Elizabeth Alexander. Luminous Awakening. Seafarer Press. Hildegard von Bingen. (from Pure Light beyond Light) SATB a cappella

Transcription

1 SE SHEET MUSIC $2.50 Luminous wakening (from Pure Light beyond Light) Hildegard von Bingen STB a cappella Elizabeth lexander Seafarer Press

2 Luminous wakening Hildegard of Bingen ly Spirit, breath of every being, root of every creature, moving in all. Bathing all lives with forgiveness and grace, and caressing wounds with the balm of boundless joy. Pure light beyond light, luminous awakening, radiant, bountiful, resurrecting everything again and again and again. Translation 2016 by Elizabeth lexander Composer s Note: My first English setting of Hildegard von Bingen s Spiritus Sanctus Vivificans used a translation by a well-known translator of ancient spiritual writings. I was deep in the throes of composition and under a tight deadline, and thus it somehow failed to register with me that a modern translation of these ancient words would be copyrighted material. Realizing that later, I felt pretty foolish but not nearly as foolish as I would feel when, after months of haggling, the translator s publisher finally offered me a generous non-renewable 5-year contract that would cost me an exorbitant fee. I headed back to the drawing board to see if my song might possibly be salvaged, but to no avail. Substituting the original Latin text into my setting was a fruitless endeavor, and neither of the other two English translations I dug up managed to capture the music s sense of movement and grace. few days later I had a sudden revelation. Why couldn t I create my own translation? I studied Latin for a few years in high school, and I have plenty of experience writing and adapting lyrics. When I created a word-for-word translation and compared it with the three English versions, I understood immediately what qualities in the text I wanted to invoke. Hildegard s writing is about the holy spirit being simultaneously a steadfast root and a dynamic presence but the language itself needs to choose one or the other! Therein lay my own guiding principle: flow. s I immersed myself in Hildegard s original words and crafted my own translation, I set out to make each word invite the listener into the next word, and the next, and the next. Cover image by llnd Licensed by Shutterstock Please do not photocopy this score. Composing is my livelihood. dditional copies of this music may be purchased at or through any music dealer.

3 Hildegard von Bingen Translated by Elizabeth lexander S T B Warmly, expansively (q = 52 60) pp pp O pp O pp O, Commissioned by Jonathan Kopplin for Bethlehem cademy of Faribault Luminous wakening STB a cappella Elizabeth lexander ly Spir it, breath of ev ry be ing, root of ev ry crea ture, mov ing in all. ly breath of ev ry be ing, root of ev ry crea ture, mov ing in all. breath of ev ry be ing, root of ev ry crea ture, mov ing in all. root of ev ry crea ture, mov ing in all. ly 5 S Spir it, ly Spir it ly Spir it, ly Bath ing all lives with for give ness and grace, ly Spir it, ly T Bath ing all lives, with for give ness and grace, ly Spir it, ly B Spir it, ly Spir it ly Spir it, ly Seafarer Press / SE by Elizabeth lexander Please do not photocopy this score. Composing is my livelihood. dditional copies of this music may be purchased at or through any music dealer.

4 2 8 Luminous wakening - Choral Score mp S Spir it, nd ca ress mp ing wounds, and ca ress ing wounds with the T B Spir it, nd ca ress mp Spir it, nd ca ress mp Spir it, nd ca ress ing wounds, and ca ress ing wounds with the ing wounds, and ca ress ing wounds with the ing wounds, and ca ress ing wounds with the 11 mf p S balm of bound less joy. mf p ly Spir it, ly Spir it, ly balm of bound less joy. mf p ly Spir it, ly Spir it, T balm of bound less joy. mf p ly Spir it, ly Spir it, B balm of bound less joy. ly Spir it, ly Spir it, ly Seafarer Press / SE Please do not photocopy this score. Composing is my livelihood. dditional copies of this music may be purchased at or through any music dealer.

