roger zahab | collected songs for voice and piano
the ThreeOnWhatAMeditationLinesWelcomeAbsenceRiverSandsprefaceivcontentsatSeventy-FiveWhitmanSongs(1980)1.AsISitWritingHere(originalversion)21.AsISitWritingHere(2009revisedversion)42.StrongerLessons63.Paumanok84.QueriestoMySeventiethYear125.Twilight14Song(Zahab)(1981)16(Zahab)(1981)18(Zahab)(1983)20writtenonthewater(Zahab)(1983)21onastatue(Zahab)(1983)24Glimpse(WaltWhitman)(1986)30thinkyouItakemypeninhandtorecord?(1986)34(WaltWhitman)thebeachatnight(WaltWhitman)(1986)38Songsfrom Postmodern Cantata (Zahab) (1986) opening TheAutomaticsong50LoveSong55Watcher58 Seven Songs from Hegemony (1983-2007) (Thomas Piechowski) Young Man’s Reverie61 First Lecture on Nostalgia73 Second Lecture on Nostalgia88 Geological SungChristmasQuitRestlessAlex99Heart94soul,handsomeman104someofthesadness107OratorioforRichardEnglehart(Zahab)(1988)112WaterMass(Zahab)(1989)115
Autumn Songs (Walt Whitman) (1997)118 When I heard the Learn’d Astronomer120 The Runner124 A Child’s Amaze126 Hast Never Come to Thee an FriendshipOAnotherThought130Hour128Fall(Zahab)(1998)131YouWhomIOftenandSilentlyCome(WaltWhitman)(1999)142( from Vigil) (Zahab) (2002)144 defender of joy (Zahab) (2005)149 Six Songs from Ohio Entelechron (Zahab) (2006) ’twas a slate-dark and dank night154 Lullabye (oh, how miss is the maggies!)162 and so the skirling marches on…166 a pale messenger boy 174 an old videograph183 falling lines192 Evening Out (Zahab) (2008)197 under the influence of moonlight200 Evening circle with Nude202 abroad in nighttown206 the heart of life210 Two songs from Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens/Zahab) (2012) Long ago, in London Town216 The winds aloft and the sea below218 Mini-fridge aria from Penthouse Suite (Robert Handel) (2013)219 In Light (Kevin M. Kerner) (2013)224 Happy Hour Karaoke Song (Zahab) (2014)226 I have a Rendezvous with Death (Alan Seeger) (2016)229 River (Zahab) (2016)234
performance notesThis is an unruly bunch with no good reason to appear together except that they were all composed by one person for wildly varying reasons and situations. The succession of styles might be confusing, but here are some useful Accidentalsguidelines: carry through the bar within the register they appear in, but not across octaves - earlier works (where accidentals affected only the note they preceded) have been revised to reflect this - and many cautionary accidentals have been provided.
My preference in singing is for a clear sound unobstructed by heavy or obtrusive vibrato.
preface Now I’ve done it…
Many years of fumbling instinct and serious error are bound (hand and foot) together in this collection of songs for one singer and piano. Most have been left as they first sprang forth and were staked to the page, others have been finally revisioned with the benefit of years of remorseless doubt and desperate study. In this tentative approach toward enlightenenment I’ve kept the essence of certain original attempts and, finally able to understand what I was trying to do so many years ago, have taken my younger self in hand to correct a great many flaws.… at least enough so that I will be able to get a few more hours of sleep at night. None of this could have been done without the great kindness of those musicians who sang and played and encouraged me through all these years. The dedicatees of the songs, the poets, those who worked through them, asked questions, and gave such helpful criticism, those who bolted from the room, those who laughed or were deeply offended, and those who saw a glimmer of possibility - all deserve greater thanks than I can give.
The style of performance should relate to the style of the setting. The words should be sung with great care for their meanings - often hidden, plural, or ironic.
These 52 songs (as Rob pointed out “one for each week of the year”) contain Walt Whitman’s multitudes: modernist isolation, desolation, innocent love, quite a bit of rock and roll sadness and/or lust, Victorian ballad, suburban karaoke, theater songs and homages to great masters merged together (Ives/Berg/Fauré/Debussy?) as well.
