On the Breakwater | Eric Malmquist | MusicSpoke

On the Breakwater

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

On the Breakwater for SATB choir duration: approximately five minutes Poem by Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) On the breakwater in the summer dark, a man and a girl are sitting, She across his knee and they are looking face into face Talking to each other without words, singing rhythms in silence to each other.

A funnel of white ranges the blue dusk from an outgoing boat, Playing its searchlight, puzzled, abrupt, over a streak of green And two on the breakwater keep their silence, she on his knee.

Program Note: Carl Sandburg’s collection of Chicago Poems was published in 1916, but I have repeatedly found that the near hundred-year-old words still apply. Then and now, the city is heartbreaking but achingly beautiful at the same time. Details have changed – just replace Sandburg’s Italians with Mexicans and his streetcars with L trains.

This poem, published in the same book as Chicago Poems but in a different set entitled Fogs and Fires, still speaks to me here-and-now. The season still applies, but the breakwater is in Rogers Park, beside a stand of dune grasses bending in a gentle breeze, with a view south of a dazzling, gleaming city, and to the east of us nothing but an auburn sky dissolving into the horizon.

Performance Notes: This piece is centered around F, although isn’t really tonal per se but essentially pandiatonic. It simply felt right to me to omit a key signature.

The [oo] vowels are carried through to the end of each system, until or unless replaced by actual words.

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

On the Breakwater commissioned by the Wicker Park Choral Singers Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)

Soprano

4 &4

Alto

Tenor

Moderate q = 80

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

& 44

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

4 V4

∑

∑

∑

∑

π ? 4 œ œ ˙.

4

Bass

ERIC MALMQUIST (2013)

˙

œ œ ˙.

Ó

p sotto voce ˙ œ œ œ ˙

Œ

On

˙

œ œ ˙.

Ó

the

break - wa - ter

˙

Ó

[oo]

7

T

B

VŒ

œ œ œ ˙

˙ in

the

? œ œ ˙.

œ

sum - mer dark,

˙

Œ Œ œ ˙ a

œ œ ˙.

Ó

man

˙

œ œ ˙ .

and a

Ó

Œ

˙ œ œ .

girl

are

œ œ ˙.

sit - ting,

˙

˙ She

œ œ ˙.

Ó

œ ac -

[oo] 14

T

B

V

œ œ

˙

ross his

? ˙

œ

knee

œ œ œ

œ œ ˙

and they are

look - ing face

œ

œœ ˙

Ó

˙

œ œ

Ó

Ó

œ œ ˙.

in - to face

˙

˙

œ œ

˙

Talk - ing

œ œ œ œ to each

o - ther

˙

Ó

[oo] 20

T

B

V œ

Œ

? œœ ˙

˙ with

œ ˙ œ

-

˙

out

œ ˙

words,

œ Œ ˙

sing

∑

œ

-

œ œ œ ing rhy - thms

œ œ ˙.

œ

œ œ œ in

œ œ ˙.

si - lence

[oo]

© 2013 VarangiantoMusic This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com purchase performance copies.

œ

˙

to

œ œ ˙.

œ each

2 26

S

A

T

B

∑

& &Ó

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π œ œ ˙. [oo]

w

[oo]

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bw

33

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& œ œ œ œ the break

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[oo]

S

A

∑

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wa - ter

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dark,

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bw

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man

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w

bw

Ó

˙

bw

˙

œœ œ

and

a

œ œ

the

break - wa - ter

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bœ œ ˙

Ó

[oo]

˙ [oo]

a

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w

dark,

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w

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in

˙ ˙ [oo]

girl

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are

œ œ ˙.

sit - ting,

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œ

œ œ ˙.

Œ

are

She

sit - ting,

w

Ó

bw

Ó

˙

She

œ œ

œ œ ˙

On the

break - wa - ter

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bœ œ ˙

On the

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

the

bw

˙.

girl

œ

w

[oo]

break - wa - ter

On

Ó

œ œ œ œ œ

break - wa - ter

œ œ

˙

break - wa - ter

Ó

Ó

Ó

the

w

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On

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Ó

and

On

Ó

œ œ ˙.

œ œ ˙

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man

œ œ

a

˙

Ó

in the sum - mer

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Œ œ

˙

∑

On the

Ó œ

˙

w

w

a

sum - mer

T

˙

[oo]

V Ó

39

œ œ ˙. Ó

& w

π ˙

p sotto voce Œ œ

break - wa - ter

œ ac -

œ

ac -

3 45

S

&œ œ œœ œ

œ œ œ œ

&œ ˙

œ œ œ œ

ross his

A

knee

œ

ross his

T

B

and they are

knee

V Ó

˙

?Ó

˙

51

A

T

B

ing to each

& Ó

dim.

V Ó

œ œ œ ˙.

A

T

B

with - out

œ œ œ ˙.

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o - ther

to each dim.

o - ther

to each

o - ther

with - out

Ó

&

∑

&

∑

∑

p œ

words,

words,

˙

[oo]

˙

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? w

Ó

∑ ˙

[oo]

to

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face

Talk -

˙

Ó

On the

œ œ

f ˙

break - wa - ter

œ œ

bœ œ

˙

Ó

f ˙

œ

the

sum - mer

sing - ing

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dark,

w w

[oo]

in

π œ œ ˙.

si - lence to each

∑

p w

w

œ œ œ œ œ

rhy - thms

w p w

œ

[oo]

break - wa - ter

Œ œ œ

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Ó

f œ œ ˙

-

in

p

œ

bw

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fun - nel

o - ther.

