GWYNETH WALKER Three Days by the Sea

Transcription

1 No Walker Gifts from the Sea SATB (divisi) & Piano GWYNETH WALKER Three Days by the Sea for SATB Chorus (divisi) and Piano 1. The Bottom of the Sea # Gifts from the Sea #6571. Down to the Sea #6572

2 Commissioned by the Key Chorale, in celebration of their 20th season, Premiered by the Key Chorale, Aril 17, 2005, Sarasota, FL. Daniel Moe, Music Director. Performance Notes It is suggested that each of the oems (texts) be read aloud before the erformance of each song. This will allow the audience to have abundant familiarity with the beautiful lyrics. Thus, the readings themselves will become art of the exression of the words. The readings might be done by members of the chorus: a tenor or baritone might read The Bottom of the Sea, a sorano or alto might read Gifts from the Sea and the two readers might alternate reading lines of Down to the Sea (as the musical setting also alternates between the men s and women s voices). A natural and coortable reading style is recommended. Program Notes The sea is a universal force which seaks to each of us in unique ways. Thus, these texts by three different authors were selected for this set of choral works. It is intended that a diversity of asects of the sea be exlored. The Bottom of the Sea is a roduct of imagination the ocean floor, the home of mermaids, where waters most lock music in, a dimlylit room where lost orchestras lay. (The orchestras lay a waltz.) This song is characterized by descending lines into the deths of the iano and choral ranges. Gifts from the Sea are found on the beach. One might find shells, erhas the shell of a hermit crab. One might also find simlicity. Patience and faith come from the sea. One should lie emty, oen, choiceless as a beach. Norah Mary Holland, a Canadian oet and cousin of W. B. Yeats, rovides the lyrics for the closing song, Down to the Sea. Here is the dark, strong, assionate sea, the waters, wild and wide. This is sustained and owerful music, with the rolling waves often ortrayed in the iano accomaniment. A love and a fear of the sea are combined. O strong and terrible Mother Sea, let me lie once more on your cool white breast. There is no home on the land. In the final voyage, I will go down to the sea again. Gwyneth Walker (The concet for these songs was formed during the comoser s residency at the Hermitage Artists Retreat on Manasota Key, Florida during the Winter of 2004.) Words for Gifts from the Sea (Anne Morrow Lindbergh) One should lie emty, oen, choiceless as a beach waiting for a gift from the sea. The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too imatient. To dig for treasures shows not only imatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, atience, atience is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. I mean to lead a simle life, to choose a simle shell I can carry easily like a hermit crab. One is free, like the hermit crab, to change one s shell. The waves echo behind me. Patience Faith Oenness, is what the sea has to teach. Simlicity Solitude Intermittency... But there are other beaches to exlore. There are many more shells to find. This is only a beginning. Excerts from GIFT FROM THE SEA are coyright by The Lindbergh Literary LLC and are used by ermission of the Lindbergh family. Gwyneth Walker Dr. Gwyneth Walker (b. 1947) is a graduate of Brown University and the Hartt School of Music. She holds B.A., M.M. and D.M.A. Degrees in Music Comosition. A former faculty member of the Oberlin College Conservatory, she resigned from academic emloyment in 1982 in order to ursue a career as a fulltime comoser. She now lives on a dairy farm in Braintree, Vermont. Gwyneth Walker is a roud resident of Vermont. She is the reciient of the Year 2000 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Vermont Arts Council. Walker s catalog includes over 160 commissioned works for orchestra, band, chorus and chamber ensembles. The music of Gwyneth Walker is ublished E. C. Schirmer Music Comany of Boston (choral and vocal music) and MMB Music of St. Louis (orchestral and instrumental music).

3 Anne Morrow Lindbergh ( ) Piano S A Catalog No Three Days by the Sea Flowing, as waves on the sea q. = c. 66 for SATB Chorus (divisi) and Piano 2. Gifts from the Sea 5 sim. 9 A 1 cantabile unis. One should non cresc. o lie em non cresc. ty, Coyright 2007 by E. C. Schirmer Music Comany. A division of ECS Publishing, Boston, Massachusetts. All rights reserved. Made in U.S.A. Gwyneth Walker Excerts from GIFT FROM THE SEA are coyright by the Lindbergh Literary LLC and are used by ermission of the Lindbergh family. en,

4 4 S A 17 choice less choice less as a beach as a beach non cresc. 2 2 wait ing for a 2 2 wait ing for a 22 gift gift 2 from the 2 from the sea. sea. 27 B One should non cresc. lie em em ty, o ty, o en, en,

5 T B S A T B 1 choice less as a beach choice less as a beach 5 C Slower q = c. 66 cresc. div. The sea does not re ward those who are too an xious, too greed y, or too im div. cresc. The sea does not re ward those who are too an xious, too greed y, or too im Slower q = c Slower f To dig for treasures shows not only im atience and greed, but lack of faith. f To dig for treasures shows not only im atience and greed, but lack of faith. f unis. div. f atient. f atient. shows not only im atience and greed, but lack of div. unis. but lack of Slower f faith. faith. f 5

6 6 D a temo (q = c. 66) 4 gently unis. a temo (q = c. 66) 45 Pa gently Pa tience, tience, unis. Ah, a a Ah, tience, tience, 6 6 ah, ah, a tience is what the sea a tience is what the sea a tience is what the sea a tience is what the sea teach es. teach es. teach es. teach es. Slowly Pa tience Pa tience... Slowly a temo (q. = c. 66) a temo (q. = c. 66) Pa tience Pa tience... and faith. and faith.

7 48 E solo freely, quasi recitative, I mean to lead a simle life, to choose a 7 52 simle shell Slowly sub. I can car ry eas i ly like a Slowly like a * 6 her mit crab. with delight like a with delight * random chromaticallydescending 4ths to resemble a crab scurrying across the beach

8 8 55 tutti, div. One is free, like the her mit crab, her mit crab. her mit crab. 6 One is free, like the her mit crab, to to 59 change change one s shell. div. one s F a temo (q. = 66) solo shell. Ah! a temo (q. = 66)

9 6 tutti m 9 Pa m Pa tience tience The The waves waves ech o be hind me. ech o be hind me. m sim. 67 Faith Faith O en ness, is O en ness, is what the what the sea sea has to teach. has to teach. Sim Sim O en ness, is O en ness, is what the what the sea sea has to teach. has to teach. Sim Sim

10 10 70 lic lic i ty i ty Sol Sol i tude i tude In In ter mi ten cy... ter mi ten cy... lic lic i ty i ty Sol i tude Sol i tude In In ter mi ten cy... ter mi ten cy... G 7 But there are other div. f freely, recited on itch beaches to exlore. div. f freely, recited on itch But there are other beaches to exlore. f freely, recited on itch But there are other beaches to exlore. div. f freely, recited on itch But there are other beaches to exlore. f There are many more shells to find. There are many more shells to find. div. There are many more shells to find. There are many more shells to find. unis. This unis. This unis. This unis. This is on ly a is on ly a is on ly a is on ly a be be be be gin ing. gin ing. gin ing, gin ing.

11 77 H a temo (q. = c. 66) 11 a be gin on ly ning. a temo (q. = c. 66) 81 cantabile One Ah! should lie em em non cresc. ty, ty, Ah, Ah, o o non cresc.

12 12 86 en... en... ah. ah. wait wait ing ing for a non cresc. 90 fade to end gift gift from from the the sea. fade to end sea. freely, as a cadenza of ocean waves for a fade to end {<6!!$"$=egfhbA<u