There is Sweet Music | Matthew and Shelley Armstrong | MusicSpoke

A Tennyson Trilogy

Matthew and Shelly Armstrong

Matthew and Shelly Armstrong

A Tennyson Trilogy I.

There is sweet music here SSAA, piano II.

A Farewell SATB, piano

III. Crossing the Bar TBB, piano

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Texts by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)

I.

There is sweet music here

(from “The Lotos-Eaters,� published in 1832)

There is sweet music here that softer falls Than petals from blown roses on the grass, Or night-dews on still waters between walls of shadowy granite, in a gleaming pass; Music that gentlier on the spirit lies, Than tir'd eyelids upon tir'd eyes; Music that brings sweet sleep down from the blissful skies.

Here are cool mosses deep, And thro' the moss the ivies creep, And in the stream the long-leaved flowers weep, And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep.

II.

A Farewell (published in 1842)

A thousand suns will stream on thee, A thousand moons will quiver; But not by thee my steps shall be, For ever and for ever.

III.

Crossing the Bar (1889)

This poem was completed three years before his death, but it was not his last poem to be written.

However, Tennyson requested that it appear as the final piece in his body of work.

Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea, But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home.

Flow down, cold rivulet, to the sea, Thy tribute wave deliver: No more by thee my steps shall be, For ever and for ever.

Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell, When I embark;

Flow, softly flow, by lawn and lea, A rivulet then a river: Nowhere by thee my steps shall be For ever and for ever.

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crost the bar.

But here will sigh thine alder tree And here thine aspen shiver; And here by thee will hum the bee, For ever and for ever.

I. There is sweet music here for SSAA and piano

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) sweetly q = 66

Soprano

Alto

Piano

6

S

b & b b b 44 ‰ b & b b b 44 ‰

∑

b & b bb œ œ ˙

°

Than

œœ ˙ ? bb b œ œ b bbbb

œ œ œ œ œ ˙ J

Than

pet - als from blown ros - es on the grass,

b & b bb œ

œ.

j œ œ œ œ

3

of shad - ow - y

b & b b b œœœ œœœ œœœ

œœ œ

? bb b ˙ . b

œ

cresc. poco a poco

gran

˙

gran

-

-

,p œ nœ Or

Or

œœœœœ Œ

œ œ ˙ œ œ

œ.

tween walls

grass,

,p

œœ œ œ nœ

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙.

œ

cresc. poco a poco

11

Pno.

P is sweet mu - sic here that j Œ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ œ. œ

Ó

Ped. simile

pet - als from blown ros - es on the

tween walls of shad - ow - y cresc. poco a poco 3

A

*

j œ œ œ œœ œœ b œœ

&

Ó

∑

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œ œ œ œ. œ b & b bb

11

S

∑

*°

soft - er falls

Pno.

∑

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b & b bb œ œ ˙ 6

∑

P j Œ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ œ. œ There

soft - er falls

A

∑

Matthew and Shelly Armstrong

˙ œ œ

ite

˙˙ ˙

nœ œ œ œ ˙ œœ

œ œ n œœ ˙˙

‰ œj

œ œ

‰ œj

on still

night - dews

p

on still

œœ ˙

œœ ..

ite

˙ œ œ œ œ

œ ˙

wa - ters

be -

nœ œ œ œ ˙ œœ

be -

˙. œœ ‰ J

˙.

j œ ‰

in a gleam - ing pass;

‰

wa - ters

˙˙ ..

in a gleam - ing pass;

œœ œ b œœ œ œœ œ œœ œ œ œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b˙ .

œ œ œ œ ˙

is sweet mu - sic here that

˙ œ œ œ œ

night - dews

‰ œ œ œ œœ ˙˙

œœ ..

There

œ

œ

œ œ œ œ

œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

©2015 Matthew & Shelly Armstrong This piece is part of a 3-song collection of Tennyson settings encouraged to be performed together.

