A Field of Hosannas | Giselle Wyers | MusicSpoke

Giselle Wyers Music

A FIELD OF HOSANNAS

for SATB choir and piano

Commissioned by University of Washington Chamber Singers

Music by Giselle Wyers

Text by Sam Hamill copyright 2017

A FIELD OF HOSANNAS TEXT

It was a dream and you were walking through a field of hosannas And the immense sea rocked with the blue voices of the dead When you stretched out supine to dream lotus dreams which I could not read.

A cathedral of sky arched overhead. I wanted to know whether your eyes were closed. I wanted your dream or song or prayer, o I wanted, and the sun grew brighter and the breeze fairer that immaculate day

Unfolding like a poem, like a song I half-remember and ask, Did we sing it once a long time ago, Did we sing it together, Was it our hymnal

Our beautiful tragic chorus, our anthem, The day like a new white canvas,

And here I add marine blue, and there cobalt blue, And a cloud in amber, and the light transparent yellow, And the brush makes a sound like wind over sand, but there are no whitecaps, no sailboats, Only canvas and paint and the body’s dance. No kite. No gull. No things. Everything goes. No dream, no dreamer. No certainty, no doubt. Only the infinitely blossoming hosannas of the emptiness within, echoing the emptiness without.

----Sam Hamill, poet

PROGRAM AND PERFORMANCE NOTES

A Field of Hosannas was commissioned by the University of Washington Chamber Singers in 2017 in honor of their Carnegie Hall debut. The poem describes an ephemeral dream in which one is longing to connect with their beloved, using images of painting a picture to make something real once again, or recalling an ancient melody “half-remembered”. Ultimately, the text hints at the ways we must balance the ineffable joy of life with the emptiness of what we cannot know. The performer is invited to creatively deploy expressive rubato throughout, until the phrase “no doubt” ushers in the final celebratory section, locking into a stable, certain and joyfully driving tempo.

GISELLE WYERS is a conductor and composer with over 35 commissioned works in her catalog. She collaborates regularly with community choruses and orchestras as well as educational choirs, with performances across the globe. Wyers is especially dedicated to composing works that explore the beauty, mystery and heartbreak we all experience as modern citizens in a complicated world.

AFieldofHosannas

CommissionedbytheUniversityofWashingtonChamberSingers fortheirCarnegieHalldebut,GeoffreyBoers,conductor

Lingering, then pressing forward gently

Delicate trill, starting slowly then speeding

It

It

and 2 This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

˙™ œ œ J œ œ J #œœœœœ œœœœœœœ ˙™ œ œ J œ œ J #œœœœœ œœœœœœœ œ #œ™ ™ œ œ n ™ ™ ˙ ˙ ™ ™ œ™ ˙™ œ™ œ œœ œœœ˙ # ™ œ œœ œœ #œœ œ Jœœœ œ J œ ˙™ œ™ ˙™ Œ™ œ œœ œ J œ ˙™ œ™ ˙™ Œ™ œ œœ Ó™ Œ™ œ œœ Ó™ Œ™ œ œœ ˙™ œœœ œœœ œœ œ œœ œ˙ ˙™ ™ nœ œ J œœnœ˙™

dream andyouwere walk-ing throughafield of ho-

mp theim-

mense sea rockedwiththeblue voicesofthedead

mense sea rockedwiththeblue voices - ofthedead mense sea rockedwiththe blue voices - ofthedead

sea rockedwiththeblue voi

out

whenyou stretched out su pine - to

whenyou stretched out

pine - to

whenyou stretched out

the dral - of sky archedo-ver head - I

the dral - of sky

of sky

the dral - of sky archedo-ver head - I

q.

=60

mf -tedtoknow whether - youreyes were closed, I

mf -tedtoknow whether - youreyes were closed, I

wan

mf -tedtoknow whether - youreyes were closed, I

5 This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

=60 ‰ œj œbœ œ œ bœjœ b œ

6 This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

wan-ted your dream or song or pra-yer I

wan-ted your dream or song or pra-yer I

wan ted - your song or prayer, I wan ted - - - - I

mp grewbright-er andthe

mp grew bright-erandthe wan ted - wan ted - andthesun mp

wanted - yourdream orsongorprayer,andthesun

mp grewbright er - andthe wanted - yourdream orsongorprayer,andthesun &# &# & ‹ # ?# &# ?# b n n &# Solo n Tutti 2 &# & ‹ # 2 ?# &#n n n # ?# n b

mp grewbright er - andthe œ œ bœ nœ œ bœ bœ œ œ bœ nœ œ œ œ bœ nœ œ bœ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ œ™ bœ œ J bœ œj œ nœj ˙ bb˙™ ™ œ nœ™ ™ œ™ œ œ bœ nœ œ bœ bœ œ œ œ œ œ b œ nœ œ œ œ bbœ™ ™ bœ œj œ bœ bœ œ œ œ™ ™ bœj œ œ™ ™ nœ œ œ™ ˙™ œ™ nœ œj œ™ œ™ œ œjœœ œ nœ œ œ œ œjœ n œj nœ œ œ#œ™ œ™ œœœœœ œ nœ œ œ™ nœ™ œ œ œ œ™ œ™ œ™ œœ œ œ œ œ œnœœ n œ œ J œ bœnœ œ™ œ™ œ™ œœ œ œj œ™ œ œ nœœ™ ™ ™ ˙™ ˙ ˙™ ™ œ™ œ™ œ ™œ™ œ™ œ™ œ™ œ œ J œ nœ œ œ™ œnœœ n œ™ œ œ œ w w™ ™ œ œ œ

Withincreasinghope

q. = 54

fold

mp ing - like a po em, - like a song I half remem - -ber and

#

‹

fold

mp -ing po-em, song I half remem - -ber and

fold

mp ing - - song un -

fold

mp ing - - song I

Withincreasinghope

&#

q. = 54

# ?#

mf

fold

mf &# &# & 8 This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.

mf ing - like a po em, - like a song I half remem - -ber and

here

brush makesasound like wind o ver - sand, but

brush makesasound like wind o ver - sand, but brush makesasound like wind o ver - sand, but

thereare no whitecaps, - no sailboats, - on-lycan vas - and

thereare no whitecaps, - no sailboats, - on-lycan vas - and thereare no whitecaps, - no sailboats, - on-lycan vas - and

Singthreetimes.Eachsingerwithinthesection shouldenterthetextureintheirowntime, withvariedspeeds,usingmostlyfastertempi, creatingaheterophiceffect.Oneachrepeat, continuetoincreaseyourspeed,joyfulenergy andvolume(lasttimefortissimo).