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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 It combines Epitaph and Come Gentle Dark, previously unpublished songs written by John Jacob Niles.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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Commissioned by the Youth Performing Arts School Gentlemen's Ensemble, Jacob Cook, Director
...with music... to Hope Koehler and Ron Pen for their invaluable contributions to the music of John Jacob Niles.
Text and Music by John Jacob Niles
T.
Arranged by Julian David Bryson
q = 60
mp
If
B.
I
I
p
pp
die with
Come gen - tle dark
mp
If
Come gen - tle dark.
pp
die...
p
q = 60
Pno.
with
p
q = 66
(add baritones as needed) p
7
mu - sic in my mouth,
-
mu
re - mem- ber I have lived with it a - non, Come gen - tle dark,
sic,
re - mem- ber I have lived with it a - non,
This score is not licensed
harm.
come gen - tle
mel.
Come gen - tle
dark, come gen - tle
pp
q = 66
pp
This arrangement Copyright © 2013 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. AllPlease rights reserved. Licensed through MusicSpoke.com. for performance. visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies. License is non-transferrable. Director should have a copy of the license to legally use this music.
4 p mp mel. dark en - fold us in thine arms, we dare not ask the bless ing, the bless ing of bright day mp p harm. 12
dark
en - fold us in
p harm. Lest it mp mel. 19
day,
Lest
it
ex
-
ex
-
23
blur the peace and
we dare
bless - ing, the bless - ing of bright day,
pose
for
all
to
see
and
hear
the
hear
pose
see
and
for
all
to
qui - et
of
our
day,
of
wild
the
a - larms that
wild
a - larms that
our
qui - et
mp
of
not ask the
blur the peace and
thine arms,
mf
day,
I have lived with it
a - non,
mel. mf
Have f B1
mel.
Re - mem- ber I have lived with it
mp
mf
a - non,
f
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mp Have
5
tu - ned sound
and word
to
raise
27
tu - ned sound and
tu - ned sound
mf
and word
to
song
word to raise your
a
sag - ging spi - rits
raise
and
with a song, and
a
song
and
brush a way frus - tra - tions
for
a -
brush a - way frus - tra - tions for
a -
brush a - way frus - tra - tions
a -
for
rit.
while. while
.
30
while.
rit.
q = 60
q = 72 poco accel.
mf mel.
Old fa - ding light,
mf
mp
Come gen - tle dark,
q = 60
the
sha - dow
Come gen - tle sha - dow
of
the
of the
cross
that
cross, the sha - dow
q = 72 poco accel.
mp
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6
falls up - on the stub - born thoughts of man 36
peat - ing an - cient er - rors o'er a
f
peat - ing an - cient er - rors o'er a
- gain, a - gain, f
gain,
50
know
that
is
that
a - gain
mel.
an e - lix harm.
-
an e - lix
-
a - gain,
ir
was
ir
was
brew
brew
q = 60 mp
a
loss
re-
a
harm.
But what
- gain, what men will not mf mel.
a - gain.
a - gain,
a - gain,
loss, a loss re-
-
we are yet
rit.
q = 88 rit. mf
know is
One light lest
43
we are yet a
mf mel.
q = 88
here but one shaft of light lest
falls up - on the stub - born thoughts of man, Old fa - ding light.
mp harm.
men will not
mf
q = 60
éd
to pro - pell my va - grant mind to cre-
-
éd
to pro - pell my va - grant mind to cre-
-
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7
molto rit.
54 ate a love - ly sound,
ate a love - ly sound,
58
The love - ly sound of word and tune that men have la - beled art. mp
q = 40
p
q = 60
Come gen
p
p
If
pp
The love - ly sound of word and tune that men have la - beled art.
rit. molto
q = 40
mp
-
I
die...
tle dark,
q = 60
pp
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mp
Come
8
If
If
die...
sic,
mu
mf
I
gen - tle dark,
Come
mp
If mf
mp
63
gen
-
with mu -
tle dark,
molto rit. f tle dark,
die...
Come
gen
I
q = 46
-
tle
I
-
die
sic, mu
If
I
gen
-
mf
f
Come
gen
-
tle dark,
f
Come gen - tle
q = 46
mp
I have lived with it a - non.
molto rit.
sic,
I have lived with it a - non.
die with mu - sic, re - mem- ber I have lived with it a - non.
-
dark,
molto rit. 67 mu - sic, Come
with
dark.
p
Come gen - tle
molto rit.
dark.
mp
bitterly cold and clear
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies. November 24, 2013