Sing Me a Story! Read Me a Song! Program

Sing Me a Story!

Read Me a Song!

A concert based on a love of reading and great literature.

Lewisville Civic Chorale

Dr. Joshua Taylor, Music Director

Lisa DeBellevue, Accompanist

March 4, 2023 – 3:00 PM

Lewisville Public Library

On behalf of the Lewisville Civic Chorale Board of Directors and members, it is my pleasure to welcome you to our third concert in our 2022–2023 season. We wish to express our deep appreciation to the Lewisville Public Library for partnering with us for today’s presentation.

Our 2022–2023 concert season is a celebration of community. It is often said that music is the universal language, that the children are our future, and that reading to our children and teaching them to love reading is the key to their future. So, it seemed to make sense to combine these things into a celebration of both music and reading and what better place to do this than the library! Our public libraries may represent the last truly free place for our communities to gather. The public library stands as a place free from political, religious, socioeconomic or other biases and represents the heart of our community the striving to learn, to grow, and to become better citizens of our local communities and the world.

Your presence here joins and the community we share today in this concert matters! Thank you for your continued support of our chorale and of the Lewisville public library.

We hope you will join us for the final concert of our 2022–2023 season, Texas, Our Texas!, back at our rehearsal and performance home, The Episcopal Church of the Annunciation, on June 4 at 4:00 PM.

Until then, sit back and enjoy some familiar stories set to song in Sing Me a Story! Read Me a Song!

With gratitude, Josh

The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha

Darion/Lee/arr. Mark Hayes

Based on Cervantes’ Don Quixote, The Impossible Dream is perhaps the best known song from the 1965 musical Man of La Mancha.

To dream the impossible dream

To fight the unbeatable foe

To bear with unbearable sorrow

And to run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong

And to love pure and chaste from afar

To try when your arms are too weary

To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest To follow that star

No matter how hopeless

No matter how far

To fight for the right

Without question or pause

To be willing to march, march into Hell

For that Heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true

To this glorious quest

That my heart will lie peaceful and calm

When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this That one man, scorned and covered with scars

Still strove with his last ounce of courage

To reach the unreachable

The unreachable star

Jabberwocky Sam Pottle

Included in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, the sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Jabberwocky is a nonsense poem about the killing of a mythological creature, the Jabberwock.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.

All mimsey were the borogroves And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjubb bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand: Long time the manxome foe he sought So rested he by the Tumtum tree, And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock with eyes if flame

Came whiffling through the tulgeywood

And burbled as it came.

One, two! One, two! And through and through The vorpal blade went sniker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock ?

Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooy, callay!"

He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe. All mimsey were the borogroves And the mome raths outgrabe.

Green Eggs and Ham from Seussical The Musical Flaherty/Dr. Seuss/arr. Andy Beck

Based on the classic children’s book, Green Eggs and Ham tells the story of Sam-I-am and his distaste for the book’s signature dish! First published in 1960, Dr. Seuss’ famous story has sold over 8 million copies worldwide, and was included in the 2000 musical, Seussical The Musical.

I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am. I do not like them here or there.

I do not like them anywhere. Not in a house. Not with a mouse. Nor here or there. Not anywhere. I do not like green eggs and hame. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am. Could you? Would you? With a goat? Could you? Would you? On a boat? Could you? Would you? In the rain? Could you? Would you? On a train? Not with a goat. Not on a boat. Not in the rain. Not on a train. Not in a house. Not with a mouse. Oh, no! Not in a box. Not with a fox. Not in a tree. You let me.

I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-Am. I do not like green eggs and ham!

Three Elizabethan Folksongs

Ralph Vaughan Williams

I. Sweet Day Text by George Herbert

Nestled in the era of Shakespeare and Milton is the literary giant, George Herbert. Sweet Day is extracted from the 17th Century poet’s longer poem Virtue.

Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright, The bridall of the earth and skie: The dew shall weep thy fall to night; For thou must die.

Sweet spring, full of sweet dayes and roses, A box where sweets compacted lie; My musick shows ye have your closes, And all must die.

Onely a sweet and vertuous soul, Like season'd timber, never gives; But though the whole world turn to coal, Then chiefly lives.

II. The Willow Song

Text by William Shakespeare

The text for The Willow Song comes from Shakespeare’s famous play Othello. The Willow Song gives both Desdemona and Emilia a way to openly express their sorrow. It highlights the innocence of the two women, and the cruel acts of their husbands. It is considered Shakespeare’s saddest song.

The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree, Singing all a green willow; Her hand on her bosom, her head on her knee, Sing willow, willow, willow. The fresh streams ran by her and murmured her moans; Sing willow, willow, willow: Her salt tears fall from her, and softened the stones; Sing willow, willow, willow, Sing all a green willow must be my garland.

III. O Mistress Mine

Text by William Shakespeare

The text for O Mistress Mine comes from Shakespeare’s lesser known play, Twelfth Night, a story of unrequited love and a call to seize the day.

O Mistress mine where are you roaming?

O stay and hear, your true love's coming, That can sing both high and low. Trip no further pretty sweeting. Journeys end in lovers' meeting, Every wise man's son doth know.

What is love, 'tis not hereafter, Present mirth, hath present laughter: What's to come, is still unsure. In delay there lies no plenty, Then come kiss me sweet and twenty: Youth's a stuff will not endure.

Casey at the Bat Ernest Lawrence Thayer

Music by Donald Dilley

Thayer’s iconic baseball poem is set to music! Here Casey’s timeless tale.

The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day; The score stood four to two with but one inning more to play. And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same, A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast; They thought if only Casey could but get a whack at that We’d put up even money now with Casey at the bat.

