Midnight Songs

Michael Boyman

Midnight Songs for Mezzo-Soprano and Piano (2015)

Texts by John Keats

Duration: 12 Minutes

I. Dedication.

III. Bright Star

Glory and loveliness have passed away; For if we wander out in early morn, No wreathed incense do we see upborne Into the east, to meet the smiling day: No crowd of nymphs soft voic’d and young, and gay, In woven baskets bringing ears of corn, Roses, and pinks, and violets, to adorn The shrine of Flora in her early May But there are left delights as high as these, And I shall ever bless my destiny, That in a time, when under pleasant tress Pan is no longer sought, I feel a free A leafy luxury, seeing I could please With these poor offerings, a man like thee.

Bright star! Would I were steadfast as thou art Not in lone splendor hung aloft the night, And watching, with eternal lids apart, Like Nature's patient sleepless Eremite, The moving waters at their priestlike task Of pure ablution round earth's human shores, Or gazing on the new soft fallen mask Of snow upon the mountains and the moors No – yet still steadfast, still unchangeable, Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast, To feel for ever its soft swell and fall, Awake forever in a sweet unrest, Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath, And so live ever – or else swoon to death.

II. Faery Song Shed no tear! O shed no tear!

The flower will bloom another year.

Weep no more! O weep no more!

Young buds sleep in the root's white core, Dry your eyes! O dry your eyes!

For I was taught in Paradise To ease my breast of melodies Shed no tear.

Overhead! Look overhead!

'Mong the blossoms white and red Look up, look up! I flutter now On this fresh pomegranate bough.

See me! 'tis this silvery bill Ever cures the good man's ill.

Shed no tear! O shed no tear!

The flower will bloom another year.

Adieu, Adieu – I vanish in the heaven's blue – Adieu, Adieu!

- John Keats (1795 - 1821)

Midnight Songs I. Dedication.

John Keats

Michael Boyman (2015)

A la marcia, q = 108

 

Mezzo Soprano







         



A la marcia, q = 108

     

ff pesante

Piano

   

6 Mezzo S.

Pno.

 

 











            

11

 

  

  



p



   

f

f



                    mf legato



  



  

have gone a -

p

   



 p



Glo -

 



  

   



   



 

ry and love - li -ness





way

                        f            

Pno.

 







Mezzo S.

f



  





  

  

 p

  For

            p          

  

Copyright by the Composer © 2015

2 15 Mezzo S.

         if

Pno.



Pno.

p

  

see

upborne

  





p



20 Mezzo S.





Pno.



      

-

rly

morn

          

 

      5

p



        

no wrea thed in-cense do we

             

           

 

                    p

In

  

  

  

f

  





dim.



  

 

  

wan -der out in ea

           

18 Mezzo S.

we

mf

 p

to

the East,

                          



to meet the smi - ling day

       

 

  

   

 

3 25 Mezzo S.





p

  3 

 



No



Pno.



       

28 Mezzo S.





 



dim.

   



  

Pno.





 

        6          5 7

    

Mezzo S.



3     

soft voiced and young and

  

In wo - ven bas - kets bring - ing

                       6

    



3

gay

Pno.



         

  





30

of

      pp

nymphs



crowd

6

6

p

 



   

4 33

ears

Pno.

3

of corn,

       



      



vio - lets

to

    

 

                  





 

 

Pno.



  

Meno mosso, q = 100



rit.





     

 









                

        

espr.

        

Meno mosso, q = 100

p

  

rit.

But there are left de - lights as

 



in her ea - rly May

       



a - dorn





3

41 Mezzo S.

      

ro - ses and pinks and

The shrine of flo - ra

Pno.

3

      

37 Mezzo S.

3



Mezzo S.

    

  

    



  







  

  

high

as these.

     

  

   3



   

            

       

44 Mezzo S.

And I shall e -ver bless my des

 

Pno.



 

 

Mezzo S.

    

Pan

is no lon



mf

     

 

52 Mezzo S.



rit.



 



  rit.                               5  dim.                       

A tempo q = 100

mf

     



A tempo q = 100

           mf          



- ger sought

I feel a

Pno.

            



        

   Pno.

 

      

that in a time when un -der plea -sant trees

      

  

48

ti - ny,

            



 

-

5

     

      

     



 

free

       3

cresc.

      a lea

-

fy

                 

cresc.

   



 

 



6 Mezzo S.

f

  

55

lu

Pno.

-

   



           

   xu ry

   

f

seeing

I

        





                  dim. pp              

              

59 Mezzo S.

With these poor

 

Pno.



  

mf

  

  

63 Mezzo S.

   



could please

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

 



mf



  

off - er ings

a

                     pp                   



     

    



3



man

mf

 

like

   

 

6





 





thee



 

 

 

    



   dim.   

       

pp

  

 



Pno.

       p     

 

7

II. Faery Song Lento, q = 60

  

Shed no

Lento, q = 60

 

Piano



 





            p

  

  

 

Pno.



          

    

dim.

     

Weep no

       f

more

              3     3

young buds

p

         

  

              

 

more,

the

dim.

   

p

dim.

Oh,weep no

tear,



f



        

p

  

 

wer will bloom a - no - ther year

9 Mezzo S.

              3  

f



Pno.



dim.



Oh, shed no

             flo

  

tear



         

5 Mezzo S.

 

sleep

     

Mezzo Soprano

    

f

in the roots

 

white core



 

8

              mf

13 Mezzo S.

Dry your eyes, oh dry your eyes, for

 Pno.

    

cresc.

