Three Dylan Thomas Songs for Voice and Piano

Keane Southard

Three Songs of Dylan Thomas for

Voice and Piano

(2005-06) (Duration: c. 11 mins.)

Program notes: These Three Songs of Dylan Thomas were written in late 2005 and completed in the spring of 2006. I was inspired to set Dylan Thomas’s poems to music after hearing a recording of the poet reading his own poems, including these three. I was moved by the power of his voice and how the poem came alive through reciting it.

Thomas believed that poetry should be read aloud, and after hearing “And Death Shall Have No Dominion”, “In My Craft or Sullen Art” and “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” come alive by his voice, I felt that, through music, I could make these poems even more powerful and beautiful.

Keane Southard 2006

Performance instructions: 1. Unless otherwise indicated, the damper pedal should be used discreetly to allow for maximum clarity.

2. Notes with diamond-shaped noteheads (◊) in the voice part indicate that the words are to be spoken as if the poem were being recited. The general rhythm of the spoken words is indicated as a guide.

3. Notes with diamond-shaped noteheads (◊) in the piano indicate that the notes should be plucked with the fingernail inside of the piano.

4. Accidentals apply for the entire measure in which they occur.

5. Tone clusters on the piano are indicated by chords where the noteheads are covered with a thick, vertical black line. These clusters can be played with one or two hands, and contain white, black, or both kinds of notes. The general area and register for each cluster is given.

6. The “optional loud shouts” in “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” should only be included if the singer has a voice that can successfully “pull it off”.

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

And Death Shall Have No Dominion Keane Southard

Text by Dylan Thomas

 

Solemn h = 50

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       

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       and the west moon;

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sos.

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 one

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With the

  

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 

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   When theirbones

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    

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3

         

And death shall have

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Dead men na - ked they shall be

in the wind

       

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15

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         

do - min - i - on

  

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   

no

   

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mp



Solemn h = 50



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           

Copyright © Keane Southard 2006 Text Copyright © 1971 by The Trustees for the Copyrights of Dylan Thomas

 



        pp

are picked clean and the clean bones gone,

           p



p

       

2

f

mp

           

23

3

 

     

f

             sos.

 

f

       

29

  sink

through the

36

      

And

 

   

  

 

be

lost

love shall



     



  





 

  



     p dolce

    

     

no

do - min - i - on







   

not;

  

    

    

    

     





           3

mp

pp





  



 

    



p

sea they shall rise a - gain; Though lov - ers

death shall have



      sf

p dolce



sane, Though they

 

  3     

  mp        

mad they shall be





 



 

  



f

mp

Though they go

mp

 

                    

 

   

They shall have stars at el - bow and foot;

          

f

 

 

 

 

3 mp

43

3

  

 





And death shall have



no

do - min - i - on.

Un - der the wind - ings of the

        

                         3



48

f

     

sea

       p

  







mp

    mp

    way,



not die wind - i - ly:

   

Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not

 

p

      





 

  

 

 

 

mp

mf

 

 

mp

Twist - ing on

 

mf

   

Faith in their hands shall

      mf

     

3

  

racks when sin - ews give

       

   

f

       



 

3

     

break;



 

p

 

f

mf

      

 

    

They ly - ing long shall

mf

53

 

 

mf

 

   

 

 

      

pp

p

   

       



   

  

 

mf

  f

    

snap in two, And the

              f             

4

       

58

ff

f

     

                  ff                

   

un - i - corn e - vils run them through; Split all ends up

64

      no

 

  











pp

pp

   

 

   

 



 

 

 

 

 

p

   

   



pp



3

     

   

And death shall have no

do - min - i - on.

    

 

    



 

  

3



And death shall have

mf







they shan't crack;

do - min - i - on.



mp

 

  

       

 

   

mp

f

 

 

una corda 72





p

       





No more may gulls cry at their ears

  



   

  

  

   

 

     

tre corde

   

Or waves break

p

    loud

on the



sea - shores;

  (toneclusters)           

    

   p

sff

pp

 

  

 

 

5

80





mp

 

  

Where blew a



   

88

      

   

 

 

 



   



 

ff

        



 

 

 

 



mad

and

dead

as

     sfz    



ff

to the blows of the

 

 

        



head

  

f

dai

its

  

 

ham - mer through

Lift

  

  

   

more

    

   

Though they be

95

 

  

 

rain;



   

pp

 



flower may a flower no



   

   

mf

mp

     sfz    



 -

sies;



   

    

   

  

        

nails,

f

Heads

    

of the

        

    





Break

in

the

sun

 

 

 

   

ff broadly

  

    



ff broadly

char - act - ers

  

  

  till

the

    

6

  

100

sun





 

 

 

breaks

down,

    

   



  

Freely, Solemn

fff

fff

   



 







spoken: And death

    







 



mp

Freely, Solemn





shall have

   



  

no

do - min - ion.



