Edited
Soprano, Vol. 1 Curated
NewMusicShelf www.newmusicshelf.com
NewMusicShelf of Music by Laura Strickling by Dennis Tobenski by Libby Larsen
Foreword
Anthology
New
Contents Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. vii Foreword by Libby Larsen ....................................................................................... ix Editor’s Preface ........................................................................................................ x Introduction ............................................................................................................ xi John Arrigo-Nelson: Grapheme I after Cy Twombly (2017)................................... 1 Paul Ayres: The Best-Beloved (2005) ...................................................................... 15 Clint Borzoni: Oh You Whom I Often and Silently Come (2010) ......................... 24 Mark Buller: Mr. Peck (2015) ................................................................................ 32 from The Tombstone Songs Martin Bussey: Lovely Playthings (2005) ............................................................... 37 from Three Gurney Songs Emerson Eads: He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven (2013) ................................... 41 Evan Fein: Lullaby for a Baby Fairy (2011) ............................................................. 46 Daniel Felsenfeld: Dry Sandwiches (2007)............................................................. 51 Jodi Goble: The Storm (2016) ................................................................................ 61 from The Heart of the World Juliana Hall: Song (1987)....................................................................................... 66 from Night Dances Gordon Kerry: Canto of the Leaves (Empyrean) (2009) ......................................... 71 from Five Cantos from ‘Divine Comedy: Journeys through a Regional Geography’
Joshua Lindsay: Fall, Leaves, Fall (2017) ................................................................ 80 Cecilia Livingston: Penelope (2014) ...................................................................... 85 Raymond J. Lustig: the silvery round moon (2008) ............................................... 98 Carrie Magin: Be Music, Night (2011) .................................................................. 106 James Matheson: Clouds ripped open (2012) ........................................................ 115 from Times Alone James Primosch: Every Day is a God (2012) .......................................................... 124 from Holy the Firm Behzad Ranjbaran: It Is Night (1987) .................................................................... 143 from Three Persian Songs William Toutant: Le Pont Mirabeau (2015) ........................................................... 149 Theodore Wiprud: Elegy Before Death (2010) ....................................................... 157 from For Allegra About the Curator ................................................................................................... 163 About the Composers .............................................................................................. 164 Supplemental Materials ........................................................................................... 184
Nothing happens in a vacuum, and it happened that the deliberation stage of the NewMusicShelf Anthology project coincided with a major event in my life. Two category five hurricanes (Irma and Maria) destroyed our US Virgin Islands community, as well as several neighboring islands, over the course of two weeks in September 2018. With an infant and no access to electricity or water, we fled our home to live with family on the mainland for the better part of 7 months.
To say that my spirit needed the nourishment of song during this time is an understatement. I listened to hundreds of song submissions and felt personally renewed little by little. What a wonderful gift these composers have – to read words and be inspired by them to create a response that binds music to them. The only agonizing part was choosing just 20 out of the hundreds of submissions, and in this I plead that these selections are my opinion and mine alone. I have no doubt that another curator would have made different choices than I did, but that is the nature of art: It is subjective and just as the composer creates in reaction to words so, too, does a performer create and become inspired by a subjective, ephemeral reaction.
xi Introduction
— Laura Strickling
I believe in the power of song. Words matter. Music matters. Song recitals provide an opportunity for a performer to create a narrative through repertoire selection. Each work transports the listener to a different place, a different time, a different way to look at the world around them – bringing each of us closer to a deeper understanding of the human experience. I always tell audiences that they have learned things about me as a person – what interests me, what I find beautiful or exciting, what my values are – by my song selections for a recital, and so you also, holding this anthology, have learned something about me and about each of these composers. You are afforded a small window into the compositional output of 20 composers of great skill and it is my sincere hope that you will explore their other works, as well as new works of composers not represented in this anthology, working right now to build worlds of song to stand as a testament of the power of words set to music.
