EarthSong:MusicforClimateJustice

“We’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden.” - Joni Mitchell

University Singers Jane Warren, conductor

Kasar mie la gaji “The Earth is tired” excerpt

Geographical Fugue

A Prayer of the Middle Ages

In the End

Old Survivor

Red Suede

Alberto Grau (b. 1937)

Ernst Toch (1887 - 1964)

Howard Hanson (1896 - 1981) ***************************************

Reflections on the Human - Earth relationship, Composed and arranged by members of University Singers:

Cameron Lewis, music, Maddie Jelic, Ethan Hutsell, lyrics arr. Summer Gomez, Skylar Peterson

Cameron Lewis, solo

Janelle Noel, music and lyrics arr. Summer Gomez, Lainey Seitz

Janelle Noel and Avery Calvert, Solos

Alex Davidson, music and lyrics arr. Pressler Bruxellas, Lainey Seitz

Alex Davidson, solo

I Remember Sky/Take Me to the World

Stephen Sondheim (1930 - 2021), music and lyrics arr. Nicholas Benefield

Blue Bird

Josiah Cross, Aidan Grove, music and lyrics

Josiah Cross, solo ***************************************

He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands

Xander Benton, solo

Trad , arr Cedric Dent (b 1962)

Kasar mie la gaji

Translation: The Earth is tired.

A plea for humanity to conserve the planet and lessen its environmental influence is made in Alberto Grau's piece, "Kasar mie la gaji." Only one line of text "Kasar mie la gaji" is used by the Venezuelan composer (The Earth is tired).

Geographical Fugue

The Geographical Fugue or Fuge aus der Geographie is the most famous piece for spoken chorus by Ernst Toch, a prominent composer in 1920s Berlin. He is known to have invented the idiom of the "Spoken Chorus". Although written originally in German, it was later translated into English by John Cage and Henry Cowell. The piece subsequently received wide acclaim It is written in strict fugal form, and consists of four voices, each enunciating various cities, countries and other geographical landmarks in true contrapuntal fashion. (http://www.fact-index.com/g/ge/geographical fugue.html)

Text: Trinidad!

And the big Mississippi and the town Honolulu and the lake Titicaca

The Popocatepetl is not in Canada rather in Mexico, Mexico, Mexico Canada, Málaga, Rimini, Brindisi, Canada, Málaga, Rimini, Brindisi Yes, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet, Tibet Nagasaki, Yokohama, Nagasaki, Yokohama

A Prayer of the Middle Ages

Howard Hanson headed the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music for several decades, where he composed prolifically, even winning a Pulitzer Prize in1944. Despite all his acclaim, Hanson attracted scholarly scorn for being devoted to tonal music and therefore being out-of-fashion."A Prayer of the Middle Ages" was Howard Hanson's first work for chorus a cappella and written in 1976 during the latter part of his life The piece was commissioned by Furman University on the occasion of the school's sesquicentennial. The text is an anonymous 8th century poem translated into English by James Francis Cooke.

Text:

We declare unto all the ages as the greatest marvel, Ere there were hills and trees or the mighty ocean, Ere the sunlight shone forth or the moon cast its beams, When naught was, from end to end, there wert Thou, O God.

Thou almighty God, from time unknown to time unknown, Eternal God, Thou who madest heaven and earth, give to us wisdom, prudence and strength, Give through Thy holy blessing faith unending that Thy will we may do. Amen.