 

In My Craft or Sullen Art

Text by Dylan Thomas

    

Keane Southard

q = 69



    

q = 69

     



ppp



            

       



   



                                 simile















una corda

   

4

p



       

        In my craft or sul -len art

                       



      

                     



        

7

simile



 

 



 

    

             



And the lov - ers lie a - bed With all their griefs in their arms

                                         

                  



When on - ly the moon rag - es



Ex - er - cised in the still night

 

            

Copyright © Keane Southard 2005 Text Copyright © 1971 by The Trustees for the Copyrights of Dylan Thomas

 

p

8 10

            I la - bour by sing - ing light

         

          

  

mf

  

On

the ivo

-

 

    



ppp

      

     

 







  

pp

   

 

             

p



         

 

  



 

   

 



 most

  

se - cret

 

  

 

 

  

 

  















their

p





Or the strut and trade of charms

But for the com - mon wa - ges Of



mf

       



     



                  

                              p



    

 

ry sta - ges



 

    

  

16

heart

  

                



    

      

      





13

    



Not for am - bi - tion or bread

 

      

       

 



    

19

  

     



   







      



p

        



  

Not for the proud man a - part

    

    

  

                              

           

       21

9



 

  

  



           

  

       

mf



 





these spin - drift pag - es













 rit.

     

24

p

      



Nor for the tow - er - ing dead

     

p

    

 

              

ppp

      

 

mf

From the ra -ging moon I write On

              

 



 

  

     

 

  

 

      

  

 



But

for

the

With their night - in - gales and psalms

     mp

    

 

 

 



   



      rit.

   

      

10

A tempo

  

f

      

27

mp

 

lov - ers, their arms

 f

   

     

of the ag - es

 

  







Who

      

       

32

      







 

   





















pp







Nor

heed

my

  

 

 

  

   

 

p



 





craft

or

 

 

art













 (plucked inside the piano with finger)                  

pppp

       

pay no praise or wag - es

     

30

     

     

     

p

  

    

Round the griefs

        



     

A tempo

     

 



(norm.)

(plucked)









 

  

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Text by Dylan Thomas

         

q = 130





q = 130







mf

 



Do

not





  

   



    

a-gainst the

     

dy - ing of the

  

 



(Optional loud shout: "RAGE! AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT!")

          f              

        

                  

         



        



         

                

         

Copyright © Keane Southard 2005 Text Copyright © 1971 by The Trustees for the Copyrights of Dylan Thomas





       



   

 

   



    

rage

 



            

night,

          

Rage,



light.

 





good



cresc.



     



        



        

     

day;

     

 

       

16

at close of









rave



f

 



and

    







        

 

Old age should burn



 





gen - tle in - to that



                       

      

go



mp

9

   







Keane Southard



12

   

22













mp





Though

             

    



men

 



at their end

      

          

    

34



words had

 

forked

no light

          

 







know

dark

is

 

     



p             







right,



Be - cause their

              

      

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



          





 

 





wise



mp

   



    

29

        sos. 

  





  

 

                              

        

 

-

cresc.







ning

they

Do

 



not



go

 

gen - tle

 

in - to

                         cresc.                  

13

    

 f 

39

 



that

good

     

night.

 

  

  

the

  

last wave by,

 

f

bright

  



Their fra - il

 



  rage



  

  

   



a - gainst the

dy

    

        

     



50

 

 





  

deeds might have

   

-

ing of the

    

 

 

 



   

   

    

       

 

 

 





   

 

 

bay,

Rage,

    

 

     

          cresc.

ff

    

 



(Optional loud shout: "RAGE! AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT!")

                

   

 





light

   





danced in a green

 

  



 





   







   



 



   



 





cry - ing how



  

44





                               

  

   



Good men,

   

  



      

     

  

14 55







                  





  



   

  

     



flight,

         







        

mp









   



 p

             

        

   

        



caught and sang the sun

in



Wild men who



     

  

 

 

                     

 

  

68

 





     sos.

mp



                                        

 





        

     61













And

learn,

too

late,

they



 

grieved it

                 

                

 



on

 

its



way,



Do

                     

  



  

     

15

 cresc.  

ff

   

73



not

go

    



 

cresc.

       



gen - tle

  

in - to

that

 

 

  

                 



            

84

 



gay,

     



      

blind - ing













  

    

Rage,

rage

  

night.

 

 

Grave men,near

 



  

 

     

     

       





  



  

   



a - gainst the

dy









    



  

    -

 

ff

       

Blind eyes could blaze like me -



     

    

  

sight

    

good



           



                      

78

death,who see with



  



 

teors

and be

      



      



  

poco rit.





ing of the light

 

    

    

poco rit.

                  



16

    

Slower, rubato mf

89

    And you,

my fath - er,

          

Slower, rubato





     

  

mf

there

                 



      





Rage,

not

    go gent - le in - to

     

  

Tempo I (senza rubato) sff

Do

  

        

95

  

dim.

now with your fierce tears, I pray.



   

 

   that



a - gainst the

dy

  





  



ing

of

      

   



   





sff

sff





  



  



sff



 





   

pp

the

 

 light.

Tempo I (senza rubato)

     

 

 

    -

me

good night.

  

   

rage

pp

    

dim.

sff

Bless,

    

      

92

         

Curse,

     

     

          

on that sad height,

 

 



   

      



 



  



   

17

99





fff

          

          

   

103

       

           

 



      

        

          

   

107

   

rit.

rit.



 

       





sos.



q = 84





q = 84



      



 



p dim.



    



p

   





    



dim.



 





               



   

 



    



 





  



  

 



       

      

  

     









  

             



(Optional loud shout: "RAGE!")

    



(Optional loud shout: "RAGE!")

(Optional loud shout: "RAGE!")

      







  

        

ppp

  

 