Liam Kaplan
New Hampshire Songs five poems by Robert Frost for mezzo-soprano and piano
New Hampshire Songs for mezzo-soprano and piano
five poems by Robert Frost from the collection New Hampshire (1923) I. II. III. IV. V.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Dust of Snow Fragmentary Blue Fire and Ice Nothing Gold Can Stay
Premiered on April 30, 2019 by Diana Schwam and Liam Kaplan at Oberlin Conservatory Duration ca. 12’
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village, though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. Dust of Snow The way a crow Shook down on me The dust of snow From a hemlock tree Has given my heart A change of mood And saved some part Of a day I had rued. Fragmentary Blue Why make so much of fragmentary blue In here and there a bird, or butterfly, Or flower, or wearing-stone, or open eye, When heaven presents in sheets the solid hue? Since earth is earth, perhaps, not heaven (as yet)— Though some savants make earth include the sky; And blue so far above us comes so high, It only gives our wish for blue a whet.
Fire and Ice Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destrution ice Is also great And would suffice. Nothing Gold Can Stay Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early lea’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.
Dedicated to Diana Schwam
New Hampshire Songs
Poems by Robert Frost 1923
7
I. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Gently owing; unhurried ( = 48)
sempre
13
Whose
woods
these
19
Music by Liam Kaplan 2019
are
I
think
I
know.
Copyright © 2019 Liam Kaplan (BMI) All rights reserved.
2
24
30
vil - lage,
here
41
watch
His
house
He
the
will
not
see
me
ll
snow.
woods
stop - ping
up with
his
in
is
To
though;
35
My lit - tle
horse
must
think
46
it
queer
To
stop with - out
a farm - house
near
- tween the
58
woods
and
fro
-
zen
lake
The dark - est
of
64
the
year.
He gives his
har - ness bells
a
shake
To
eve - ning
Be -
51
3
ask
if
there
is some mis -
4
68
- take.
73
sound’s the sweep
79
of
ea - sy
wind
and
The
dow
-
ny
on -
ake.
- ly
oth - er
85
The
woods are
love - ly
dark
and
deep,
92
105
99
But
I
have
be
-
fore
I
to
go
111
be -
to
sleep,
pro - mi - ses
go
And
miles
to
And
miles
sleep.
rit.
I
keep,
- fore
5
II. Dust of Snow
6
Beginning slowly
3
5
down on me
accel.
cresc. poco a poco
Fleeting ( = 100)
The
way
a
The
dust
loco
crow
8 hem - lock tree
Shook
of
snow
From a
12
15
17
19
And saved some
part
Has
gi
heart A change of
mood
-
-
ven
my
7
l.h. Of a day I had rued.
8
III. Fragmentary Blue
Why make so much of
11
bird,
or
but - ter - y,
frag - men - ta - ry blue
In
Or
ower,
or
7
Warmly, with motion ( = 92)
here and there a
wear - ing
stone
or
9
16
eye,
21
hea - ven
pre
-
sents
in
sheets
cresc.
25
decresc.
When
the so - lid
hue?
o - pen
10
29
Since earth
is
33
earth,
sub. hea
-
ven
36
(as
per - haps,
yet)—
some sa - vants make earth in - clude the
sky;
not
Though
And
blue
so
far
a
-
bove
us comes so
high,
cresc.
43
46
whet.
It
on
-
ly gives our wish for blue
a
39
11
12
Eerily still ( = 72)
10
Some say
6
the
Some say in
tast - ed
of
de - sire
ice.
From what I’ve
re,
world will end in
IV. Fire and Ice
I hold with
who
17
20
hate
ice
is
to
al -
sub.
cresc.
22
re.
fa - vor
twice,
those
-
I know e - nough
great
that
for
de
-
and would
suf
ce.
-
of
struc - tion
13
- so
I think
say
But if it had to per-ish
13
14
8
ear
-
gold,
ly
har - dest hue
to
Her
leaf’s
a
ower;
Her
is
But
on -
rst green
hold.
Unhurried ( = 76)
Na - ture’s
4
Recitative
V. Nothing Gold Can Stay
12
- ly
so an
hour.
-
sub.
16
20
24
15
Then
leaf
sub -
-sides
to
leaf.
16
27
So
E -
-
den
30
thing
dawn
goes
gold
can
stay.
down
to
to grief,
So
-
sank
32
No
day.