∑

∑

Ó

˙

w

Ó

π ˙

Ó

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w

Ó

π ˙

œ

˙

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of

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white

∑ ∑

[oo]

˙

f w

[oo]

A

V bw

in

Œ

œ œ

p œ

œ ˙

o - ther

to each dim.

Œ

On the

œ œ œ ˙.

? Ó 58

S

Ó

-

face

look - ing

bw

& œ œ œ œ œ ˙.

Œ

œ œ ˙ Ó

dim.

œ. bœ œ œ J

look - ing

w

[oo]

[oo]

S

and they are

œ œ ˙

∑ p œ. bœ ˙ J p œ. œ ˙ J

p œ ˙.

ran - ges

œ

the

ran - ges

∑

blue

Œ ˙

in

∑

œ. bœ ˙ J

∑

œ. œ ˙ J

[oo]

w

b˙

˙

[oo]

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œ

the

4 65

S

Ó

&w

dusk

A

B

œ w

Ó

œ œ

P Œ ˙

from an

&œ ˙

œ

sum - mer

T

P œ œ œ ˙

dark

V˙

Ó

?˙

Ó

˙

out - go - ing

from

œ. bœ ˙ J

˙

œ. œ ˙ J

˙

[oo] 71

S

A

T

&

˙.

F œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ

&˙

F V ˙ bœ œ œ. œ œ œ ˙ puz - zled,

?˙

the

blue

blue

œ. œ œ œ œ Œ &

77

S

break - wa - ter

A

& ˙

break

T

-

œ œ

? n˙

break

-

dusk

dusk

œ œ wa - ter

o - ver

a

o - ver

a

streak

of

˙

Œ bœ œ. œ œ bœ œ œ the

keep

their

si

Œ œ their

˙

˙

˙.

keep

their

si

Œ œ their

-

nw si

ww

si

blue

œœ

-

-

-

the

Ï ww

Ï w

lence,

lence,

dusk

dusk

of

U

∑

light,

-

˙

œ. œ œ œ ˙

blue

dusk

œ. œ œ bœ ˙

blue

U

on the

˙

ƒ Œ œ ˙

ƒ f œ. œ œ œ ˙ J

on the

And two

And two

œ œ œ œ œ œ

green,

And two

on the

green

two

on the

œ œ

Tempo I q = 80

∑ ∑

dusk

ƒ Œ œ ˙

∑

Ï ww

light,

˙

U U

lence,

-

ƒ f œ. œ œ Œ ˙ J

of

œ Ïw

lence,

˙

search

Œ œ

green,

Œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ blue

˙

green,

˙

the

œ

the

f bœ œ œ J of

search

Œ œ

f œ œ œ J

streak

its

its

˙

dusk

j œ. œ œ œ œ.

˙

˙

Œ

œ ˙

j œ. œ œ bœ œ.

˙˙

˙

˙

blue

n ˙˙ ..

Rit.

wa - ter

œ. œ œ œ œ Œ V break - wa - ter

B

ab - rupt,

F œ œ œ. œ œ bœ ˙ the

B

ab - rupt,

Play - ing

an out - go ing boat P Œ œ œ. œ œ œ ˙ ˙

the

F Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ puz - zled,

boat,

the blue dusk P Œ œ œ. œ œ bœ ˙

[oo]

˙

Œ œ œ œ œ

π w

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

∑

Baritones

[oo]

∑

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˙w [oo] Basses

Ó

5 84

S

A

∑

&

π

&Ó ˙

[oo]

T

B

∑

? w˙

Ó

w

∑

˙ Ó ∑

∑

[oo]

A

T

B

∑

& œ œ ˙.

w

&Ó

œœ œ

w

V Ó

Œ

œ ˙

[oo]

[oo]

œ keep

? ww

˙˙

Ó

their

[oo] 99

S

A

T

B

∑

&w Ó

Vw

˙

? ˙˙

œœ œ

œ ˙. Ó

si

w

Ó

œ

-

lence,

∑

œ œ ˙.

[oo]

Ó Ó

w [oo]

∑

∑ ˙w [oo]

∑

w

Ó

w

Ó Œ

˙w

Ó

π œ œ ˙.

And two

œœ œ

w˙

Ó

˙

Ó

˙

∑

˙

Ó

∑

Ó

œœ œ

œ œ

˙

on

his

∑

ww

œ

knee.

∑

œœ œ w ∑

Ó

Ó

the break - wa - ter

∑

w

œ ˙

œ œ ˙.

œ ˙. she

œ œ

Ó

œœ œ w

w Ó

on

w˙

∑

[oo]

w˙

Ó

∑

w

Ó

œœ œ w

p sotto voce Œ œ ˙ œ

˙w

œ œ ˙.

Ó

œœ œ w Ó

w

∑

w Ó

Ó

w

[oo]

&w

∑

˙˙ Ó Ó

ww

œ œ ˙.

œœ œ w

[oo]

92

S

Ó

œœ œ w

∑ Ó

∑

w

[oo]

∑

V

π œ œ ˙.

ww

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œ œ ˙. ˙˙

Ó Ó

6 106

S

A

T

B

&

∑

& Ó

œœ œ

œ œ ˙.

w

w

Ó

[oo]

[oo]

∑

V w ? w [oo]

∑

˙w [oo]

Ó

∑ œœ œ

w

œ œ ˙.

˙

ww

˙˙

[oo]

Ó Ó Ó

œ œ ˙.

w

˙

Ó

w

w

˙

Ó

œ œ ˙.

w

˙

Ó

w bw

w w

˙ ˙

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Ó Ó

Chicago, IL February, 2013