Lamentations, Light, and Hope

Transcription

1 Lamentatis, Light, and oe ichael iko (candle image rom htts://ixabay.com/-17051/)

2 Program otes hen coosg or choir, always start with text. he text ss mood and eel o iece, somimes suggests structure, and somimes even suggests articular rhythms. owever, or this iece, struggled itially to d a suitable text. didn t want to use an older o, but more modern texts were under coyright. o turned to bible, lookg at Lamentatis, which thought would it to me o darkness. owever, Lamentatis did not really sire me as a relevant and emotial text, until ound a discussi which made ot Lamentatis are not about mourng, but about exerience o beg a reugee: he observances o ish a v 1 astg rom ood and sexual ctact, not washg or wearg clean clos, not beg able to sit anywhere exc ground are closer to exerience o beg a reugee than beg a mourner.... ish a v is not rimarily about end o ele... Rar, it s about homelessness, leeg rom war to ame, beg thrown to a hostile world without shelter or rotecti thgs are all too resent our world. (htt:// age 6) uddenly, this wasn t just an r ge text mourng all o Jerusalem: it was about an issue, sadly, is very relevant and iortant today. ritg Liverool, was very mdul o gog clict yria, o brexit, and o olitically-motivated demisati o reugees and migrants. he resultg iece is about reugees, and articular lk with war, and exerience o war, esecially rom ersective o women. he iece is our sectis. he irst two sectis o iece, stg Lamentatis text, it with me o darkness and vite audience to csider... ways which we as dividuals, and as a eole, use our ower to make ors (eole and secies) to reugees (ibid). he stg o irst verse ( irst secti) begs with strgs buildg u a dramatic rhythm leads to declamatory questi: ow can it be she sits ale? hile irst secti could be seen as a narrator tellg story o all o Jerusalem, secd secti is more ersal, stg text (Lamentatis 1:) which she cries night. his secti also cludes text rom ancient reek lay rojan omen, which ndromache seaks to her ant s styanax, who is about to be killed by vadg reeks. he lay, by uriedes, csiders atermath o rojan war and how women o roy are aected by war. he selected les cature a more ersal suerg: how an dividual, a mor, is aected by war around her. he les are s more sarsely, and are sung by a solo voice. his is ollowed by a rerise o rhythmical strgs reresentg march o war, and suerg ollows. he al two sectis orm a ctrast, turng to light and hoe. or third secti chose to just use words light and hoe, translated to Lat (sce is much nicer to sg than Light ). his a caella secti has some harmic clashes, cveyg yearng. Ctug me o hoe, al secti is a stg o irst verse o g or qual urage by Charlotte Perks ilman ( ). iven earlier ocus how women suer war, and 01 beg 15th anniversary o women irst beg given vote by a sovereign nati, it elt aroriate to highlight women s surage as e asect which rogress towards a bter world has been made. his secti is s an unashamedly oular style, and is tended to sire hoe. he closg message o this work is we should not curse darkness, but rar light candle o hoe and n act to ix world. hile re is never a lack o bad news, re is also much rogress to celebrate, cludg reductis overty, and irovements literacy, health, and reedom. Rar than be overwhelmed by darkness and all to desairg acti, we should take hoe, and act. 1 Jewish day o astg and mourng, when Lamentatis are read. ish a v (literally: nth day o mth v) commemorates destructi o both irst and secd tele, as well as a number o or disasters. htts://ourworlddata.org/a-history-o-global-livg-cditis--5-charts/

3 cknowledgements would like to thank Julija ardelić or text suggesti ( articular suggestg rojan omen) and eedback, nne Demoug or kdly allowg me to use iano her oice, arah Chan or comments strg arts, and Patrick urns or a number o suggestis. hank you Perormance otes ars 1-1: oranos should mime i this is too low. ar 5: irst note lto art has a tenuto. he irst note orano art tentially does not. ar 7: double bass art is marked solo. owever, at cductor s discri additial bass layers could also lay to give sound more dh. n secti ater rehearsal igure (bars 9-6 or so) choir needs to be careul with dierence bween short (quaver) irst notes (e.g. ce bars 0 and ) and lger (crotch) irst notes (e.g. ull bars 1 and 5). n bar 7, ossibly could slow down a little (but back u to origal teo at igure C). n bar 57 tremolo should be measured (semiquavers or viols and violas and quavers or cellos and double basses). n bar 77, at cductor s discri, some (or even most) o double basses could cut o third beat, with ly some ctug to hold low D with hal o cellos. n secd secti, art marked orano olo could be sung by a soloist, or by a semichorus. he sound should not be overly oeratic: this art needs to sound like a sgle voice lamentg. ar 10: teo change should be such rhythm revious two bars is same as rhythm this bar (but with a shorter rest at end o each grou o three notes). Possible stagg: i deemed aroriate (and ractical), lightg could be turned o simultaneously with last chord o secd secti (bar 119). he third secti ( ) could commence (almost) darkness, with choir gradually lightg candles (or, i say regulatis disallow this, lashlights ). ars 15 and 16: careul with clash bween (1) and (1). he latter should be slightly strger. ars : Lu(x) dicates al x sound should be let out. he oeng o ecti marked (olo) bars could also be de by a semi-chorus, or by just irst soranos (or just secds). Possible stagg: i deemed aroriate, cductor could turn around and cue audience to sg alg with choir rom around bar 1. de, cductor also needs to dicate to audience to sto sgg around bar. n last six bars choir should stagger breath i needed. s... obile hes could also be used, but care needs to be taken y are all light mode and do not have any alarms