But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake, And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake; So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat, For there seemed but little chance of Casey’s getting to the bat.

But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all, And Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball; And when the dust had lifted, and men saw what had occurred, There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.

Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell; It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat, For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

There was ease in Casey’s manner as he stepped into his place; There was pride in Casey’s bearing and a smile on Casey’s face. And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat, No stranger in the crowd could doubt ’twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt. Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, Defiance gleamed in Casey’s eye, a sneer curled Casey’s lip.

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air, And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there. Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped “That ain’t my style,” said Casey. “Strike one,” the umpire said.

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar, Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore. “Kill him! Kill the umpire!” shouted some one on the stand; And it’s likely they’d have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey’s visage shone; He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on; He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew; But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, “Strike two.”

“Fraud!” cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud; But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed. They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain, And they knew that Casey wouldn’t let that ball go by again.

The sneer is gone from Casey’s lip, his teeth are clinched in hate; He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate. And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; But there is no joy in Mudville mighty Casey has struck out.

Double Trouble from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

John Williams/arr. Teena Chinn

Shakespeare’s iconic witches’ spell from Macbeth is set to music for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by one of the most iconic movie composers of all time, John Williams.

Double, double toil and trouble, Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Double, double toil and trouble, something wicked this way comes.

Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog. Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,

Double, double toil and trouble, Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Double, double toil and trouble, Something wicked this way comes.

In the cauldron boil and bake, Fillet of a fenny snake. Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf, Witches' mummy, maw and gulf.

Double, double toil and trouble, Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Double, double toil and trouble, Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Double, double toil and trouble, Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Something wicked this way comes.

One Love Bob Marley/arr. Mark Brymer

In so many cases, great literature has inspired music. In this instance, Bob Marley’s 1965 inspired his daughter’s children’s book by the same title.

One love, one heart

Let's get together and feel all right.

Let them all pass all their dirty remarks (one love)

There is one question I'd really love to ask (one heart)

Is there a place for the hopeless sinner

Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own?

Believe me

One love (what about one heart?)

One heart (what about the love?)

Let's get together and feel all right.

Come Travel With Me Scott Farthing

Our final song today draws its words from Walt Whitman’s Song for the Open Road.

Let’s go! Whoever you, let’s go. Come travel with me. We will go down the open road, We will go where high winds blow, We will go down pathless and wild seas. The world before me! There are things more beautiful and divine than words can ever tell. There are things that will never die. There are things that will not grow old. Let’s go! We must not stop here, let go! We will not fear.

Let’s go, I give you my hand, I give you my heart, I give you myself.

Let’s go, come travel with me!

Performers

Lewisville Civic Chorale

Dr. Joshua Taylor, Music Director

Lisa DeBellevue, Accompanist

Soprano

Nita Acton

Stephanie Crowe

Lindsay Faulkenberry

Kathy Henderson Jolly

Molly Reader

Toby Rotman

Apryl Russell

Barbara Solari

Betsy Whittington

Alto

Carole Clinton

Chloe Felder

Patti Kendall

Tracy Mattingly Kirk

Stephanie Oldenkamp

Noelle Venglarik

Julie Waid

Samantha Weber

Tenor Bass

Aaron Coventry

Brian Worthington

Gary Clinton

Donald Day

Andrew Nelson

David Weber

Acknowledgments

Episcopal Church of the Annunciation

Gary Gordon, Director of Music

Friends of the Chorale

Benefactor ($1000)

City of Lewisville

Lakeside Arts Foundation

Partner ($500)

Nita Acton

Fish City Grill of Flower Mound

Jeannine Sandstrom

David & Samantha Weber

Patron ($100)

Susan Barwick & David Phillips

Charles W. Beall, In Memory of Linda Wind

Aaron Coventry

Donald R. Day

John & Lisa DeBellevue

Kathy Henderson

Toby Rotman

Audra Smolinski

Joshua Taylor

Julie Waid

Lewis Worthington

Friend ($25)

Anonymous

Gary & Carole Clinton

Roy Ferguson

Richard Kurjan

Rich & Jeanetta Martin

Betsy Whittington

Phyllis Wilson

Please join us for the final concert of our 2022–2023 Season

Sunday, June 4, 2023

4:00 PM

Episcopal Church of the Annunciation

Announcingour2023–2024Season

Fall2023—BackbyPopularDemand—aconcertof choralefavorites!

December2023—MyFavoriteThings:AHoliday Celebration

January2024—Hearth&Home—houseconcertsbysmall ensemblesandsoloistsoftheLCC

March2024—AChoralTreasury—aconcertofchoral masterworks.

May2024—BestLovedBroadway

A Word About Ticket Sales and Supporting the

Lewisville Civic Chorale

As is the case for almost all non-profit arts organizations, ticket sales account for only a small part of our annual operating budget. Thanks to our generous donors, the City of Lewisville, and the leadership of the Lewisville Civic Chorale’s board— past and present— we have sustained ourselves through a global pandemic, a music director change, and into a new season. There is so much to celebrate!

As we begin looking forward to the next chapter of the LCC, we face a $3,000 shortfall from being able to completely self fund the 2022–2023 season.

Thanks to the financial wisdom of our board and cash reserves, we are able to continue producing our season without fear of a revenue issue. However, we’d like to close the gap as we prepare for next season! We continue to explore exciting ways to generate revenue for our organization.

If you would like to support the Chorale, you can give online at lewisvillecivicchorale.com/support, and, if you haven’t done so already sign up for our email list for exciting updates about our organization in the coming months. Thank you again for your support. We couldn’t do it without you!

Lewisville

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