The Wayfaring Stranger for Solo Male Voice and TTBB Choir

Keane Southard

The Wayfaring Stranger for

Solo Male Voice and

a cappella TTBB Choir

(2020) (Duration: c. 5 min.)

Program Notes: This setting of the American folk song The Wayfairing Stranger was composed over the course of a week in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. A few nights after seeing the film “1917” during which a British soldier sings this song to his fellow soldiers before heading into a battle, I had a dream where I was singing the song in a choir, creating this rhythmic, hocketed and hummed accompaniment, reminiscent of African-American work songs, for a soloist who sang the words. I woke up and was intent on recreating this effect by completing a setting of this song. This setting is also inspired by Percy Grainger’s setting of the English folk song “Brigg Fair” for solo high male voice and mixed chorus, particularly in his use of making the choir hum as an accompanist for the soloist singing the words.

Keane Southard 2020

Performance instructions: 1. On the 2nd and 3rd verses (but not the 1st!), the soloist may add some tasteful ornamentation of the melody, including slightly altering the prosody, if desired. Several ornaments are already written in the notation for these verses and they should be generally followed, but some may be altered or added to but this shouldn’t be overdone. The first verse should be performed as notated, which is the melody in its simplest form without ornamentation.

2. For the 1st verse and the ending, the choir is asked to hum and breathe in rhythm while keeping the mouth closed. This includes an audible inhale lasting a quarter-note before each hummed quarter-note pitch. Each hummed pitch begins with an accented “H� sound. For the other two verses, rhythmic and audible breaths are not necessary and normal breaths should be taken as necessary to maintain a legato texture.

Keane Southard/Spindrift Pages Email: keane.southard@hotmail.com Website: keanesouthard.instantencore.com

The Wayfaring Stranger   Solo Male Voice   

q = 52



mp espress.

      

    



I am a

  

Keane Southard

poor

    

way - far - ing stran - ger

  

a trav - 'lin'

  

TENOR 1

Hmm



Hmm

Hmm



Hmm



Hmm

TENOR 2



  





  



Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

   



Hmm

 



Hmm

Hmm

closed mouth, audible quarter-note-long inhale through nose before each hummed note                    p

BASS 1

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

p

Hmm



Piano Reduction (rehearsal only)

 

q = 52

  

 Solo    woe, 6

      Hmm

B2

    Hmm

Hmm

Pno.



  





sick



Hmm





-





ness, toil or

  



Hmm

p



Hmm

Hmm

   



p

Hmm

p



   



Hmm

Hmm

Hmm







Hmm

 



 









 

Hmm



 

 

in that fair

 



world

to which I



 

   



Hmm

  



 

 

Hmm

 



Hmm



Hmm

Hmm

 



   

©2020

 

Hmm











   

go.

I'm go - in'



Hmm



Hmm

    Hmm



Hmm

    



  



   



   



Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

   

Hmm

Hmm



    

   



Hmm

   

Hmm



    

dan - ger

Hmm

  

Hmm

Hmm

      

p

Hmm



mp      



 



Hmm

mp

Hmm

 

mp

B1



Yet there's no

       Hmm Hmm

T2



Hmm

    

mp

T1



Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

closed mouth, audible quarter-note-long inhale through nose before each hummed note                     

BASS 2

this world of





p closed mouth, audible quarter-note-long inhale through nose before each hummed note

             Hmm Hmm Hmm

through

    

p closed mouth, audible quarter-note-long inhale through nose before each hummed note

         Hmm Hmm

   

Hmm

Hmm

 

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

  

 

Hmm

 

  





A

2 Solo

poco rit.

                           there to see my fa - ther, I'm go - in' there no more to roam, I'm on - ly go mf

       Hmm Hmm

T1

Hmm

        Hmm Hmm

T2



B1

mf

  

Hmm

Hmm

Pno.







 



 Solo    go

Hmm

 



   

-

in' o - ver

      Hmm

T2

    

B1

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm







Hmm



 

 

 

Hmm

   



Hmm

     

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm

    Hmm

poco rit.

 



Hmm

Hmm

   





Hmm

A tempo

Hmm



mf espress.

   

B

I know dark

pp

     Hmm

pp

    

mp

 

  

 

 

(audible breath)

pp

   

(audible Hmm breath)

A tempo



mp

   mp



Hmm

f





mp



(audible Hmm breath)

 



Hmm

 

 Hmm



   

 

    will gath - er

   mf





 





Oo

still hummed, breathe as needed f

        mm

 



Opened mouth, breathe as needed p

Hmm

  



Hmm

 

clouds

end audible nose breaths on rests



Hmm

  





Hmm

(audible Hmm breath)

pp

 

Hmm



  







Hmm

Hmm



Hmm

I'm on - ly

  

Hmm

p

   

Hmm

home.

 



Hmm

 

Hmm



Hmm

p



     

Hmm

   







p



Hmm

in' o - ver Jor - dan,

   

Hmm

   

-

         

p



    

Hmm

Hmm



Hmm

(q = 40)

rit.





Hmm

    

 

Hmm

 

 

Hmm

   

Hmm

   

(q = 40) A tempo pp

        Hmm Hmm

T1

Hmm

Hmm

Hmm



rit.

Pno.

  

Hmm

     

17

B2





   

Hmm





Hmm



Hmm

 

Hmm





  



Hmm

Hmm

mf

A





    

  



mf

B2

A tempo

mp

mf

11

        p

...

still hummed, breathe as needed f

p

       

        ...