…finally, it’s out of my hands. r z may 8 2020
I’ve noticed that many singers, when given directions to sing “freely” or “recitando”, or when the piano rests or plays long-held sounds, may take that as an indication to stop singing in tempo or to slow down, breaking the character and meaning apart. But I’ve always intended the notation (and rhythm) to support the meaning of the language, and whether there is either a groove or flow to be part of, or one is singing unaccompanied and alone, the words are intimately bound to the music and should always make sense. They should be sung with proper nuance, and the tempo respected with care. For me “freely” implies a more flowing, “speaking” delivery, and allows the singer to be more flexible and urgent with the language. The singer should move forward rather than hold back or slow down.
Along with those names already inscribed within these pages I have to thank others (and beg forgiveness of those momentarily forgotten) who supported my compositional work, keyboard study, listened to, and/or performed either my first attempts or these established songs in all their versions: Carla Spannbauer, Thomas F. Hutchins, Farley K. Hutchins, Jay Humeston, David S. Bernstein, Louis Lane, Timothy Drew Walsh, Robert (Rabbit) Wright, Benton Hess, John Cage, Tison Street, Ursula Mamlok, Marcia Eckert, William Boswell, Christopher Vassiliades, Bennett Lerner, Don Gillespie, William McCabe, Birgit Djupedal, Mark Daniel Braham, Kelly Lynch, Gilda Lyons, Dennis Tobenski, Anna Singer, Danielle Adams, Walter Morales, Anna Elder, Kara Cornell, Alexandra Johnson, John Teresi, Mitch FitzDaniel, and, though mentioned elsewhere, the multiple personae of Rob Frankenberry. I could not have learned even part of the essentials without them.
& & ? 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 ∑ Ó œ œ nœ b œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ rather slow, inward q = ca. 60 p P ∑ œ œ œ œ œ nœ b œ œ œnb œ œ œn# #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ #œ œ #˙ As I sit ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙## #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ F #œ. œ ˙ writ ing here, œ #œœ ˙ ˙ #˙ #œ œ œ œ œ œ & & ? 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 œ ‰ j œ œ œ sick and grown old, ˙ ˙ ˙##n œ œ ##œ œ œ œ œ b #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ó ‰ #œ œ œ Not my least w w wn# #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ. J œ #œ œ bur den is that ˙ ˙ ˙ # œ œbœ nœ #œ œ œ œ œ œ & & ? 4 4 4 4 4 4 8 œ. j#œ œ œ #œ dul ness of the years, . . . ˙ ˙ #˙ œ œ œ # # #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ j#œ #œ œ œ ‰ jnœ œ œ quer il i ties, un gra cious ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙nn #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ n˙ Œ œ glooms, aches, ˙ ˙ ##˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ n˙ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Sands at Seventy Five Whitman Songs for voice and piano Roger Zahab1980 music © copyright 1987 by Roger Zahab BMI All rights reserved Walt1.WhitmanAsISitWriting Here for Cheryl Bensman