5 Opal Palmer disa, poet B Margaret & George lexander, parents B Yehuda michai, poet B Bjorn rneson, generous web designer B Scott Bates, poet B bbie Betinis, composer/colleague B Dennis Blubaugh, music dealer B Michael devernon Boblett, poet B Ray Bradbury, writer B Norbert Capek, visionary B e. e. cummings, poet B Philip Dacey, poet B Emily LOT Dickinson, OF poet B Evelyn HRD Dudley, poet B Rob WORK & Eller-Isaacs, minister/writer B Sophia Lyon Fahs, writer B Richard M. Fewkes, writer B Pesha Gertler, poet B Richard S. Gilbert, minister/writer B Jack Gallagher, CRETIVITY composer/teacher B Paul Gerike, proofreader B Steve Harper, technical advisor B Steve Hawkins, generous web designer B Edie Hill, composer/colleague B Langston Hughes, poet B Mark Humphrey, piano technician B Karel Husa, composer/teacher B Kalidasa, poet B Garrison Keillor, storyteller B Denise Levertov, poet B George Ella Lyon, poet B Jonathan Machen, artist B Edna St. Vincent Millay, poet B J. David Moore, composer/colleague B Joan Wolf Prefontaine, WENT poet B Gerald Rich, INTO poet B Carl Sandburg, BRINGING poet B King Sigismund III, religious reformer B Steven Stucky, composer/teacher B Rabindranath Tagore, poet B ward Thurman, civil rights leader/writer B John Greenleaf Whittier, poet B Theodore Chickering Williams, poet B Daniel Winter, pianist/teacher B Nancy Wood, poet B Yehudi THIS Wyner, composer/teacher MUSIC B Paul TO YOU... dams, technical advisor B Opal Palmer disa, poet B Margaret & George lexander, parents B Yehuda michai, poet B Bjorn rneson, generous web designer B Scott Bates, poet B bbie Betinis, composer/colleague B Dennis Blubaugh, music dealer B Michael devernon Boblett, poet B Ray Bradbury, writer B Norbert Capek, visionary B e. e. cummings, poet B Philip Dacey, poet B Emily Dickinson, poet B Evelyn Dudley, poet B Rob Eller-Isaacs, minister/writer B Sophia Lyon Fahs, writer B Richard M. Fewkes, writer B Pesha Gertler, poet B Richard S. Gilbert, minister/writer B Jack Gallagher, composer/teacher B Paul Gerike, proofreader B Steve Harper, technical advisor B Steve Hawkins, generous web designer B Edie Hill, composer/colleague B Langston Hughes, poet B Mark Humphrey, piano technician B Karel Husa, composer/teacher B Kalidasa, poet B Garrison Keillor, storyteller B Denise Levertov, poet B George Ella Lyon, poet B Jonathan Machen, artist B Edna St. Vincent Millay, poet B J. David Moore, composer/colleague B Joan Wolf Prefontaine, poet B Gerald Rich, poet B Carl Sandburg, poet B King Sigismund III, religious reformer B Steven Stucky, composer/teacher B Rabindranath Tagore, poet B ward Thurman, civil rights leader/writer B John Greenleaf Whittier, poet B Theodore Chickering Williams, poet B Daniel Winter, pianist/teacher B Nancy Wood, poet B Yehudi Wyner, composer/teacher B Paul dams, technical advisor B Opal Palmer disa, poet B Margaret & George lexander, parents B Yehuda michai, poet B Bjorn rneson, generous web...nd designer B Scott SOME Bates, poet OF B bbie IT Betinis, composer/colleague B Dennis Blubaugh, music dealer B Michael devernon Boblett, poet B Ray Bradbury, writer B Norbert Capek, visionary B e. e. cummings, poet B Philip Dacey, poet WS B Emily Dickinson, EVEN poet B MINE. Evelyn Dudley, poet B Rob Eller-Isaacs, minister/writer B Sophia Lyon Fahs, writer B Richard M. Fewkes, writer B Pesha Gertler, poet B Richard S. Gilbert, minister/writer B Jack Gallagher, composer/teacher B Paul Gerike, proofreader B Steve Harper, technical advisor B Steve Hawkins, generous web designer B Edie Hill, composer/colleague B Langston Hughes, poet B Mark Humphrey, piano technician B Karel Husa, composer/teacher B Kalidasa, poet B Garrison Keillor, storyteller B Denise Levertov, poet B George Ella Lyon, poet B Jonathan Machen, artist B Edna St. Vincent Millay, poet B J. David Moore, composer/colleague B Joan Wolf Prefontaine, poet B Gerald Rich, poet B Carl Sandburg, poet B King THIS PGE HS BEEN INTENTIONLLY LEFT BLNK. (YOU KNOW WHY.) COMPLETE PERUSL COPY MY BE PURCHSED FROM ELIZBETH LEXNDER T Seafarer Press

