Gyneth Walker The Laughter o Women and other songs based on the oetry o Lisel Mueller or Sorano, Violin and Piano
commissioned by Donne e Doni Susan Pickett Violin Sona Gourley Sorano Debra Richter Piano duration: 1 minutes Program Notes The texts or The Laughter o Women are ound in Alive Together, the 1997 Pulitzer Prize-inning collection o oems by Lisel Mueller This oetry encomasses a broad sectrum o mood: reverent, irreverent (!), itty, oignant, indeendent, relective and triumhant The musical interretations aim to exlore the imagery evoked by the oetry or examle, in the oening song, The Laughter o Women, the agged atterns introduced in the violin might be suggestive o laughter And the glissandi hich occur mid-ay through the song are associated ith the text o ies the sectacles o the old, to be heard, erhas, as iing motives The image o ire in this song is suggested by sirling atterns in the iano, later adoted by the violin And daylight shines through, erhas, in the violin harmonics In general, the voice resents the lyrics, the iano oers the underinning, and the violin is the rimary image-translator, oering motives hich endeavor to relect the ords The iano occasionally oins in this activity as ell, scamering u the keyboard hen the ords they laugh as i they ere young again are sung The listener might thereore enoy detecting ossible correlations beteen the oetry (as exressed by the singer) and the musical accomaniment The oems resented in this ork ere selected in chronological order rom Alive Together Certainly, The Laughter o Women, ith its energy and triumh, aeals as a strong oening selection And, There Are Mornings closes ith its on orm o triumh the transcendent beauty o hen the sky oens and ours itsel into me Notes About the Comoser Dr Gyneth Walker is a graduate o Bron niversity and the Hartt School o Music She holds BA, MM and DMA Degrees in Music Comosition A ormer aculty member o the Oberlin College Conservatory, Walker resigned rom academic emloyment in 192 in order to ursue a career as a ulltime comoser She no lives on a dairy arm in Braintree, Vermont Walker's catalog includes over 120 commissioned orks or orchestra, band, chorus and chamber ensembles The music o Gyneth Walker is ublished by EC Schirmer o Boston (choral/vocal music) and MMB Music o St Louis (orchestral/instrumental music)
Lisel Mueller The Laughter o Women Gyneth Walker Violin Sorano Piano soken triumhantly: barely audible The laughter o omen sets ire to the Halls o Inustice and the alse evidence burns to a beautiul hite lightness æ π barely audible π With energy q = 10 oyully With energy q = 10 ( ) oyully ad lib A oyully izz arco The laugh - ter o om - en sets A
2 7 ire to the Halls o In - - - us - tice The 10 izz arco n n laugh - ter o o - - - - men sets ire, ire, ire, ire, n 1 Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ire to the Halls o In - - The Laughter o Women us - tice, rit rit and the alse
1 B # # sloer n n o æ B # # ev - i - dence burns to a sloer n beau - ti - ul n n hite light - - - - - - - ness n n 19 accel n n n n a temo # izz The laugh - ter o om - en sets accel n n a temo # 22 arco Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ire, ire, ire, ire, ire to the Halls o In - - - us - tice # # The Laughter o Women
2 rit C sloer It rit C sloer rat - tles the Cham - bers o Con - gress and n or - ces the in - dos ide 2,, soken, mockingly o - - - - en, ide o - - - - - - en, So the atuous seeches can ly out 1 accel a temo izz n accel a a temo The laugh - ter o om - en sets The Laughter o Women
arco Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ire, ire, ire, ire, ire to the Halls o In - - - us - tice # # D ire! D n n 2 ire! random clusters scamering u keyboard # # The Laughter o Women ire!
