Wilson - Two Songs on Poems of Eamon Grennan

TWO SONGS ON POEMS BY EAMON GRENNAN

for SOPRANO, VIOLIN, and PIANO

RICHARD WILSON 2009

Couple 1.

He is hearing out the crickets.

She leans back in a chair so the light, creaking, can find her eyes. She stays like that, braced and at rest, eyes closed, eyelids warm. On the porch of salt he stands in shadow, feeling the season fly down his throat.

His heart will burst. All he can say is the leaves are turning.

2.

They'll have dinner together.

The little tongue of flame will sing in the wineglass, the butter be a glitter of liquid gold running away through pale green asparagus finger. The fleshed wedge of swordfish swimming in cream; a tiny white dome of rice on flowered plates. It will all be there for a moment: their murmuring talk, the child asleep upstairs, their dim reflections in the dark uncurtained window, glinting and leaning into each other with forks suspended. The image

of lips moving in silence, and that one tongue of fire pulsing like a live thing.

The full particular livid taste in their heart.

From So It Goes: Poems by Eamon Grennan. Reprinted by permission.

Swifts Over Dublin Stop, look up, and welcome these artful Dodgers, high-flyers on the wing, these Ecstatic swirlers, sons of air And daring, daughters of the slow burn, Who twist and kiss and veer, high As kites on homecoming. Survivors, They've put their nightsweats by, Harrowing darkness in a rumour of wings And companionable squeaking, riding the blast.

Now, how they celebrate a comeback, casting High-pitched benedictions down on Shopping-centres, stray dogs, monoxide traffic.

From any point of view they are Beyond me, dark sparks of mystery I must look up to, where they usher The full flush of summer in, highly Delighted with themselves and sporting Their keen, seasonal dominion.

From What Light There Is & Other Poems by Eamon Grennan. Reprinted by permission.

Swifts Over Dublin

Eamon Grennan

q=84

Soprano

Violin 1

  



  

        

    

 

  



f



 



 



 





high - fly - ers

 





      



swir -



mp



lers,

   



    



 

    





sons

of

air



on the wing,





   



these ec - sta - tic

        

 mp      

 

  

mf, cresc.

f, marc.

mp

     mf          

 



 



And

                 

               mp             mf

and wel - come

p

                 

6

look up

                          

these art - ful Dog - gers,

 

     

              p mf                                

     



Stop

pizz. (sempre)

4



  

mp



mf, staccato sempre

Piano

Richard Wilson

p

 

p





  

Copyright ©2009 Richard Wilson © Copyright 2010 by Songs of Peer, Ltd. International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved.

 

   





 



 



2 8

 

    dar - ing



daugh - ters

of the slow

burn,

                                          

10





 

kiss



f



and veer,





  

 

  

mp

 

Who twist

and

          f p               p f, marc.      

          



high



 



As





kites

  on

                                      cresc.  

 

12



f

            f mp         

 home

 -

3

com

 -

ing







      

mf

mp

    





f, marc.

mp

  





Sur - viv - ors,

  







                         p mf                                 p mp    f                          

COUPLE

7

Eamon Grennan

Richard Wilson

q=76

G 4

Soprano

G

Violin

mp

4

3 = G 5 5 5 5 E5 3 5 5 5 4 3

He is hear - ing out

I G 5: !5 5 mp

G E5k 5 = 5 mp p E 5k 5 = E5

the crick - ets,

I5 ?

EE55 55 5

5

=

3

B

light, creak ing,

G

4

G E55

4

4

4

mf

can

4

5 E5

mp

p

find

p

mf

5

E5 5!5 5

She

leans

back in a chair

?

55

5

E5 her

5 5 !5 !5 5 = 4

p

M 35

= 5 4 E5

5 5 5 5 : 5 5

G

B

M 5M!5 5

5 5 5

mf

7

0

5 5 : 5 5 5 E 5 3 5 5 5

M 5M 5: 5 5: 5 3 mp mf k 5 5 3 55 :: BB 0 E5 M M

mf pp M M 55 :: BB mf p E 5k 5 5

3 B 4 E5 !5 5 E55

5 : 5 5M 3 5 : 5

pp 5M 55 :: 55 3

q=76

0

?

0

G E5k 5M mf M E 5k 5

Piano

?

M 5M 5

mp

eyes.

so the

0

E 5 5 5! 5 5 5 55 ==

B

5 5

5: 5 5

5 5 5 55 mf

3

3

4

f

3

?

0

5 = 35 5 5 5 !5 5 5

5 E5 5 M 5 : 5 5 !5 !5 5 5 : 5 5! 5 M poco f 3

= 5 = 0 = 5 5 5: 5M 5 poco f pocof mf mf 5

M 5 5 = ?

4 = 55 E55 = 5 E5M

5

"Couple", from So It Goes: Poems by Eamon Grennan. Used by permission. ©Copyright 2009 by Richard Wilson

82

G ?

=:

5 G 5 5M 5

5 53 4

10

f

G 5 4

$ 5 5 5 = 5 = =

5

mp

She stays like that,

E 55

?

3

E5 5M E5M 5M

5 5 5 G

G

G

?

warm.

5

5 5 5 E 5

5 !

5 5 5 5

G = E5 E5 5

On the porch

mf

!5 G E55 =

5 5 =

5 5 !5 5 5 3

M E5M 5M 5M 5 E 5 M E 5 = 3E5

5 p

5555

5 5

mf 5

55

5

mf

!55 =

!5 !5 5 =

5 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 E5 5 5 5 5

of salt

stands in shadow,

5 5 !5 E5 : 5 E5 5 EE55 = 4 55 3

sfz

4 GE5k5 5 = 4 E5

5 5 5 : E5E5 : ? mf

EEB5

3

feel - ing the sea -son fly

E5 5

5 5 5 !5 5 5?

E5 3

5 !5 E5E 5

4

5

555 5 E 5 5 5E5

5 5 = = 5 he

3

0

5M 5M = 55 4

mf M M p E 5k 5 5 E5 5 = E55 4

5k

5 = 4 5

16

5 5 G

4

= 4 E5

B

= =3 5 53 E5 5

0

5

B

p

4

eyes closed,

5 ?

E 5 5 5 5 5kE5 5 !5 5 ?

B

eye - lids

and at rest,

3

5 E5

13

braced

= = 5 !5

5 5 5

5

5 E5

f 3

4

BBB

4

5 E5

5 53

5 5

5 5 =

down his throat.

5 5 5 =

= 5

E5 5 E5 =

4

5 =

!

5 5

4