I

 

 

was taught in

pa

                mf

  

   

   









my

breast

of

me

 

    

17 Mezzo S.

  ease

 Pno.

      



      

19 Mezzo S.

 





9

ra -dise,

to

   -



lo - dies

  

    



  

shed

no

tear

                 con rubato

-

 

           



pp



Pno.



  



 



         



9 A tempo

21 Mezzo S.

p ethereal

 

  





O

-

-

 



ver - head

look

A tempo

Pno.



pp molto legato

 



   

 

23 Mezzo S.

o

Pno.

-

  

25 Mezzo S.



 

  

 

 



   

  

 

mf



Pno.



   

 





'mong

the blo - ssoms white

and

 

 



 

 



 

p

 

red





 

 



 

 

    



 

 







up

  

 



look

 

 

  3     

  

   

cresc.



 

   

ver - head

 





 

   

 



 

    





10 27 Mezzo S.

  



 

 

up,

I

look

Pno.



 



   

 

 

po - me -gra

-



on

  

this

     

mf

 





    -

 

3

tter now

p

      flush

flu







dim.

29



 

 



 Mezzo S.

 

mf



 



nite bough

See me!

                                             p

  



32 Mezzo S.



p

 

  

'tis this sil

 Pno.

  

   





  -

 



pp





 





 

   

very bill

       



pp



Pno.





e

     

-

ver cure's

  the

       

  

11 34 Mezzo S.

pp

 



good

 

man's

                Pno.

   

 

  

  





ff

    

  

   



tear

no - ther year



Pno.



         



sff

    

    

-

dim.



p

tear,

the

        

dim.     



 A

     

  

Oh, shed no

               

molto cresc.

  

 



41 Mezzo S.

              

 

ff

Shed no

Pno.

ill

pp

36 Mezzo S.



dieu

          



flo wer willbloom a -

  

p

 A

  

 - dieu

                    

12 44 Mezzo S.

 









I

va

-

3





nish



in



the



                                            46

Mezzo S.

   hea

Pno.

Mezzo S.

-





        

48

  

Pno.



 

 

-

-

-

ven's

-

                   



dieu

 



blue

     

   A

  

  



 A

   



-

-



        



Pno.

  







dieu

 

For Elizabeth

13

III. Bright Star Moderato q = 100

Mezzo-soprano

     





dolce





Bright

star,

Moderato q = 100

Piano

       



    

 

p dolce







      

            

4

would I were stead -fast as

   

M-S.

loft

Pno.

not in lone splen - dor hung a

                     



      

art



 

        

7

3

         

 



Pno.

thou

  

cresc.

  

the night







and

watch ing

           cresc.                    



  

   3   p

 



M-S.

            

 

with e -

  

14 10

ter - nal lids a -

Pno.

M-S.

   





pa -

tient,

like

             sf     

3

  

sleep -less

E

M-S.

        

-

      -

   

-

na

ture's





 





 

f

-

-

-

     

    





re - mite

               7



f

-

  

  

-

Pno.

-

cresc.

16

   3 



    Pno.



part



14





           



 

         

               



M-S.

       



  

15

   



      Pno.

        

       

22 M-S.



 



        

              

dim.



 

  

   

Poco piu mosso





  





M-S.



19

p

   



the mo-ving

   





Pno.

Poco piu mosso                                                                          pp legato p

25 M-S.

3

        wa - ters

Pno.

       



               



at their priest

  - like

       



task

        



 of

       

 

3

 

  

pure

a

-

          

16 30 M-S.

    

3

cresc.

 

-blu -tion round Earth's hu

Pno.



   

-

man shores

 

       

34 M-S.

new soft fall - en

Pno.

 

   

  

 

38 M-S.

  

mountains

Pno.





    

or

ga - zing





 and

         



  

the moors

    

    f



 

u - pon

the

molto cresc.



ff

 

dim.

 



No!





    ff     

 

Con rubato

    

            





on the





snow

 

Con rubato

f

    

   of

    

3

molto cresc.

mask

          

      



                        









mf

no

 

   

  

dim.



17

In tempo

42 M-S.

  

p

 

yet still

3



    

stead - fast



still un change

-

a

 -



 

ble

In tempo

 Pno.



p



  

46 M-S.

  



   

  

       3

Pi -llow'd u -pon my

  Pno.

mf

          



to

Pno.

       



fair

love's

    

  

           feel for

e

-

ver

 

          

 





49 M-S.

 



  

        

3

   

ri - pen - ing breast

        

       

         its soft swell and

   



fall

     

     

18 53 M-S.







 

dolce

rit.



    



wake

for

e - ver in a sweet

Tempo primo

     Pno.

p

 

      

59 M-S.



    



 

  

 

   un -rest

     

                  







rit.

 



still

      

 







3

 

rit.

      

 

pp

     



      

 



pp

  still

                      

Pno.





         

Tempo primo



A -

           f                         

56 M-S.



   

 

 Pno.

rit.

63 M-S.

19

In tempo

   3         









to hear her ten - der ta -ken breath

    

In tempo

Pno.

     

67 M-S.

 

     

    



so

     p

  

 



Pno.

espr.     

  







3

live

 

And

 

 

               5 5

      





e

-

 

   

   

  

6



ver

3



or

 

3

sf



else

 

69 M-S.

    





swoon

      Pno.

cresc.

      

to

  

      

    



 

           7

20 71 M-S.

    





death.

Pno.

f

            

74 M-S.

   

 

     

      

  

      





                                 3                       

76 M-S.

Pno.

       



rit.

rit.

  

     

 





          

  

       







   

Pno.

    



     

          

 