E The laugh - ter o om - en n # # ies the (as i iing o eyeglasses) random high gliss mist rom the sec - ta - cles o the E old 1 izz arco n n The laugh - ter o om - - - en ies the n The Laughter o Women
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7 mist, mist, mist rom the sec - ta - cles o the old; rit rit ( ) it - in - sloer ects them ith a ha- y lu, sloer n and they n 9 laugh as i they ere young a - gain, ṗ echo young a - gain accel accel random clusters scamering u keyboard The Laughter o Women
a temo 2 # # izz arco The laugh - - ter o om - en ies the mist, mist, mist a temo Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ rom the sec - ta - cles o the old 7 rit G sloer o π rit G sloer Pris - on - ers held in un - der - ground cells im - n n The Laughter o Women
9 Sul IV o harmonics gliss ad lib n o P sim 9 ag - ine that they see day - light hen they re - mem- ber the laugh - ter o om - en n 71 n n It runs a - cross a - ter that di - vides, and rec - on - ciles to un-riend - lt shores like n ( ) n n b n b b 7 rit b n n b b n n n lares that sig - - - nal the nes to each oth - - - er n b b b rit n n n n The Laughter o Women
10 7 H H Triumhantly q = 72 Triumhantly q = 72 What a lan- guage it is, the rit laugh - ter o om - en, high - - -, 77 soken sotly, mischieviously ly - ing, high - ly - ing, high - ly - ing and subversive start sloly S Long be - ore la and scri - ture start sloly 79 e heard the laugh - ter, e heard the laugh - ter, e The Laughter o Women
1 accel un - der - stood ree - - - - - dom q = 72 11 accel q = 72 rit What a lan - guage it is, the laugh - ter o om - - - en rit b b b ( ) tice as quickly q = 1 tice as quickly q = 1 ( ) The Laughter o Women ṗ n n n ree - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I I n n n n n n n n n # # dom,
12 9 n ree - - - - - - - - - - - - - dom, ree - - - - - n 92 dom 9 The Laughter o Women a triumhant laugh Ha! Duration:' 1"
Interlude I 1 Piano reely q = c 12 throughout, dreamlike rit, a temo rit i,, rit a temo #, a temo rit # Pedal stays into next song Duration: 0 Things Vln con sord Srightly q = 1 S Srightly q = 1 What Pno Pedal stays rom revious Interlude until A
1 Vln S A A ha-ened is izz e gre ~~~~~~~~~~ lone - - - ly, liv-ing a - mong the Vln 9 arco S lone - - - - - ~~~~~~~~~~ things, ly, so e gave the Vln S 1 B B # # P # # # # clock a ace, the chair a back, the Vln S 17 ta - ble, our stout legs, hich ill Vln 21 ta Violin arco S Things nev - er su- er a - tigue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 Vln S 2 C C izz # # # We it - ted our shoes ith tongues as smooth as our Vln S 29 # # on and hung tongues in - side n arco bells n ọ o so e could lis - ten ọ ọ to Vln ọ ọ ọ ọ oco accel S their e - mo - tion-al lan - - - - guage oco accel Vln S 9 D D graceully, slightly aster q = 17 graceully, slightly aster m q = 17 m izz and be - - - cause e loved Vln S arco m izz m Things grace - - - - - - - - ul ro - - - - - iles
1 Vln S 1 arco m m m E E izz the it - cher re - ceived a Vln 7 S li, the bot - tle a long ~~~~~~~~~ slen - - - der Vln arco m m rit Sloer q = 1 S rit Sloer q = 1 neck E - ven hat as be- yond us Vln gradual rit izz # # q = 120 arco - S gradual rit as re - # cast in our im - age; e gave the q = 120 coun-try a heart, Vln 72 - - - # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ S # # # # Things the storm an eye, the cave a mouth
17 Vln 7 rit # #, S rit # so e could ass in - to sae - ty,, the Vln S 79 G G # # q = 120 (as beore) q = 120 (as beore) coun-try a heart, as an echo sul ont non cresc the # storm an eye, # ~~~~~~~~~~~~ # the Vln # rit # a temo gradual cresc to end S # # cave a mouth rit # so e could ass in - to sae - ty a temo Vln 7 izz + (non rit) # senza sord S (non rit) Duration:2 20 Things
1 Interlude II Pno q = c 12 rit # # a temo,, rit,, 10 a temo rit Pedal stays into next reading Duration: 0
19 [Piano edal stays until miday through reading] TEARS (read by Sorano) The irst oman ho ever et as aalled at hat stung her eyes and ran don her cheeks Saltater Seaater Ho as it ossible Hadn t she and the man sent many days moving uland to here the grass lourished, here the stream quenched their thirst ith seet ater Ho could she have carried these sea dros as i they ere recious seeds; here could she have stoed them She looked at the atchul gazelles and the heavy-lidded rogs; she looked at the glass-eyed birds and nervous, black-eyed mice None o them et, not even the ish that dried in her hands hen she caught them Not even the man Only she carried the sea inside her body
