Nyman A CHILD'S VIEW OF COLOUR

Michael Nyman

A CHILD’S VIEW OF COLOUR (2003) for children’s voices and string quartet

Vocal Score

Chester Music

A Child’s View of Colour was commissioned by the Young People’s Chorus of New York City for ‘Transient Glory, the Voices of Children’, Francisco J. Núñez, artistic director. The words are used and reproduced by permission.

The first performance was given by the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, directed by Francisco J. Núñez, at the 92nd Street Y, New York on 27 April 2003, in the presence of the composer.

Duration: 8 minutes

Conductor’s score and string parts are available from the Publishers.

Transient Glory introduces newly commissioned choral music of the world’s major composers created to celebrate the profoundly transcendent nature of young singing voices. Launched in the year 2001, Transient Glory began as a concert performance series of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City (www.ypc.org) conducted by Francisco J. Núñez to advance the art of children’s choir in the world today. The Tansient Glory choral series is designed and developed by its editor as a commitment to young voices singing glorious music during that short, transient period of childhood.

Commissioned artwork by Jose Ortega.

CHESTER MUSIC (a division of Music Sales Ltd) 8/9 Frith Street, London W1D 3JB tel: 020 7434 0066 fax: 020 7287 6329 Exclusive distributor: Music Sales Ltd, Newmarket Road, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 3YB Tel: 01284 702600 fax: 01284 702592 Web: www.chesternovello.com e-mail: promotion@musicsales.co.uk

In Memoriam Karel Reisz

A CHILD'S VIEW OF COLOUR for children's voices and string quintet

Words by Walter Benjamin 1914-15 (translated by Rodney Livingstone)

Music by Michael Nyman 2003

q = c.66

  1 



 2  

Piano reduction (rehearsal only)

    p    

  



  

 









5

  1 







 

   

 

 

 



co - lour

2

  



 



co - lour

      

   

 

, 

mp



Co mp

lour,

Co -

lour,

 

(2. div.)



  



     

         



mp





  is

             

 spi

  is





    -



ri tual,

        



some - thing spi - rit ual,

    

                                          © Copyright 2003 Chester Music Limited/Michael Nyman Limited

   

2 8

   1  some 2

     some -

   







 

-

thing whose

cla - ri - ty



 

 (unis.)    

thing

whose

 



    



so that 2

   



-

-

spi - rit

ual,

 

   -

when

    



so that

when

co



co



ual,

    

  

-

 -

    

      

lours

lours



    are

    are



 

nu - an - ces of

        2     nu - an - ces (div.)

        

co -

of

co

  

        

lour:

        





it

     -

lour:

is

not a

(unis.)

  

is

not a



    

  





      

 

 





 

 





blur.

         it



pro - duce

                                      

16            1 

   

they





   pro - duce

   

mixed,



      

they

    

 

  

mixed,



  

-

  



  

                              

12

   1 

is

 

  

spi - rit

   

cla - ri - ty



         

is

 



    

  

blur.

    

   

      

                          

21

,

rit.

A

3

e = q = c.132

 1 



























2

                              mf                                            f marc.

(unis.) f

25

 1 

2

  

The rain - bow is (unis.) f

  







  





  

The rain - bow is

      

27

   

         

   

         

The rain - bow is

 

The rain - bow is

 

a child - like i - mage.

        

a child - like i - mage.

 

                                     

 1   2



        

    

 

 

    

a

a

child - like i

child - like i

-

-

 

               

          

   

          

  

mage.

mage.

     

The rain - bow is

The rain - bow is

 

a child - like i -

 

a child - like i -

 

               

4 29

  1 

 

,

























mage.

2





 

mage.

       

    

 

 

                                   

 

B 31

q = e = c.66

  1 

f





 





Child - ren

2

  





f

 





Child - ren

           

 

     

 

f

    

  

  

  

like

the way

  

  

like

the way

 

   

mf

 

 



                                           

34    1 

    



co - lours shim - mer

2

    

 

 



co - lours shim - mer

   



  



in

sub - tle,

shift





sub - tle,

shift

 in

 

                               

   

 -

-

       

  



ing

nu

-

an



 





ing

nu

-

an

 -

ces

 -

 

ces

                          

  

 

 

5





as

with

37

  1   2



   

    soap

  



  as

with

  

 

     

   

 



  

bub -

 

soap

         

 

 





 





bles.



  

bub -

bles.

    



 

           

    

f

                  



      

C

, q = c.80

40

 1 











mp

 

    A

2













mp

 

    A

    

              



   

44

3 3       1   

mp

    

  

child's view of co - lour re - pre - sents 3

2

3

        

  

child's view of co - lour re - pre - sents

       

   

   

   

    

 

 

     

            

 

 

 

     

       

 

             the high - est

art - is - tic de - ve - lop - ment

            the high - est

       

art - is - tic de - ve - lop - ment

       

        

   

  

 

of the sense

of

  

 

of the sense

of

          

   

   

 

6 48

   1 



 

mf

    

It

is sight at

 



sight;

  2  



 

mf

 



sight;

        

   

      

52

  1  



2

   



   

55

is

 

be - cause

    

it

 -

 

 





 

 -

pur



(div.)



-

est;

 

       

     

 

 

 

    

    

  



so

-

-

la

 -

 

 

so

-

-

 

-

la



ted.

   -



ted.



