Dreams, Lies & Love Songs: A Selection of Vocal Works by Scott Wheeler

Dreams, Lies, and Love Songs Selected songs of Scott Wheeler

Edited by Dennis Tobenski and Eric Saroian

NewMusicShelf www.newmusicshelf.com

Contents Introduction............................................................................................................. vi Texts......................................................................................................................... xx L’amor mio partì soldato (2020)............................................................................... 1 from Canzoni italiane The Betrothal (1990)................................................................................................ 7 from Wasting the Night Commuter Buddhist (2014)..................................................................................... 12 The Dancers (2021)................................................................................................. 19 Even the Lies (2017)................................................................................................ 29 from Lies I Tell Myself I Will Always Be on Your Side (1998)...................................................................... 36 If I Had a Wife (1994)............................................................................................. 44 from Serenata Lethe (2007)............................................................................................................ 49 from Turning Back Litany (2006)........................................................................................................... 54 Moonlight on the Prairie (2021).............................................................................. 63 Shining Shore (2021)............................................................................................... 67 Waiting for Night (2020)......................................................................................... 74 from A Thousand Names About the Composer................................................................................................ 83 Supplemental Materials............................................................................................ 84

vi

Introduction My songs are both my most collaborative and my most personal music. Also the most natural for me to write. In fact, sometimes I think I could happily give up writing instrumental music and just write songs for the rest of my life. First there is the pleasure of connecting with a text I love, usually a poem, then the pleasure of hearing a singer and pianist making interpretive choices I couldn’t have anticipated. Finally there is the pleasure of sensing the reaction from a live audience, whether sitting with them or myself accompanying a singer.

These are all pleasures that Dennis Tobenski knows first hand, both as a composer and as a singer. This has made him the ideal collaborator in assembling the dozen songs in this volume.

Several of these songs are from larger sets, which I hope singers and pianists will want to explore, but I’m also happy to have any song excerpted from its original context.

— Scott Wheeler

L’amor mio partì soldato



from Canzoni italiane

ANONYMOUS

 

                               Andante ( = 69)

con ped.

  

6

SCOTT WHEELER (2020)

      







     

9

 





    

   



 

- da - to



   

 

Ed



  



 

an

 

-

   

 





L’a - mor



non

   



  



   

       

    



 

 

cor



 



è

  



  



mi - o





tor - na - to;

 

  

   

Copyright © 2020 by Scott Wheeler Music. All Rights Reserved.



 

          





par - tì



  





sol

-

 

  

 

Ma



 

ri -

The Betrothal



from Wasting the Night

EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY

 

6

 

 

                   

Simply ( = 116)

 



              

          

11



   





    





 

love me

   



    

if

you



SCOTT WHEELER (1990)

  

like.

       

           

 

               

        



Oh,

come, my lad, or

      





  I

  

   



  

go, my lad,

   

  

  

Copyright © 1990 Scott Wheeler Music. All Rights Reserved.

 

And

   

the

 

  

    

  

shall not hear

   

 



door

      



shut



Commuter Buddhist JEFFREY HARRISON

 



Sweetly plaintive ( = 132)

 



           

  



  

learn - ing

to

   







 







9



be

 



  

a

 





 

my

 









list - en - ing

 



car,



to

 

 

a

  

book

 

   



Copyright © 2014 Scott Wheeler Music.

Text copyright © Jeffrey Harrison. Used by permission.

   



 



tape.





 







on



I’m

   





   





 



         

   

 



Bud - dhist in



 





  



 







 





 

 





 

con ped.

 

5

SCOTT WHEELER (2014)





 

The Dancers



REGIE GIBSON

SCOTT WHEELER (2021)



 



           

poco rit.





 

5

  

   

 

  

9

       

   

 

  

 

and

 

 

 



   





     

now,

  

   

   

done



 

    

A tempo

The danc - ers are



 

 

Modéré ( = 63)

    

 

with the day’s

 

   

on

 

-

  

 

 

ly

 



      long

 

     

  



    



 



 

de - mands—

 





 

 

for

 

Copyright © 2021 Scott Wheeler Music. All Rights Reserved.

Text copyright © 2021 Regie Gibson. Used by permission.

 

     

 

  

 

rest.



 

  

 

Even the Lies from Lies I Tell Myself EVA H.D.

SCOTT WHEELER (2017)

   

 = 96

 



4



            

 

 

         



      

7







 

qui - et

      





    

  

 



street:

       

true.