I. There is sweet music here II. A Farewell III. Crossing the Bar

I. There is sweet music here / Matthew & Shelly Armstrong

2

F b œ & b bb œ

œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ œœ

15

S

3

b b bFœ b &

Mu - sic that gent - li - er on the

A

spir - it

œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ 3

Mu - sic that gent - li - er on the

œœ

œœ

lies,

œ bœ

spir - it

lies,

F b b b 3 œœ b & 4

19

S

F bbb 3 œ b & 4

œœ œœ œœ

œœ

Mu - sic that brings sweet

A

œ œ œ

sleep

44 œ

œ

Mu - sic that brings sweet

b & b b b 43 ˙˙˙ F ? b b b 43 b ˙

23

S

A

&

bbbb

b & b bb

œ

44 ˙˙ ˙

bœ

44 ˙

œ œ œ œ œ œœ

through the moss the

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Pno.

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œœ

œ

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down

œœœ œœœ p w

And

43 ˙ . ˙. ˙.

43 ˙ .

˙˙˙

p Œ œ œ œ Here are

Ó Ó œœ

poco rit.

poco rit.

œ

œ

œ

œ œ œ

‰ j œ

moss - es deep

cool

moss - es deep

œ œ œ p ˙

and

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and

b˙

œ

Œ œ

44 œ œ œœ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ poco rit.

‰ j œ

Œ œ

long - leaved flow - ers

44 ˙

cool

œ œ œ

œœ œ b ˙˙

long - leaved flow - ers

œ

43

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 43

Here are

œœ œœ œ œ 44 œœ œœ œ œ

in the stream the

eyes;

subito

skies.

44

j œœ ‰

˙˙ ..

subito p Œ œ œ œ

œœœœœœœ U œ ˙˙˙ allargando f U ˙ œ œ b˙

in the stream the

eyes;

œ œ œ œœœœœœ 3 œ œ 4 œ

skies.

from the bliss - ful

43

œœ ‰ J

cresc.

fU ˙˙

from the bliss - ful allargando

œœ œ œ œ œ

And

up - on tir'd

fU ˙˙

j œ œ œœ œ ‰ œ

down

up - on tir'd

Than tir'd eye - lids

œœ ‰ œ œ œ œœ J

43 œ

, 3 4

i - vies creep,

23

œ

,

i - vies creep,

œ œ œ œ œ œ

through the moss the

b & b bb œ œ

sleep

œœ œ

19

Pno.

3 p ‰ œJ œ œ œ œ œ œ b œœ œ

allargando

44 œœ

3

Than tir'd eye - lids

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15

Pno.

p ‰ œJ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙˙ ..

œ

weep,

˙

and

weep,

œ bœ w

and

œœ ˙

I. There is sweet music here / Matthew & Shelly Armstrong

. ‰ œj œ œ ˙˙ .

b & b bb œ œ œ œ nœ

27

S

F

piu mosso

b & b bb œ œ œ œ nœ

F ‰ œj œ œ ˙ .

b & b bb œ œ œ œ n˙

˙˙

from the crag - gy ledge piu mosso

A

the

from the crag - gy ledge

the

27

Pno.

piu mosso

? bb b œ œ nœ nœ b œ œ nœ

slight rit.

pop - py hangs slight rit.

P Ó ˙

œœ F

œœ

sleep.

in

sleep.

in

˙˙ ..

P w w

slight rit.

w

ww

P Ó ˙

pop - py hangs

3

ww

w œœ

œ

w

œœœœœ œœ œœ œ œ

a tempo

˙

œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ ˙ œ œ

S

b & b bb

∑

∑

∑

A

b & b bb

∑

∑

∑

32

b œ & b bb

32

Pno.

? bb b b œ

œ œ

œ œ

œ

œ

œ

˙

œ

œ

œ rit.

œ

œ œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

œ

dim.

œ œ

œ œ œ

ww w w