Keane Southard
In this short Life for
a cappella SATB choir
(2017) (Duration: c. 5 min.)
Program notes: In this short Life was composed in the fall of 2017 while I was living in Walpole, NH. It was written for the inaugural Stephen Paulus Emerging Composer Competition and won The Capital Hearings 2018 Young Composers Competition. It is a setting of two short poems by Emily Dickinson: In this short Life that only (merely) lasts an hour how much—how little—is within our power and: Look back on Time with kindly Eyes— He doubtless did his best— How softly sinks his trembling Sun in Human Nature's West— By repeating sections and creating an arch form, where the two poems are presented in order followed by the stanzas in reverse order (“In this short Life”, “Look back”, and “He doubtless” followed by “Look back” and finally “In this short Life”), I was able to extend the poems into a five-minute meditation focusing on the transience and preciousness of life and what one can (or can't) accomplish within it. Keane Southard/Spindrift Pages Email: keane.southard@hotmail.com Website: keanesouthard.instantencore.com
Winner of The Capital Hearings 2018 Young Composers Competition
In this short Life Words by Emily Dickinson (Public Domain)
Music by Keane Southard
q = 38 but flexible
SOPRANO
p
p
pp
pp
In this short Life
ALTO
mp
In
TENOR
pp
pp
Piano (Rehearsal only)
In this short Life
mp
p
pow
p
p
lit - tle
mp
p
that
on - ly
pp
(mere - ly)
lasts
that
on - ly
(mere - ly)
lasts
that
pp
ppp
on - ly
(mere - ly)
lasts
p
pp
p
ppp
p
-
er
-
In this short
Life
p
that
p
power
In this short
Life
that
©2017
p
pp
ppp
on - ly
(mere - ly)
ppp
p
how much how
on - ly
that
pp
pp
that
Life
p
In this short
how much how
pp
er
pp
pp
how much how p pp
pp
p
Life
pp
p
pp
p
p
pp
pp
how much how
p
-
pp
In this short
an ho - ur
er
-
an ho - ur
pp
p
an ho - ur
pp
ppp
mf
pp
is with - in our power is with- in our
ppp
an ho - ur
mf
lasts
-
pow
(mere - ly)
mf
on - ly
mf
is with - in our
that
lit - tle is with - in our pow mp
Pno.
pp
mp
B.
mp
is with - in our
lit - tle
T.
p
lit - tle
A.
7 mf
mp
S.
p
pp
q = 38 but flexible
this short Life p
In this short Life
BASS
pp
pp
ppp
pp
(mere - ly)
ppp
on - ly
pp
(mere - ly)
ppp
on - ly
p
pp
(mere - ly)
ppp
q = 54 ff
rit.
2
13
S.
pp
lasts an ho - ur
A.
lasts
an ho - ur
pp
lasts
T.
an
ho -
pp
B.
lasts
Pno.
Look
pp
an
ho rit.
ur
pp
ff
Look
mp
Look
back on Time
mp
mp
S.
mp
ur
kind - ly
A.
ff
B.
Eyes
Look
back on
with
-
ly
kind - ly
kind - ly
Eyes
Look
mf
Eyes
Look
Time
back on
Time
back on
Time
Eyes
Pno.
Look back on
Time
with
mp
(e = 66) q = 66
with
kind kind -
with
He
ly
kind - ly
mf
Eyes
ly
Eyes
f
He
f
Eyes
Eyes
He
(e = 66)
f
-
f
He
kind - ly
with
Eyes
rit.
with
kind - ly
mf
rit.
mf
kind
T.
with
Look back on Time
mf
with
Look back on Time
22
Look back on Time
q = 54
ff
-
ff
q = 66
f
3
29
S.
doubt - less did his
He
A.
doubt - less did his
doubt - less did his
He
doubt - less did his
best
mf
best
mp
best
He
doubt - less did his
best
mf
mp
p
mf
mp
p
doubt - less did his best He doubt - less did his best He doubt - less did his best He doubt - less did his
T.
B.
doubt - less did his
Pno.
best
mf
best
He
doubt - less did his
mf
best
He
doubt - less did his
best
mp
He
doubt - less did his
p
36
S.
mf p
doubt - less
A.
T.
doubt - less
mf
fp mf p
doubt
-
best
B.
mf
p
best
Pno.
mf
p
mf
p
mf
p
less
f
doubt
doubt - less
did his
f He
his doubt -less did He
f
-
f
fp
He
-
-
p
f
4
42
S.
doubt - less did his
-
-
best
T.
He
best He
B.
less
Pno.
46
S.
best
doubt
-
-
doubt
less
did
doubt - less
-
did
-
-
less did
his
T.
-
less did his
did
B.
did
doubt - less
his
his
Pno.
He
He
best
his
doubt
He
best
doubt - less
doubt - less
did his
doubt - less
did
his
did
best
doubt
best
He
He
his
best
doubt - less
doubt - less
did
best
He
best
best
fp
did his
did his
did his
less
his
best
less
-
best
his
doubt - less did
A.
his
gliss.
doubt
doubt
did his
A.
How
-
less did his
doubt - less
doubt - less
best
his
best
his
his
did
How
did
best
his
best
best
How
How
best
How
ff
49
Soft - ly
sinks
5
(e = 48)
molto rit.
his
trem
-
bling Sun
q = 54 mp
in
Hu- man Na - ture's
3
West
Look back
S. div.
ff
Soft - ly
sinks
ff
A.
Soft
-
ly
mp
sinks
sinks
Soft How Soft - ly sinks his ff
his
Sun
mp
Sun
mf
f
mp
with
mp
Look back on Time
-
Look back on Time
his
trem
mp
mp
bling Sun
Look back on Time
with
with
T. div. ff
Soft
-
ff
B.
Pno.
ly
sinks
his
Soft
-
ly
sinks
molto rit. ff
mp
Sun
his
mp
mp
Sun
with
with
q = 54
3
Look back on Time
(e = 48)
Look back on Time
mp
mp
q = 38 f
rit.
6
55
on
S. div.
Time
kind
f
kind
kind
T.
B.
-
ly
ly
Eyes
-
-
ly
Eyes
f
f
q = 38
pp
that
on - ly
(mere - ly) ppp
In
Life
that
on - ly
(mere - ly)
pp
A.
lasts
pp
lasts
T.
an
lasts
an
how much
ho - ur
pp
how much
ho - ur
pp
an
ho - ur
how much
ho - ur
how much
how
how
how
how
lit - tle p
this short
lit - tle
p
lit - tle p
lit - tle
rit.
is with - in
lit - tle p
Life
ho
an
is with - in
our
ppp
e = 54 pp
pow pp
-
pow pp
-
pow
-
is with - in
is with - in
our
our
pp
pow pp
-
pow
-
our
rit.
e = 54
is with - in
our
(mere - ly) ppp
p
(mere - ly) ppp
In this short pp
an
lasts pp
on - ly
lasts
that
how
Life
ur
on - ly
-
that
S. div.
that
Life
p
Life
In this short pp
f
this short
ppp
In this short pp
61
Pno.
pp
B.
rit.
In
Eyes
kind
Pno.
Eyes
Eyes
f
ly
A.
with kind - ly
-
pp
pp
er
er
er
er
er