Lauridsen: Sure On This Shining Night for SATB chorus and string orchestra

MORTEN LAURIDSEN

Sure On This Shining Night

for mixed chorus (SATB) & string orchestra

Sure On This Shining Night Sure on this shining night Of starmade shadows round, Kindness must watch for me This side the ground.

The late year lies down the north.

All is healed, all is health.

High summer holds the earth.

Hearts all whole.

Sure on this shining night I weep for wonder Wand’ring far alone Of shadows on the stars.

—James Agee Copyright © 1968 by The James Agee Trust.

From Nocturnes, The American Choral Directors Association 2005 Raymond W. Brock Memorial Commission Premiere performance of the Nocturnes at the 2005 ACDA National Convention by the Donald Brinegar Singers and Morten Lauridsen, piano I originally composed Sure On This Shining Night as the third movement for my choral cycle Nocturnes on poems by Rilke, Neruda and Agee. I set the verse very much like a song from the American musical theater stage and it should be sung in that manner.

In addition to the SATB/piano, TTBB/piano and SSAA/piano versions, Sure On This Shining Night is available as a mixed duet with piano and also as a solo song for baritone and piano combined with Dana Gioia’s “Prayer,” published by Peermusic as Two Songs on American Poems, both recorded on “Prayer – The Songs of Morten Lauridsen.” The complete Nocturnes are recorded on “Sure On This Shining Night - Voce Sings Lauridsen,” on “Lauridsen - Mid-Winter Songs” by The Singers Minnesota Choral Artists and on the Deutsche Grammophon “Lux Aeterna – The Choral Music of Morten Lauridsen” by the Chamber Choir of Europe conducted by Nicol Matt. I accompany each of these recordings at the piano.

—Morten Lauridsen The music of Morten Lauridsen, Distinguished Professor of Composition at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, occupies a permanent place in the standard vocal repertoire of the Twenty-First Century. He was Composer-in-Residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale from 1994-2001 and is currently Honorary Artistic President of INTERKULTUR/World Choir Games. His works, including eight vocal cycles and a series of sacred motets, are regularly performed throughout the world and have been recorded on over 200 CDs, several of which have received Grammy nominations. An award-winning documentary by filmmaker Michael Stillwater, Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen, was released in 2012. Information about the film is at songwithoutborders.net.

Named an “American Choral Master” by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2005, he was awarded the 2007 National Medal of Arts, the highest artistic award in the United States, by the President in a White House ceremony “for his composition of radiant choral works combining musical beauty, power, and spiritual depth that have thrilled audiences worldwide.” In 2016 Mr. Lauridsen was the recipient at Lincoln Center of the ASCAP Foundation “Life in Music” Award.

For more about Morten Lauridsen: www.peermusicClassical.com and www.mortenlauridsen.net

Sure On This Shining Night

James Agee Flowing, tempo rubato (q = ca. 72)

poco rit.

a tempo

Soprano

3 4

4 4

Alto

3 4

4 4

3 4

Tenor

3 4

4 4

3 4

3 4

Bass

4 4

Morten Lauridsen rit.

3 4

A a tempo

4 4 4 4

mp

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Sure on this shin ing mp

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Sure on this shin ing

Flowing, tempo rubato (q = ca. 72)

3 4

Violin I

4 4

3 4

Violin II

4 4

p espr.

poco rit.

a tempo

3 4 3 4

p espr.

3 4

Viola

4 4

3 4

Violoncello

3 4

mf

mp

mp

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mp

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4 4 p

4 4 4 4 4 4

3 unis.

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The published choral score is in Db major. The conductor will instruct the chorus to mentally change the key signature to D major instead when performing with the string orchestra.

7 S

4 4

A

4 4

T

4 4

poco rit.

*

night of star made shad ows round,

B

kind ness must watch for me this

side

a tempo

4 4

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poco rit.

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shin

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4 4

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Poem Copyright © 1968 by The James Agee Trust.

Used by Permission.

0124115

© Copyright 2005, 2010 by Songs of Peer, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.

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rit.

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whole.

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(no breath)

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meno mosso 36 S

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rit.

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47

molto lunga

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shin ing night,

4 4

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this ppp hushed

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div.

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3 4

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on this

ppp hushed

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ing

night,

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this shin ing

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4 4

3 4

night of star made shad ows round,

kind ness must watch for me this

side

the ground,

on this

4 4

3 4

4 4

3 4

4 4

3 4

4 4

3 4

4 4

3 4

ppp

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ppp div.

3 4

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night,

3 4

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div.

ing

3 4

ppp molto lunga

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52 S

rit.

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A

3 4

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B

Vln. II

ing night,

this

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ing night,

shin

ing night,

3 4

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this

ing

4 4

night,

3 4

ing

night,

3 4

shin

ing

4 4

3 4

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3 4

4 4

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4 4

this

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3 4

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shin

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4 4

’ shin

F Meno mosso

4 4

rit.

night,

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3 4

3 4

p espr.

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div.

mp espr.

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3 4

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3 4

4 4

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6 59

rit.

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p

4 4

p

sure on this

A

4 4

T

4 4

B

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4 4

’ 3 4 shin

ing

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sure on this

shin

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4 4

ing

4 4

night.

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lunga

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3 4

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rit.

4 4

3 4

4 4

3 4

lunga

lunga

pp

4 4

3 4

molto rit.

pp

lunga

pp

p

4 4

lunga

4 4

p

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lunga

night.

p

Vln. II

lunga

4 4

’ 3 4

shin

molto rit.

night.

ing

p

rit.

4 4

’ 3 4

sure on this p

sure on this

rit.

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4 4

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pp

p

div.

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4 4

3 4

4 4 p

lunga

pp