Lontano ( = 60) Ro ma Ro senza vib s v ma mmm 6 * grace notes should always precede the beat * ** ** ossia higher Hum at pitch,or one lower,if needed m a 10 l v within the approximate indicated range (triangle noteheads), gently sweep fingertip(s) back and forth across strings continuously Grapheme I after CyTwombly Copyright © 2017 by ArrigoMusic All Rights Reserved JOHNARRIGO NELSON (2017)
Mediumtempo ( = c.80) con ped 3 E’en like two lit tle bank di vid ing 5 The Best-Beloved Copyright © 2005 by Paul Ayres All Rights Reserved FRANCIS QUARLES PAULAYRES (2005)
Freely ( = 57) Oh you, Oh you whom I of ten and si lent ly, si lent ly 4 come where you are 6 OhYouWhom I Often and Silently Come Copyright © 2010 by Clint Borzoni All Rights Reserved WALTWHITMAN CLINT BORZONI (2010)
Dolce ( = 54) Here lies a Peck, which 4 some men say Was first of all a Peck of clay; 7 Mr. Peck Copyright © 2015 by Mark Buller (ASCAP) All Rights Reserved TOMBSTONE EPITAPH MARK BULLER (2015) fromTheTombstone Songs
Lento = 66 leggiero Dawn cantabile, senza cresc. brings love ly play things to the mind, 4 But sun set fights and goes down in bat tle blind. 6 Lovely Playthings Copyright © 2005 Martin Bussey IVOR GURNEY MARTIN BUSSEY (2005) fromThree Gurney Songs
Andante espress , molto rubato Had I the 4 heav ens’ em broi dered cloths, 7 HeWishes for the Cloths of Heaven Copyright © 2013 by Emerson Eads All Rights Reserved W.B.YEATS EMERSON EADS (2013) Written and dedicated toTess Altiveros,December 2013
Dolce,nontroppo lento ( = 78) a piacere a tempo Night Rest is in o day ver; time; through night the is clo play ver time, 6 globes all of good crys fair tal ies sub shine; know Birds Un are der call sigh ing; ing sub. 10 Lullaby for a Baby Fairy Copyright © MMXI Evan Fein (ASCAP) All rights reserved JOYCE KILMER EVAN FEIN (2011)
Languid,almost sleazy ( = 52) poco stringendo he cuts his sand wich 3 gives half to me Eat it dolce 5 Dry Sandwiches Copyright © 2007 Felsenmusick Publishing Concern Text used with generous permission of Kate Gale KATE GALE DANIEL FELSENFELD (2007) for AmyVan Roekel
Allegrotempestuoso ( = 80) I thought 4 of you, I thought of you when I was 6 The Storm Copyright © 2016 by Jodi Goble All Rights Reserved SARATEASDALE JODI GOBLE (2016) fromThe Heart of theWorld
Withtenderness ( = 126) This shall be thy 1 lul la by Rock ing on the 3 gliss. gliss. gliss. gliss. Song Music: Copyright © Juliana Hall Music. Copyright transferred 2017 to E.C. Schirmer Music Company, Inc. Copyright © 2017 by E C Schrimer Music Company, Inc , a division of ECS Publishing Group wwwecspublishing com All rights reserved Reprinted by permission EMILY BRONTË JULIANA HALL (1987) from Night Dances
= 64 sostenuto Sol vent light on leaves cantabile sempre una corda,non secco She bare ly sees sur fac es, bare 4 ly breaks through ep i der mis to mes o 7 Canto of the Leaves (Empyrean) Copyright © 2009 Gordon Kerry All Rights Reserved JOHN KINSELLA GORDON KERRY (2009)
Slowly moving ( = 50) freely Fall, leaves, 5 dim. fall; die, flow ers, a way; 9 Fall, Leaves, Fall Music copyright © 2017 by Joshua Alan Lindsay All Rights Reserved EMILY BRONTË JOSHUAALAN LINDSAY (2017)
Lonely,searching ( = 60) very free let the decay dictate the length of the silences for an echoing,murmuring effect 5 a little more insistent Mmm. 9 humming (1/2) Penelope Copyright © 2014 by Cecilia Livingston All Rights Reserved Music and text by CECILIA LIVINGSTON (2014) for Alexandra Smither
Languid jazzy feel ( = 76) x 5 x glassy, with languid freedom Lo, the moon a scend 8 the silvery round moon Copyright © 2008 by Raymond J Lustig Music All Rights Reserved WALTWHITMAN RAYMOND J. LUSTIG (2008) Written for the American Opera Projects Composers & theVoiceWorkshop
Like a music box ( = 84) Be mu pedal should be used as necessary throughout,unless otherwise indicated sic, night, poco rit. 5 That ( ) her sleep may go Where an gels, an ( ) gels have their ( ) 10 fuller lighter ped.sim. Be Music, Night Copyright © 2011 by Two Places Publishing (ASCAP) All Rights Reserved Text copyright © by Kenneth Patchen Used with the kind permission of the author KENNETH PATCHEN CARRIE MAGIN (2011)
Quick,kaleidoscopic ( = 120) Clouds ripped o pen; a rain a rain bow 4 gleam ing now in the sky, 6 Clouds ripped open Copyright © 2016 by Theodore Presser Company All Rights Reserved International Compyright Secured ANTONIO MACHADO trans ROBERT BLY JAMES MATHESON (2012) fromTimes Alone
Allegro ( = 76–80) sempre molto pedale 4 Ev’ ry day is a god, each 7 Every Day is a God Copyright © 2013 by Merion Music, Inc.Teodore Presser Co., Sole Representative. All Rights Reserved International Copyright Secured Text from Holy the Firm by Annie Dillard Copyright © 1977 by Annie Dillard ANNIE DILLARD JAMES PRIMOSCH (2012) from Holy the Firm
Adagio sostenuto ( = 56) espress. cantabile 3 espr. 5 It Is Night Copyright © 2013 by Theodore Presser Company All Rights Reserved International Copyright Secured NIMAYUSHIJ BEHZAD RANJBARAN (1987) for Renée Fleming fromThree Persian Songs
= 66 Sous le pont Mi ra beau cou le la Sei ne Et nos a mours 3 Faut il qu’il m’en sou vien ne La 6 Le Pont Mirabeau Copyright © 2015 by William Toutant All Rights Reserved GUILLAUMEAPOLLINAIRE WILLIAMTOUTANT (2015) for Nan Cui
Moderato ( = c.60) There will be rose and rho do 5 den dron When you are dead and un der ground; Still will be 9 Elegy Before Death Copyright © 2010 Theodore Wiprud All Rights Reserved EDNA ST.VINCENT MILLAY THEODOREWIPRUD (2010) from For Allegra