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7 Elizabeth lexander grew up in the Carolinas and ppalachian Ohio. Her love of words nearly eclipses her love of music a passion reflected in her over 100 songs and choral works, which have received thousands of performances worldwide. recent McKnight Fellow, she has received awards and fellowships from the Jerome Foundation, New York Council on the rts, Wisconsin rts Board, National Orchestral ssociation, International League of Women Composers, and merican Composers Forum. Elizabeth lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where she makes pretty good biscuits, looks for all kinds of excuses to visit her two grown sons, and gardens during the three month period in Minnesota which is not winter. Hildegard von Bingen ( ) was a German nun, theologian, writer, composer, mystic and magistra, or spiritual teacher, who founded and led convents in Rupertsburg and Eibingen. Her plainsong settings of chants, with both original and liturgical texts, were composed for the use of her fellow nuns. Recent decades have brought a resurgent interest in her music, along with thousands of publications, performances and recordings. Hildegard s plainsong setting of Spiritus Sanctus Vivificans has been transcribed by a number of musicologists. vailable transcriptions include: Transcription using traditional plainchant notation created by Jürgen Knuth, contributed to the Werner Icking Music rchive and distributed by the International Music Score Library Project: Licensed under Creative Commons ttribution Non Commercial Sharelike Transcription in modern music notation created by Beverly R. Lomer, available through the International Society for Hildegard von Bingen Studies: The Society makes all its resources available for the study and appreciation of Hildegard

8 Selected Choral Music by Elizabeth lexander pril Rain Song (Langston Hughes) STB SE Before the Bread (English folk prayer) SSSS SE Blessed Be the Flower That Triumphs (Michael devernon Boblett) STB SE Cherish Your Doubt (lexander) STB & piano / SS & piano SE / SE Climb (Edna St. Vincent Millay) STB & piano SE Dragon Dance (Elizabeth lexander) S & piano SE Die Gedanken Sind Frei (15 5h century German protest song, arr.) STB & piano SE The Earth Called To My Friend (Nancy Wood) SS & piano SE Even a Fist Was Once an Open Palm (Yehuda michai) STB SE Faith Is the Bird That Feels the Light (Rabindranath Tagore) SS SE Fighting Over What We Believe (lexander) SB youth choir, STB & piano SE Finally On My Way To Yes (Pesha Gertler) SSTB & piano SE Folks, I m Telling You (Langston Hughes) SSTB & piano SE For So the Children Come (Sophia Fahs) STB & piano SE Glen Song (Scott Bates) SSTB & piano SE Go Out! (John Murray) STB & piano SE I Write This Poem Out of Darkness (George Ella Lyon) SS, flute, violin & piano SE If You Can Walk You Can Dance (Zimbabwean Proverb) SB & piano / TTB & piano.. SE / SE Immortal Love (John Greenleaf Whittier) STB SE Infant ly, Infant Lowly (arr. Polish carol) SS SE The Journey (Evelyn Dudley) TTBB / STB SE / SE Jump! (Ray Bradbury) SS & string quartet SE Life is not a Garden (lexander) STB & piano SE May This Be a Working lleluia (lexander) Children s choir, STB & piano (opt. flute & trumpets). SE Morning Bread (my Lowell) STB SE or a musician (Philip Dacey) STB & orchestra SE Palette To Paint Us s We re (Gerald Rich) S & piano / STB & piano SE / SE Praise Wet Snow Falling Early (Denise Levertov) STB & piano SE Reasons for the Perpetuation of Slavery (lexander) SS SE Spring Grass (Carl Sandburg) STB SE They Have Freckles Everywhere (lexander) SS & piano SE Those Who Wish To Sing lways Find a Song (Swedish proverb) SSS, oboe & piano SE To Make a Prairie (Emily Dickinson) SS & piano SE Tomorrow, God Willing (Garrison Keillor) TTBB SE Trust the Seeds (lexander) STB SE We Lift Up Our Hearts (Richard Fewkes) Children s choir, STB & piano SE We Remember Them (Sylvan Kamens & Jack Riemer) STB & piano SE Where There Is Light in the Soul (Chinese proverb) SB/STB SE / SE When the Song of the ngels Is Stilled (ward Thurman) SS / TTBB SE / SE Why I Pity the Woman Who Never Spills (Joan Wolf Prefontaine) SS SE CD: Finally On My Way To Yes ward-winning choral works by Elizabeth lexander SE-CD-001 For more information about these and over 100 other choral pieces, visit: Seafarer Press ~