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Beauty — for soprano, bass-baritone, cello and piano (priced for 4 copies, includes score and cello part))
Classical/Song • 2018 • Lyricist: Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Beauty — for soprano, bass-baritone, cello and piano (priced for 4 copies, includes score and cello part))
Instrumentation |
Piano, Cello, Soprano, Baritone, Bass |
Scored for |
Quartet |
Type of score |
Full score |
Publisher |
Enchanted Knickers Music |
Language |
English |
Difficulty |
Advanced |
Duration |
4'48 |
This song was commissioned by The University of Massachusetts Amherst for soprano Jamie-Rose Guarrine and bass-baritone Seth Keeton. Jamie-Rose had requested I use an excerpt from The Poet, an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The essay’s closing passage appealed to me, both for its poetic language (I found the repetition of “wherever” cast an almost-hypnotic spell) and its message of appreciation for beauty everywhere. I began work in July 30, 2017, and after a hiatus, returned to finish in April 2018.
I first wrote the song for two voices and piano, but upon adding the cello, I found its counterpoint and timbre helped to propel the song. Beauty opens with the cello presenting the main “wherever” motive (a rising three note pattern), which is later taken up by the voices. All float above the piano’s two bar rising and falling figuration (suggestive of breathing), which creates a meditative spell with its repetitions. Other word painting is employed — such as the flowing water motive comprised of 32nd notes or the descending vocal lines for “twilight”. Text repetitions and tempo alterations create a contrasting middle section before the song ends with a variation of the opening, concluding wordlessly with cello and piano.
You can hear the premiere recording on the Transparent Boundaries CD.
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