      

f







f

 

child - ren

     

al - so make co - lour

      

 But

  

-

est;

                                            

But

 2   

its

 -

-





     



-

i

D

  1  



i

is

       

   

  

it

is sight at

mf

 

 

be - cause

   

pur

      

It

      

its



 

 

child - ren

 

 

-

ri - tual

     

al - so make co - lour

 

spi



 

spi

  

-



ri - tual

   



più marc.

                                             3

3

3

58

   1 



 be

2

   



-

 be

   

 

-





cause

they





cause

they

 





judge

ob - jects

  judge

ob - jects

                       

60

  1  2

  





-

-





-

-

3





lour

con - tent,

  to

 







lour

con - tent,

62

  1 

 la

2

  

 la

 

-

-





ted

to





ted

to

     

   

 



 -

-

to

ta

3





 

cre - ate

the

in







cre - ate

   





-

ta

-





 

the

in

for

their





for

their



co -

 



co -

3





 



  





world



  



of the

world

li - ty



 

-

ter - re



-



 -

 

ter - re

-



 

of the







        

li - ty

           

3

 

                          



3



3

 



                 

 

3







cantabile

3



7



 





of

the





of

the

  

              

  

3

3



3





8 64     1 

 



i - ma - gi - na -

2

    

tion.

i - ma - gi - na -

      

 

    

2

   

    

70



 







3







           3

    



q = c.132





 

 

3



  

E

     

           

 

  

           

f

                            

        a

 

a

child - like i - mage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

   



child - like i - mage.

        

    





The rain - bow is

 





The rain - bow is

 





  

f   2    





   

  f    1  





3





              



           

 



,

  

 





poco rit.

67

  1 



tion.

 





 

The rain - bow is

   



a

         

The rain - bow is

 

 

 

 

child - like i

 

 

 

 

-

a

child - like i

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

subito mf



             

             

9 72          1  

mage.

2

  

The rain - bow is

a child - like i

   

            mage.

 

 

The rain - bow is

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     -

 

 

 

 

 

-

 















mage.

    

a child - like i



mage.

 

 

 

       

 

 

 

       

                              

,F

74

 1 











































2

 

 

  

               

               

79

  1 



 



                                   

 

mf

   



A - dults

 2  



 



mf

 

                                                             

 

 







de - rive

 

A - dults

        

no

de - rive



no

 

from

  



      

sup - port

     



sup - port

 

from

                     

 

  



 



10 83

     1 

  



co - lour. (div.)

2

     co -

They

88

    



lour.

    



world

 



a

world

                  

-

     



 



 



it

     der.

                           



 



 



                               

   

  

 



 

    









    

         

 



    

 

 

f           a

child's

life (div.)

 

a

child's

  



 

f          

                   

 

cre -

          

 

But in

 

to

      

But in

 2  

cre -

    

    



G

92

  

to

der.

   -



  

it

use

 

or

   or

      

                     

1

 

must

    a

ate

use

  



 

   

                                                            

        

 

    

ate

2

 

must

They

                     

   1 

 



 

life

    

         

98    1 



co

-

  2    co

       

lour

is the ex

pure

       

lour

      

press - ion of

is the ex

 

 

-

press - ion of

pure

     

 

re - cep

re - cep







102

2

,

   

106

 mf 1  



semplice

 

Child mf semplice

2

 

Child

    



ren's



 







 



 

 

 







       

                

 





-

draw - ings take

        

ty.



 

   

-



    

vi



     

-

ty.

  



co - lour - ful - ness

ren's

-

  

q = c.100

draw - ings take

 

vi



mp



ti

-

H

                          cantabile          

-

  





                                        

  

 

                 

 1 

ti (div.)

    

(unis.)

 -

-



    

11





co - lour - ful - ness

     

 

         

  

     

 

          

 

  

as their

point of

 

   

as their

point of

   

de

de

-

-

       

            

  

12 111

  1  part

2

-



part

-

ure:

 

       



116

   1  ob

-

jects,



 

 

  

   



  2  

 





but

with

jects,

but

with

 

 

 

       



     

-



  

con

-

   

cerned

   

 



space

 

space

   

  



and



  not with

   

 



not with

cerned







and

   

co

   

   -



co

         



lour.

   

(div.)



-

con



                                       



ob

 

  

  



ure:

 







-



lour.

 

  

 

        

  

 

 

       



I 118 q = c.132

  1 





  





2

                                                          f

 

                                 

                              

    f

120

 1 



      

  

The rain - bow is

2

      

(div.) f







                                 

122

    

The rain - bow is



     



The rain -

 



 -

 

mage.

   

a

child - like i

-

mage.

a

child - like i

           bow is a child - like

   i

                                         

   -

mage.

The rain - bow is

-

mage.

The rain - bow is

                              

-



-

  

         

  

 

a child - like i -

      

   

a child - like i -

                                                       

124   1 

2

child - like i

                                                                       

 1  

2

a

            

The rain - bow is



13



                              













mage.

     



mage.

                                                                                                      

                              

14

                                                                

126



                               

                               

       ,                                                     

128



                                                                  J

130

  1 









q = c.60 mp

 



Child - ren

 2  









mp

 



Child - ren

     

   are

not

a

  



are

137

1

   they

2

  they

      

   

shamed

  -

 since



shamed

 since

 

  

 

    

   





 

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

not

re

-

     do

a

-



 

   do

not

 

 

mp

   



not

re

  

-

  





flect,

but

on

  





flect,

but

on

      

  

 -

ly

 -

ly

mf



see. mf

 





 

 

f

f

see.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

f