& & ? 8 3 8 3 8 3 ‰ j œ œ ‰ rocking, e = ca. 100 - 120 p ∑ . . œ œ œ œ œ b ‰ .œ . œ œ pedal each bar Œ œ œ Do you œ œ J œ œ ‰ œ . . œ bœ P p o c o a p o c o c r e s c . œ. œ œ want to be œ œ J œœ #œ ‰ œ .œ . œ bœ cresc. œ #œ œ œ œ done in by the œœ œ J œœ ##œ ‰ œ #œ # . . œ œ & & ? 5 #œ œ œ œ œ dir ty hands of a œœ œ j œ œ œ # # ‰ œ #œ # . . œ œ # œ. œ. œ. fool ish man . . . œ œ œ Nœ. Nœ. . bœ. . f dry - no pedal Œ . ‰ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ > œ œ œ. ≈ . #œ. œ œ œ or will you let . . . . œ œ œ œ # . . . œ œ bœ b f dim. & & ? 9 œ. œ. bœ œ œ na ture pa tient ly . . . œ œ bœ . . œ œ . . œ œbb œ Nœ œ P #œ œ œ bœ. wash you a way #œ œ bœ. bœ. bœ. œ. œ œ œ œ. bœ œ in to a peace a ble . . œ œ ≈ œ œ œ œ bœ œ. π p pedal each bar œ. bœ œ , emp ti ness . . œ bœ ‰ œ œ #œ œ œ. Lines written on the water original for soprano and piano Roger Zahab words and music (1983) words and music © copyright 1987 by Roger Zahab BMI All rights reserved Accidentals apply only to the notes they preceed, are immediately repeated, or are tied to; nonetheless, many cautionary accidentals are freely distributed. for Marjorie Patterson edited dec 11 2019
& ? 8 9 8 9 Œ . ‰ œ . œ œ. ‰ #œ . œ œ. œ. œ. #œ. œ J œ q k»ca. 46, rocking gently P Œ . ‰ œ . œ œ. ‰ œ . #œ œ. œ J œ œ. ˙. ˙. œ. j œ œ œ œ . œ œ. œ J œ œ . . œ œ œ. ˙. œ. œ. ˙. œ. V & ? 4 ‰ ‰ j œ œ j œ œ j œ A glimpse through an ˙. œ. ˙. œ. . . ˙ ˙ . . œ œ ˙. œ. P œ œ œ j œ œ ‰ œ œ in ter stice caught, of a ˙. œ. œ. ˙. . . œ œ ˙. ˙. œ. œ J œ œ. œ. œ. œ. crowd of work men and Œ . ‰ œ . œ œ. ‰ #œ . œ œ. œ. œ. #œ. œ j œ ˙. œ. p V & ? 7 œ j œ œ œ œ œ. œ. dri vers in a bar room Œ . ‰ œ . œ œ. ‰ œ . #œ œ. œ J œ œ. ˙. ˙. œ. œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ a round the stove late of a j œ œ œ œ . œ œ. œ J œ œ . . œ œ œ. ˙. œ. œ. ˙. œ œ œ ≈ R œ œ œ œ œ win ter night, and I un re mark'd ˙. œ. ˙. œ. ˙. œ. ˙. œ. A Glimpse original for soprano or baritone with violin, viola, cello and bass, or flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano revisioned for voice and piano Walt Whitman, words Roger Zahab, (1986)music music © copyright 1987 by Roger Zahab BMI All rights reserved from The Western Reserve for Paul Wise edition of jan 5 202031
V & ? 4 3 4 3 4 3 pianotenor ∑ ‰ J œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ∑ q = ca. 54 P p ∑ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ó œ œ ∑ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. J œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ∑ œ œ œ œ œ J œ œ ˙ . . ˙ ˙ ∑ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . . ˙ b˙ b f ∑ Œ ‰ j œ œ . . . ˙ ˙ ˙ . . ˙ ˙ P V & ? 7 Œ ‰ J œ œ œ What think you œ œ. j œ œ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ P œ œ œ œ œ œ I take my pen in ˙. ‰ j œ ˙ ˙ œ J œ œ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 3 hand to re cord? . . . ˙ ˙ ˙ . . ˙ ˙ ‰ j œ #œ œ œ ‰ J #œ 3 The bat tle ship, per . . . ˙ ˙ ˙ . . ˙ #˙ # F œ œ j#œ œ ‰ J œ 3 fect mo dell'd, ma . . . ˙ ˙ ˙ . . ˙ #˙ # V & ? 12 œ œ œ œ nœ œ œ 3 jes tic that I saw pass . . . ˙ ˙ ˙ . . ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 3 3 the off ing to day un der . . . ˙ ˙ ˙## . . ˙ ˙ œ œ ‰ J œ full sail? The . . . . ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙### . . ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ splendors of the past . . . ˙ ˙ ˙ . . ˙ ˙ What think you I take my pen in hand to record? original for soprano or baritone and piano Walt Whitman, words Roger Zahab, (1986)music music © copyright 1987 by Roger Zahab BMI All rights reserved. from The Western Reserve for Paul Wise 35 edited mar 27 2020