q = 38 (e=76)
pp SOPRANO
In the spac -
es
of
In the
TENOR
BASS
thought, spac - es
of
thought
Piano reduction (For rehearsal only)
4
(3+2)
mf
reach - es
mf
reach
-
mf
reach mf
es
es
land
and
of
of
land p
and
reach - es
of
p
pp
wa - ter
wa - ter
-
es of
(d)
pp
©2014
where men
where men
where men
and wa - ter
where men
thought are the
(d)
are the
and wa - ter
land
(t)
land
pp
of
p
are the
thought
pp
p
p
-
thought
are the
in the spac - es
of
of
in the spac
q = 38 (e=76)
of p
(t)
p
spac - es
thought
pp
ALTO
p
2 pp
8
mp
come
and
and
go.
go.
mp
come
come
and
go.
mp
come
and
go.
p 12
pp
pp
The land - scape lies
far
with
and fair with
mf
in
f
and the
-
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deep - est
f
in
deep
in
and the
deep - est
f
the
lies
and
scape
f
and the
mf
with
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far
-
land
in
lies
mf
p
-
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pp
The
and fair with
mf
p
land
far
The
pp
mp
est
deep
-
est
(3+2) mp
16
p
think - er
is the
mp
think
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er
mp
think
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is the
thest
fur -
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pp
pp
is the
of
spac - es
of
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elled.
In the
spac - es
In the
(d)
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spac - es
ppp
thought
spac - es
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spac - es
of
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trav -
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fur - thest
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thest
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is the
fur -
3
elled.
pp
er
trav -
pp
20
spac -
fur - thest
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mp
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think - er
pp