B

       



   



     

  

22

Solo

T1

       'round me,     Hmm 3

  

T2

3

 

  

I know my



way





  

is rough and

  



    

steep,



Hmm







   

Yet gold - en



fields





Hmm





lie there be

  



Hmm



   









...

B1

 

mf     

        



     

         

mf

    

  p      



mf

B2

 

     

         

 

  

    



   

 

       

Pno.





 



    

p

   

 





       



mf



     

p

p





q = 46

poco rit.

C 26

 Solo    fore   

T1



B1



mf



 



me,





   

Where wea - ry

eyes

          no more will

  



Hmm







     mf

    



           

weep.

  



Hmm

  

T2

B2



ff



     I'm go - in'

 

there

        ff



Pno.





 

   





 



   

    



Hmm (ah) I'm go - in' there gradually open mouth to bright, forward "ah" (a la "sacred harp")

    

 

ff





   I'm

p

       



    ff

gradually open mouth to bright, ah, forward "ah" (a la "sacred harp") p ff

       



 

I'm



gradually open mouth to bright, ah, forward "ah" (a la "sacred harp")

  

to see my

C

poco rit.

  

 

    



      

I'm





go - in'





go - in'





go - in'

q = 46

       

 

 









 

4

3

30

Solo

       moth - er,  

T1

 

T2

  there



my

see



there,

there

 

Pno.

to

   

 

 



  Solo    

my

    Hmm   



-





    



 

er

said

she'd

She

  

er

She

      

  

I'm on - ly

  

go

-



-







          

B2

Pno.





 

meet

me

 

  







    





  



         

accel.

   



 

Hmm







...



  mm

Slowly



...

A tempo

    





 Opened mouth

  

 



(q = 46)

       



Hmm





p breathe as needed

Oo

3





Hmm

Hmm mm ... hummed, breathe as needed fp p

          

3

in' o - ver home. p





Oo



Opened mouth, breathe as needed

                       p

p

   

poco rit.

   

me

she'd

Oo

mp           

meet

Hmm



Hmm





said





  

in' o - ver

fp hummed, breathe as needed



p

-

 p              



A tempo

go

   

me







meet



  



  

molto rit.

Hmm





 

A tempo (q = 46)

hummed as before mp

Hmm fp hummed

 



             

  



me

she'd

 

moth

mp

B1

-



  

Jor - dan,

T2



I'm on - ly

fp  3        

said

She

Slowly

 mp      

3





poco rit.

34

T1

to see



moth - er

my moth



     

 

 

   

come.

She said she'd meet

   

see



me when I

         



  

to

    

meet

to see my moth - er,

there

B2



She said she'd

   

 

B1

 





molto rit.





   

...

Opened mouth, breathe as needed





Oo

...

A tempo

   

 



 





accel.











         

                    



D

q = 72 39

Solo

molto rit.

     

T1



(e = 52) Tempo I (q = 52) mp espress.

      I'll soon be

     

T2

 

B1

from eve - ry tri - al,

mm ... p hummed, breathe as needed











mm

B2





 

(e = 52)

          



  Solo     ni - al

B1





be- neath the sod.







mm

...

Tempo I





    

  



  

 











  









and en - ter

in



      the house of







God.

pp



pp



 

pp



q = 46

   

  

  



 



(e = 60)

rit.

 

  



  



 

  

there

to

there



ff





there

to

there ff

       

pp



   



     





ff

 

I'm go - in'



q = 46

             



E

ff          

     







I'm go - in'

I'm go - in'

pp



   

   



(e = 60)



  

  



of self de

(q = 52)







  

I'll drop the cross



I'm go - in'

Pno.

   

 

I'm go - in'

B2



...







  

  

   

 

p hummed, breathe as needed

45

T2





rit.

T1

   

D

q = 72





f





...

 



molto rit.

Pno.

  

p hummed, breathe as needed

f

mm

 

This form shall rest

breathe as needed  p hummed,   

f

   f

          



free

5

ff

to

to

 



 

 

there

to

E





see my

(e = 60)

rit.

6

     

49

  Solo    sav - ior

I'm

       see my sav

T1

     see my

T2

 





-

see

my sav

ior,

no



no



ior,

more,



roam,

Pno.



 



  

     

 

more to roam,





  

more,

no

more to roam,





no

more,

    go

 -

   

  

pp T2

B1

B2

  

  

no





  

 



 

pp

 

 

pp

 

  

o - ver

               



Pno.



 

 

  

   

 

 

 

 

...

Oo

...





 

  





  

Oo





...

A Tempo

molto rit.

 

 

 







 

(e = 52)

 

 



(mm)

closed mouth, audible quarter-note-long inhale through nose before each hummed note p mp p













 



  

Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmm closed mouth, audible quarter-note-long inhale through nose before each hummed note p















 

 

Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmm closed mouth, audible quarter-note-long inhale through nose before each hummed note p mp p

















  

Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmm Hmm closed mouth, audible quarter-note-long inhale through nose before each hummed note p







Tempo I



Hmm

(q = 52)











Hmm





 

Hmm (e = 52)

rit.

 



 

 

 



  



I'm on - ly

...

rit.

home.

molto rit.



close mouth

Hmm



Oo p breathe as needed

p breathe as needed

(e = 60)

        

in' o - ver Jor - dan,

Oo

more to roam,

  

-

 p breathe as needed 

  



         in'

pp

T1

      



  

no

go

       

as needed  p breathe  

more to roam,

Tempo I (q = 52)

54

Solo



 

   

I'm on - ly

rit.



p

   

no

more,



oir,

-

to

  





  

 

no

 

-

no more

     

ior,

 

see my sav

B2

-

     

B1

go - in' there



sav

    

A Tempo