Hoiby - The Serpent, high voice (sample pages)

LEE HOIBY

THE SERPENT for High Voice and Piano

to Leontyne Price

The Serpent Theodore Roethke

Lee Hoiby

    

Allegro giocoso

    

Allegro giocoso





        

      mf                        5              p

    

p

             9

    

                 





     

                            p





sing.

     

    There





f









was.



 

 

 

    

 

         pp                                                Adapted from the poem "The Serpent" by Theodore Roethke from the book WORDS FOR THE WIND © Copyright 1950 by Theodore Roethke.

There









                                       

There was a Ser - pent who had to

   





was.

     

           mf





      f                       © Copyright 1985 by Southern Music Publishing Co., Inc. International Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved

2 14

   

           Ser - pent - -

He sim - ply gave up











ing.





Be - cause.

                                                               p

   

        

18

  

    Be -

                  f

            

 

         

 



      

cause.

p

mf

                 

23

            







He did - n't like his Kind of Life;

  

    

                p

 

  







      

p

           





mf

               

         

 







He could - n't find a pro - per Wife;

                                     

        

        



     





      

        

3 27

   

He

   p



was



31

      He

    

35

  

a

 



Ser - pent

with

 a





Soul;

                          

    

  



got



  





no

Pleas

-





 

 









ure

down

his

Hole.

                             

f

  





 

 And

  



   so,

 of

                             

 

p



  



  course,



 he

 

 

  





Sing

he

4 39

   



had

  

 



to

Sing,

  



And

                







 

   



      

  

44



 

 

A - ny thing!



 



did,

like

    sf

    



 



 

 

 

           



Ah

                                                        f

       

   

        

pp

        

48

              



 

     f





 

   





                                              Ah

pp

         

   

Ah

 

p

       

   f

11

          

138

free

sssee,"

    

he said, with a

colla voce

pp

   

     port.   

Ser - pent's Leer,

"I'm ssser - ious a - bout

 

 

 

 



 





 

 

 

 



 

146

           with man - y

a shriek

 

  



     

the

 

 as

  

the Birds

Woods Re - sound

    

-



ed

              

p

  

   



 

flew

off

                                cresc.

  

Tempo I

 







 

Tempo I

And

ritard.



Ca reer!"

 

         

      

my SSSing -ing

 

      

p

      

 

ritard.

142



 

      

                            

12

    



150

   



2

 

to

the

                        5

                

153

    

riten.

end

       

riten.

        f



of



  

Next





6

  









                                      ff                                  

 

A tempo



    

      

  

            

 

sfz

ff

5

Week.

157

      



                  

A tempo



6



              

sfz

  







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   23 June 1979 New York City duration c. 4'30"