I Died for Beautiy, a song cycle

WANG JIE I DIED FOR BEAUTY

I DIED FOR BEAUTY For Baritone, Vibraphone and Piano Poems by Emily Dickinson

I.

I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died

II.

Interlude

III.

The Last Night that She Lived

IV.

I Died For Beauty

2004

WANG JIE

I HEARD A FLY BUZZ WHEN I DIED

THE LAST NIGHT THAT SHE LIVED

We waited while she passed

I DIED FOR BEAUTY

It was a narrow time

I heard a fly buzz when I died

The last night that she lived

Too jostled were our souls to speak

I died for beauty, but was scarce

The stillness in the room

It was a common night

At length the notice came

Adjusted in the tomb

Was like the stillness in the air

Except the dying – this to us

Between the heaves of storm

Made nature different.

When one who died for truth was lain She mentioned, and forgot

In an adjoining room

Then lightly as a reed

The eyes around had wrung them dry

We noticed smallest things

Bent to the water, struggled scarce

He questioned softly why I failed

And breaths were gathering firm

Things overlooked before

Consented, and was dead

“For beauty” I replied

For that last onset when the king

By this great light upon our minds

Be witnessed in the room

Italicized, as ‘twere

“And I for truth, Themselves are one And we, we placed the hair

We brethren are” he said

And drew the head erect

I willed my keepsakes, signed away

As we went out and in

And then an awful leisure was,

And so, as kinsmen met at night,

What portion of me be

Between her final room

Belief to regulate

We talked between the rooms

Assignable; and then it was

And rooms where those to be alive

Until the moss had reached our lips

There interposed a fly

Tomorrow were, a blame

And covered up our names

With blue uncertain stumbling buzz

That others could exist

Between the light and me;

While she must finish quite

And then the windows failed; and then

A jealousy for her arose

I could not see to see

So nearly infinite

Emily Dickinson

Notes: For the percussionist: 1.

Unless “l.v.” is indicated, the percussionist has his liberty of pedaling design. Particularly in the 2nd movement, the pedaling should be clean, but not too dry.

2.

For the following measures, rest after the cut-off note indicates “stop vibrate”.

I. m3, m7, m11, m14 Interlude. m17 III. m9, m12,

For the singer: 1.

2.

3.

Pay close attention to dynamic contrast throughout the entire song cycle.

In 2nd movement “The Last Night That She Lived”, rests and breath marks should be precisely interpreted from m63 to m71, for the effect of “breathlessly”.

In 3rd movement “I Died For Beauty”, the effect of the irregular note heads in m9 is closest to Sprechmelodie, in which the pitch is both a sung tone and a spoken tone. Therefore, the pitch is meant to be heard through whispering-like spoken tone. The difference between these tones and sprechmelodie lies in the tail of each tone – they are not to be abandoned immediately by falling or rising, instead, to be held legato to the next.

Duration: 8 minutes

Dedicated to – Yang Liqing

I. I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died

          

Emily Dickinson

Baritone



Freely, like a recitative q = 60-76

mf



I

Vibraphone

         

 

pp

    pp     

Bar.

 

f

  The

Vib.

 

  

 

still - ness

in



   

Copyright © by Wang Jie Published by Rich Man's Den.(ASCAP) All Rights Reserved

3 the

 room



     



when

died.

I

   

          

   Pno.

a fly buzz

l.v.

 

Piano

heard



         

 

p





was

like



 the

still



 -

ness

Wang Jie 3







 

 

          

   







in

the

air





3



mp





    

     

 

bet - ween the heaves

  of

2

Bar.

        ppp

  storm

The eyes

l.v.

Vib.

     





Bar.

 

and breath were ga - ther-ing firm

for that last

on - set

  when the



 









 





  



 



port

       

      be

                     l.v.

Pno.

      3         

mf

 

king

Vib.



a-round had wrung them dry

p

Pno.

   

 

  9

 

mf

 

Andantino, with pulse q = 80-88 p



wit- nessed in the room

   

I

  

3 



willed my keep- sakes

        

signed a - way signed a- way

What

 



 

  

  

3    

p

 







 

  



  



pulse         3 with p                    Cadenza, freely accel.

Bar.

por

Vib.

Pno.

-

-

-



tion of me be



And then it was there in - ter- posed a

          

l.v.



  p

pp Bar.



p

  fly





  



3     3                  

p

as - sign- a- able



 

3

fff



       With

blue

   

     



blue, blue un - cer- tain

stum- bling buzz

 

3





p

Pno.

                    

3   





bet- ween the light and



pp







   



         





 3   





    



me

l.v.

Vib.

  

pp



A tempo, freely again

mf

 

 



l.v.



     

 



pp

        

4

Bar.

Vib.

 

 

Pno.



 

 



And

then

the





win - dows







failed



 



 



 



p

 











and

then

I

could

not

see



















ppp

   see





    pp



 

to

 

pp



 

       

  attacca

5

Interlude                     q = 86

Vibraphone

l.v.

mp

  Piano

Pno.

pp



       



                 



  

 

   

     

  

                                                     

                      mp         

5

Vib.



  

       



       







  

      



     

        

                                                         

   

  

 



         

              

 



      

6

   

9

Vib.

           



            Pno.

 

12

Vib.



 

 



 



 

        





     





 





  

  



   

         





 

 



           

       



 

     

     

      

 

   Pno.









             













    

  



    



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









      

 



           

15

Vib.

  



           

                                    Pno.