     





    

 





    

 

   

E - ven the

   

 

are some - times

  



  

  





  





    

 

  

I

 



  

some - times

lies



    

tell my - self

    

     

List - en

    

that street



to

the one

is

  

 

   

a - bout the





  



  

qui - et.

  

Copyright © 2017 by Scott Wheeler Music. All Rights Reserved.

“Even the Lies” from Rotten Perfect Mouth (Mans eld Press) copyright © Eva H.D.. Used by Permission.

 

The



I Will Always Be on Your Side



JACK LARSON

 

ten.                                                       

 = 63

   

5





SCOTT WHEELER (1998)



  

       

    

        

9

Yes, the day

   





is







I will al - ways be



   

  

on

your



      



 

  

 





air.





      

side.

    

bright with clear - est

 





    

  



    

        

 

    

It’s





ea - sy you say

  

     

Copyright © 1998 by Scott Wheeler Music. All Rights Reserved.

    



  

 

to

be

  

 

     

If I Had a Wife



from Serenata

MARK VAN DOREN



        

5

    

                   Allegro ( = 116)

      If

I

 

had a wife

        

9

     

old

  



 



days,



       

 

     

 



      



I would



or

as

love her as kings









      

 

 

    

  

 

   





Subito meno mosso ( = 100)

 

     

    







       

princ - es









SCOTT WHEELER (1994)

  

Maid

  

     

Loved

queens

   



   

in the

  

-

   

Copyright © 1994 by Scott Wheeler Music. All Rights Reserved.



  

ens,







   





     

Lethe from Turning Back H.D.

SCOTT WHEELER (2007)

Andante ( = 80)

 



 

                 

   

4

fleece

   

 



7

         

      



         

        

          

Shall co - ver you,



nor



fine

 

  



                  

                          

Nor







  

 

  

                   

       skin



  

Nor

         

             

Shel - ter of ce - dar - wood

be



   

       nor

hide



   

 

       nor



         

    

cur - tain of crim - son

 

        o - ver you,

         

Copyright © 2021 Scott Wheeler Music. All Rights Reserved.

 

for Marcus DeLoach

Litany

BILLY COLLINS

Andante amabile ( = c. 66)

 



              

  

5



crys - tal

 

 

 

  

9

grass,

 

  



 



    

   

 





   

 

and the

 

   



burn



 

You

  

  



  

-

ing

 



 

 



  



  

    

   

 

 

   

 

 

are the bread and the knife,

You are the

 





 



   

  

-

 

 



gob - let and the wine,

    



SCOTT WHEELER (2006)



wheel



 

 

dew

   

 

   

 

the

 

on the morn - ing

  

of

 



the

 

Copyright © 2006 Scott Wheeler Music. All Rights Reserved.

Poem used by the kind permission of Random House Publishers

sun.









     

 

 

 

 

Moonlight on the Prairie



DANNY RUBIN

 



5



SCOTT WHEELER (2021)

    

Cowboy Lullaby ( = 108)



    

 

 

Moon

 

-



 

 

-





ing

 

of



right





the



 



where

cows

on





 









they







   

 



prai - rie,



9



the





 

dream

on







 

light



    



















their



 

Copyright © 2021 Scott Wheeler Music. All Rights Reserved Text from Lucky Star © 2021 Danny Rubin

feet





just







are

 

















And the



  

Shining Shore GEORGE F. ROOT

SCOTT WHEELER (2021)

   

Moderate ( = 88)

 



                

  

6

      

swift - ly

 

   

10

not

      



  



by,









   



 

 

And

   



 

I,

a

 

 





pil - grim

  



de - tain



them



   

as





they fly,





 





 



   

 











My



These hours

 

 

of

days are glid - ing

  



    

stran - ger,





  





toil and

 

Copyright © 2021 by Scott Wheeler Music. All Rights Reserved.



  

dan

 

-



Would



ger.

Waiting for Night



from Waiting for Night

KATHRYN LEVY





  

10

 

  





 

 



Let’s



 



go







We’ll



  

watch

  

   









a

  

 

    



  

 



the

  

poco rit







      

snow

 

blaze,

at

sun







   

walk











  

for



    



Andante ( = 88)

          

  

5

SCOTT WHEELER (2020)

-







set.

   

  



 

a tempo

  

 

             

  



Copyright © 2020 by Scott Wheeler Music. All Rights Reserved.

Text copyright © Kathryn Levy. Used by permission.

 



 

 





burn