4 ext (Lamentatis 1:1, translati by ichael iko) ow can it be she sits ale? he city ce so ull o eole now sits as a widow Once great amg natis, now she is a slave (ow can it be she sits ale?) (Lamentatis 1:, translati by ichael iko) Cryg, she cries night Cryg, her tears her cheek O all her lovers ne shall coort her (Cryg, she cries night) (Cryg, her tears her cheek) ll her riends brayed her (Cryg, she cries night) (Cryg, her tears her cheek) (rojan omen, translati rom reek by Proessor ilbert urray, 1915) o, die, [my best-beloved,] my cherished e, hou little thg hat curlest my arms... Kiss me.. sem. (erse 1 o g or qual urage rom urage gs and erses 5 by Charlotte Perks ilman) Day o hoe [and] day o glory ter slavery and woe, Comes dawn o woman s reedom, and light shall grow and grow Until every man and woman equal liberty shall know, n reedom marchg htt:// 5 htt://digital.library.uenn.edu/women/gilman/surage/surage.html

5 Lamentatis, Light and oe Durati arox. 10:00 ichael iko. Lamentati Lamentatis 1:1 oranos 5 = 10 5 ltos 5 Piano (rehearsal ly) 5 5 = 10 " " cresc. 10 = 70, strg, declamatory 15 ow ow can it can it = 70, strg, declamatory be be wikomusic.wordress.com / Coyright 017 ichael iko. ll rights reserved. wiko@gmail.com

6 she sits a - she sits a - le le ow ow can it can it be be,, 0 she sits a - she sits a - le le can it be,, she sits a - she sits a - 5 le le, he he ci - ty ci - ty 0 ce ce so so ull ull o o eo-le eo-le - -

7 ci - ty ci - ty ce ce so so 5 ull ull o o, eo-le now, eo-le now sits sits as a as a wi - dow now wi - dow now sits sits ( U ) as a as a 0 wi - dow a wi - dow a wi - dow wi - dow le le as a wi-dow Once, Once, ce ce C 50 ow ow great a - can it great a - mg can it 5 mg, be be na-tis na-tis, she sits a - she sits a - ce, ce ce, ce great a - great a - (not staccato) - -

8 55 mg mg na-tis na-tis great a - great a - U slave slave ce, ce, ce ce mg mg U a a slave slave ( U ) D great a - na-tis na-tis U mg great a - mg now now she she she is a she is a sits as a 60 slave slave na-tis na-tis sits as a now now widow widow ce, ce, ce ce she is a she is a ( ) a a - -

9 ( ) widow widow as as a a wi wi - - dow dow 75 a teo ( = 70) (echo, reer teo) ow can it be 0 she sits a - le a - () le a - a teo ( = 70) " le 9 ttacca 9 9 ttacca - 5 -

10 . Cryg Lamentatis 1:, uriedes he rojan omen ource: htt:// 5 orano olo 9. = 0 oranos 9 ltos 9 Piano (rehearsal ly) 9 9. = 0 Cry-g she cries night Cry-g her tears her cheek O all her lo-vers 90 U ne shall com ort U 9 Cry-g she cries night 9 9 her Cry-g her tears her cheek

11 6 6 6 ll her riends, her riends be-trayed 95 ( U ) Cry-g she cries her ( U ) night Cry-g she cries 6 olo Cry - g her tears her night cheek Cry - g her tears her, aully o, cheek die, olo olo 100 ( ) go, die, my ( ) lit-tle thg 105 cur che-rished e lest my arms. go die my Kiss me. (echo) Kiss me. che-rished e hou h= (i.e. = 10) h= (i.e. = 10) - 7 -

12 110 cresc. ( ) ( U ) ( ) ( U ) 115 " " ( U ) 10 ttacca - -

13 . oranos 1 = 7 15 oranos ltos 1 ltos Piano (rehearsal ly) = ( U ) () 15 1 ( U ) () U U ( U ) ( U ) - 9 -

14 ,, 1 U U ( U ) ( U ) (no dim.) 1 ses ses ses ses ses ses ses ses ses Lu(x) 1 1 Lu(x) Lu(x) se(s) ttacca

15 ew oe erse 1 o "g or qual urage" by Charlotte Perks ilman ( ) urage gs and erses. by Charlotte Perks ilman. ew York: he Charlt Coany, P.- ll = a teo (olo) Day o hoe day o Piano (rehearsal ly) = 90 a teo 175 utti U U 10 U glo - ry woe ( ) 190 ree - dom U day o a teo hoe ( ) comes a teo a teo and a teo dawn light day o 15 o shall glo - ry wo-man s grow ree-dom and U U comes a - ter U grow un-til 195 sla - ve - ( U ) dawn o a teo e - a teo very ry U man U and cresc. wo-man s cresc. and

16 00 05 wo-man e - qual li - ber - ty shall know, un - til e - very man and wo-man e - qual li - ber - ty shall know 10 ree-dom mar-chg ree-dom mar-chg oranos ltos 15 ree - dom mar-chg ree - dom mar-chg ree - dom mar-chg ree - dom mar-chg ree - dom mar-chg ree - dom mar-chg 0 ( ) ( ) ree - dom mar-chg ree - dom mar-chg ree - dom mar-chg ree - dom mar-chg - 1 -

17 5 ree - dom mar-chg ree - dom mar-chg ree, ree - dom mar-chg ree - dom mar-chg ree, ree - dom mar-chg 0 ree ree - dom mar-chg ree - dom ree - dom mar chg ree - dom mar-chg,, ree - dom mar-chg, ree - dom mar chg 5 a teo a teo 0 On On a teo a teo v1, 1 June 017, Liverool, UK v, 9 October 017, Duned, ew Zealand v, 1 ebruary 01, Duned, ew Zealand