       

   

  

   

 





   

 



   

    



7

l.v.

   



   

  

 

          







 

  

      



 

 

8

II. The Last Night that She Lived Presto

  

Baritone

       The

last



  

Vibraphone

mf

  

night

     3

p

3 3                         3           

that she

 

 

Piano

 

3

3

p non-legato





 

Bar.



 3 

dif - fer - ent

Vib.

Pno.



com -

mom





night

ex- cept the dy- ing

this to us made na - ture



3

3

3

3

3                 3             

ff 10

It was a

                            3

                  3

lived

3

3

 

p

   

     

We

no

small

 

-

ticed

3





 

  

 

 



leggiero

sfz

   

3

things

3



3



 

3

 

         things o

-

-

ver





looked

 3         3    3                                     pp 3 3 3     3 3 3 3 3                                               3  ff 3 3 3 3 3           pp 3                       

9

f

19

Bar.

    

  

be-fore

Vib.

 

Pno.



 

29

Bar.

we

Vib.

Pno.



     

 



   3

light u -pon our mind



3

3

 

3



By this great

 



3   3           

3

3

 

3



 

 

I - ta - li - cized





  





went

out

and

in

bet

 

-

3

    3



3

 

3

 

 3

 

3





her

fi

3



  

-

  





nal

room

   

3

                      pp





                   p leggiero    

      

3

ween





p

             



As

3





 



              

      





leggiero

  3     

3

                    





mp

as it were

3

    

 











            



 

pp

 3





p

     





  

and rooms







where

those

to

            

  



              

leggiero





   

10

  

38

Bar.

  

be

Vib.

Pno.

Pno.

To - mor - row



   

were

   



pp

a

blame

  

 

3    

that

oth - ers could ex - ist



3

  











while

she

must

3



    



                                                              pp                          pp         3

fi

Vib.

live





46

Bar.

a -





  3    



       3

- nish quite

a

jea - lou - sy

       



for

 

cresc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

   her



a - rose



 so







 3 

mp





near - ly in - fi- nite







We

     

 wai



-



3

                                                                   

f

cresc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..





    







   

     pp

11 54

Bar.





    -

Vib.

Pno.

Vib.

Pno.

 

 

p

    

p

  



-



ted when she passed

  

 



 







 

ff

   

      

at length the

no - tice

was

a

 





  





 

   



  

 



were our

souls to

speak

time



 





              



Too

 



nar - row





    

             





Breathlessly

 



came

        



It

 

pp

jos - tled

   



 



mp

                                                       

61

Bar.

-

  



cresc. . . . . .

p

 

 

3



She men - tioned

    

      

mp 3

leggiero

    

mp

3

  

3

 

    



   



 3      

and for - got

leggiero

3

3

3

  

then

light - ly

        

3

     

3

  

3

     

3



  

3

as

a reed

3

  

3

  

    

   

 

    

68

Bar.



3



bent to the wa - ter

Vib.

  



stru - ggled scarce

3

3

 

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

 

Bar.





drew the head

Vib.

Pno.



e - rect

   And





   



free

sen - ted

and was



           

 

  

  

          

 then

  an



 

aw - ful



lei - sure was



pp

dead

 

3



  

  

Quietly, Like a Lullaby

  





73

   

fff



l.v.

3

cresc.



con -

       

3

Pno.

  

glis s.

12

 

 

And we

we place



 





the hair



 

 

 

pp







 and



 to the end





Be - lief

  to

re

 -



gu

-

    

late

  







  

q = 60





 











  

III. I Died For Beauty 

Andante, like a lullaby

  

Baritone



Otherwise use triangle stick on the edge of the instument.

    

Vibraphone

    

pp

   

Piano

     

5

Bar.

- ed

Vib.

    

mf

Pno.

  

mf

 



    

pp

 

    





   

             

 

     

       in the



    I

l.v.

tomb



      

ppp

 

mf

    



  





for beau- ty



                 

    

     





              

            

when one who died

  

  

    

for

truth



      

4



       







 

  

gliss.

but

l.v.



  4

  

             

      

died

l.v.

13

      

was scarce

  

 

    

      

     

was

   

 

mp

  

mp





in an

      





-

    

        

 

    

  4    

lain



ad - just



ad- join -

       

  

ing room



        

   



14 Bar.

Vib.

8





   

Pno.

 

  

     

pp

Like Wispering





  

       pp

    He





ques- tioned

    

Bar.

                   lied

Vib.

Pno.

    

               

and I

           

      

 

f

12

3

for

truth

















soft - ly



  

mp

      



 

mf

 



pp



p

why

  

    

  

   mp



           f        



  

    



he said

 



          





    pp       







pp

p

    

        

    p



        



p



 

        



rep -

cresc.

as kins men met at night

 



p

I

  

and so



  

     







beau- ty



    

 

for



             

  

f

failed





them- selves areone we breth- ren are

  

I

pp           

 

              

     



we



 

   

   

17

Bar.

   

talked

Vib.

      

Pno.

       

 

   

bet - ween the



     





names

Vib.

        

Pno.

       

p

 

 

room



      

19

Bar.





    

  

p

         



 

un - til



      

  

the





moss



 



 



    4



    



    p

  





p

    our

   

    

   

 

dim.

had reached

sfz

 

 

lips



   

      

dim.

   

and



co -

vered



p

       

   

 



 

   

      

       







           

  

 

     



   

 











  

 

ppp



ppp









pp

our







  

  ppp

  

 

   

  

 



15

       



 