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Text Epitaph Come Gentle Dark If I die with music in my mouth, remember I have lived with it anon, Have turnéd sound and word to raise your sagging spirits with a song and brush away frustrations for a while. But what men will not know is that an elixir was brewed to propel my vagrant mind to create a lovely sound, The lovely sound of word and tune that men have labeled art.
Come gentle dark, Enfold us in thine arms, We dare not ask the blessing of bright day, Lest it expose for all to see and hear The wild alarms that blur the peace and quiet of our day. Old fading light, The shadow of the cross That falls upon the stubborn thoughts of man, Here but one shaft of light lest we are yet a loss, Repeating ancient errors o’er again.
If I die with music in my mouth, remember I have lived with it anon.
Program Notes The Gentlemen’s Ensemble of Louisville’s Youth Performing Arts School, under the direction of Jacob Cook, commissioned …with music… for their performance at the 2014 Intercollegiate Men’s Chorus Festival at Rutgers University. It combines Epitaph and Come Gentle Dark, previously unpublished songs written by John Jacob Niles. Niles was a graduate of Louisville’s Manual High School, where YPAS is housed. While the two poems are obviously linked by the concept of death, I’m particularly drawn to the use in each of a central contrast: music in Epitaph and light in Come Gentle Dark. Something tells me that Niles saw those two concepts as being interchangeable. May we recognize the great light that is music, and its ability to sustain us even through the darkest nights. Special thanks to the John Jacob Niles Collection of the University of Kentucky for their assistance and the Niles Family Estate for granting kind permission to use and adapt these fantastic songs.
Cover photo, Rebirth taken by the composer, Walls of Jericho, Skyline Wildlife Management Area, Alabama, March 16, 2010.
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to Hope Koehler and Ron Pen for their invaluable contributions to the music of John Jacob Niles.
...with music... Text and Music by John Jacob Niles
S
A
Arranged by Julian David Bryson
q = 60
mp
If
p
pp
die with
Come gen - tle dark
p
I
Come gen - tle dark.
mp
If
I die...
q = 60
Piano
pp
with
p
S 7
q = 66
mu - sic in my mouth, re - mem - ber I have lived with it a - non,
A
mu
Piano
This score is not licensed
Come gen - tle
p
sic,
re - mem - ber I have lived with it a - non, Come gen - tle
mel.
-
pp
dark,
dark, come gen - tle
come gen - tle
q = 66
pp
This arrangement Copyright © 2017 Julian David Bryson Use of Niles materials courtesy of the John Jacob Niles Collection, University of Kentucky and by permission of the Niles Family Estate. All rights reserved. Licensed through MusicSpoke.com License is non-transferrable. should have a copy of to the purchase license to legally use this music. for performance. PleaseDirector visit MusicSpoke.com performance copies.
4 SSAA Score
S 12
dark
A
mp
en - fold us in
p
dark
Piano
thine arms,
en - fold us in thine
S mp
19
arms,
S 25
day, mp
A
mf
Re- mem- ber
mf
-
ing
ask the
of bright day
bless ing, the bless - ing of bright day,
see and hear the
wild a - larms that
blur the peace and
see and hear the
wild a - larms that
blur the peace and
mp
I have lived with it
a - non,
tu - néd sound and
mp
I have lived with it a - non, Have f
tu - néd sound
qui - et of
our
word to raise your
and word
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
our
mf
qui - et of
Have
mf
day,
Piano
we dare not
bless - ing, the bless
Lest it ex - pose for all to
Piano
not ask the
Lest it ex - pose for all to p
A
we dare
p
mp
to
5 SSAA Score
S1
q = 60
rit.
28
a
33
light, mp
the
S
A
39
one
Piano
shaft of light mp
light.
cross
cross, the sha - dow
lest
Come gen - tle dark,
q = 60
we are yet
we are yet
q = 72 poco accel.
mp
mf
falls up - on the stub - born thoughts of man, Old fa - ding
a
One light lest
Old fa - ding
mf
falls up - on the stub - born thoughts of man
.
that
here but
sha - dow of the
Come gen - tle sha - dow of the
Piano
rit.
and brush a -way frus - tra- tions for a - while.
S
A
song
raise
Piano
Old fa - ding mf
sag - ging spi - rits with a song, and brush a -way frus - tra - tions for a - while.
A
mf
sag - ging spi - rits with a song, and brush a -way frus - tra- tions for a - while.
S2
q = 72 poco accel.
a
loss,
re
peat - ing an - cient
loss, a loss re - peat - ing an - cient
er - rors o'er a -
er - rors o'er a -
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
6 SSAA Score
45
S1
q = 88 rit. f
gain,
a
-
f
S2
gain,
a - gain
a - gain,
gain, a - gain,
a - gain,
gain, a - gain, f A2
gain,
q = 88 rit.
Piano
mf
a - gain
a
-
gain,
what
men
will not
mf
But
what
men
will not
mp
a
-
a - gain,
a
-
gain,
what
men
will not
what
men
mp
a - gain,
But
a - gain,
q = 60
a - gain.
f
A1
mf
gain,
will not
mf q = 60
S 50
know
A
know
Piano
is
an e - lix
-
ir
was
-
ir
is
that
that
an e - lix
was
brew
brew
-
éd
to pro - pell my va - grant mind to cre
-
éd
to pro - pell my va - grant mind to cre
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
7 SSAA Score
q = 40 mp The love - ly sound of word and tune that
mp The
molto rit.
54
S
ate
A
Piano
a love - ly
sound,
ate
a love - ly
sound,
molto rit.
q = 40
love - ly sound of word and tune that
p
57 S
q = 60
men have la - beled art.
A
p
Come gen
-
tle
men have la - beled art.
Piano
pp
q = 60
pp
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8 SSAA Score
S 62
mp
dark,
Come
p
A
If
Piano
I
Come gen
mp
die...
gen - tle dark,
mf
-
tle dark, Come gen
-
tle
dark,
mf
with
If
If
I
I
die...
mp
If I
die...
with mu - sic,
mf
die,
67
S
mu - sic, Come
A
gen
q = 46
molto rit.
-
I
tle dark,
I have lived with it a - non.
Come gen - tle
die with mu - sic, re - mem- ber I have lived with it a - non.
molto rit.
mp f
If
Piano
q = 46
molto rit.
f
dark.
p
Come gen - tle
dark.
molto rit.
mp
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies. strangely cold and windy July 25, 2017