19 A GITIVE (Otional reading by Pianist or Violinist) My lie is running aay ith me; the to o us are in cahoots I hold still hile it aints dark circles under my eyes, streaks my hair gray, stus illos under my dress In each ne room the mirror reassures me I ll not be recognized I m learning to travel light, like the uice in the oer line My baggage, salloed by memory, eighs almost nothing No one susects its value When they knock on my door, badges lashing, I oen u: I don t match their descrition Wrong room, they say, and aologize My lie in the corner inks and ies o my ingerrints
19 B SOMETIMES, WHEN THE LIGHT (Otional reading by Pianist or Violinist) Sometimes, hen the light strikes at odd angles and ulls you back into childhood and you are assing a crumbling mansion comletely hidden behind old illos or an emty convent guarded by hemlocks and giant irs standing hi to hi, you kno again that behind that all, under the uncut hair o the illos something secret is going on, so marvelous and dangerous that i you craled through and sa, you ould die, or be hay orever
20 Violin Piano (senza sord) Srightly q = c 12 Srightly q = c 12 # # () Interlude III rit rit gliss on harmonics o o o n o,,, 11 1 a temo a temo Sloer rit rit rit # # # () Sloer rit Duration: 0
Naming the Animals 21 Lisel Mueller Gyneth Walker Violin b q = 72 as a rocking motion Sorano b Piano b b q = 72 as a rocking motion n - b b b til he named the horse horse, b b b 9 b b hoos let no rint on the earth, b b b b black-note clusters
22 1 b b manes had not been in - ven - - - ted, b b b b black-note clusters 17 b n n b b b b sit - ness and grace ere not mar - - - - ried b n n b b n n b b b b b b b b b b n n b b 21 A b b b b A b b ( ) b b n - til he named the Naming the Animals
2 2 b b b b co co, no one slet stand - ing b b b b b b 1 b b b b u, 2 2 no one sa through o - - aque eyes, b b b b b b b b ood as on - - ly cheed once b b b b b b b b b b b b Naming the Animals
2 0 b b b b b b b b b horse b b b accel accel co b b b b b b b b n n n n n n n n B q = 0 B q = 0 oyously b b sim 0 b b b Naming the Animals b izz b b b b b arco b b b b N On-ly N
1 C { q = 0 } rit con sord 2 C a - ter he named { q = 0 } the ish ish, rit did the Sloer cantabile i ossible colla voce Sloer light ut on skins o yel - - lo and sil - - ver a temo q = 0 9 senza sord a temo oil, q = 0 re - delicately veal-ing it- sel as a delicately dan - cer (loco) delicately Naming the Animals
2 7 ^ and high - um ^ b b ^ cham-ion o the orld, rit 79 o o n o Sloer o n D n n n n n n ( ) rit cresc ust as Sloer D n n n n n n la - - - ter he b ( ) had to, a temo q = 72 () name Naming the Animals the om - an,,, love a temo q = 72 b b be -
7 ree Measure W E b b q = 72 izz 27 ore he could ut on the knoledge o ho she as, ith her small hands ree Measure E b q = 72 () b 90 b b b ( ) horse arco non cresc b b b P co P P ish n 9 con sord b b senza sord rit rit n love b n I i I b I I () Naming the Animals n I n n n n n Pedal stays into next song hold into next song n
2 There are Mornings Violin Piano Lisel Mueller q = 12 π q = 12 delicately (Pedal stays rom revious song) Gyneth Walker 9 A A Ḟ # # sim sim # # # 1
29 17 # # una corda 21 B continue to-measure attern ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ soken gently, ith a sense o onderment Some mornings in summer I ste outside and the sky oens and ours itsel into me as i I ere a saint about to die B continue one-measure attern ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 22 C { q = 12 } # # # # # C { q = 12 } tre corde There Are Mornings
0 2 29 D izz E - ven no, hen the lot calls or me to turn to D ṗ arco # stone, the sun in - ter - # # # # There Are Mornings
7 # # # # 1 venes, the sun, sun, sun, in - ter - # # # # # # 1 # venes Some # # # # # # # # E E izz morn-ings in sum - mer ( ) I ste out - - - side # # # # # # and the sky There Are Mornings
2 9 # # # arco # # # # # o - - - - - - - ens and ours # # it - sel in- to me as i I ere a saint a - bout to die 7 oco rit oco rit But the There Are Mornings
0 slightly sloer, quasi recitative lot calls or me to live, be ord - i - nar - y, say noth - ing to an - y - one slightly sloer, quasi recitative b b b b b rit rit b G G Sloly ( ) Sloly, In - side the house the mir - rors 7 accel Í b b a temo { q = 12 } b burn accel b b b b raidly, blurred hen I ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ass a temo { q = 12 } There Are Mornings
70 S b accel S b b b accel b b ṗ 7 b H Quickly q = 1 ( ) b There are morn - - - ings, some b b H Quickly q = 1 ( ) b b b b b 77 b morn - - - ings, there are morn - - - ings, b b b b b There Are Mornings
0 some morn - - ings, there are n n n I # morn-ings, I # morn - ings, some morn-ings, some morn - ings, # # the sky 7 subito # There Are Mornings subito # o - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - # # cresc # #
91 # # ens, # # # # # # # o 9 # # o - - - - - ens # 100 # () # There Are Mornings # # # ƒ ƒ # ƒ # Duration: 1