Gyneth Walker Why We Must Change Contemorary Songs or Medium-High Voice and Piano on the oetry o Alice Walker 1 Word Reaches Us 2 Every Revolution Needs resh Poems May it Be Said o Me
Why We Must Change are musical settings o the oetry o Alice Walker ( 19) These songs are descried as contemorary due to the relevance to toics o today (201) A central message is the connection ormed eteen those ho suer tragedy, and those ho endeavor to orm a common ond, to sho comassion, to oin ith strength The irst oem, Word Reaches Us, is dedicated to Congressoman Garielle Giords, a victim o gun violence in Tucson, AZ, in 2011 The oening hrase o Word reaches us that you are sleeing reers to the eriod o time, directly ater the shooting, hen the victim lay in a coma Her tragedy ecomes our shared suering Addressing her as Sister, hom I never met, e thank her or reminding usthat e must change In the musical setting, rerains o We ray or healing, healing rame this song These ords are sung in a lo range, on e itches, as a rayer in recitative style Through the course o the song, the hrases rise to the exclamation o Garielle s name The highest oint is reached ith the ords Sister, hom I never met The music then descends and quiets, returning to the oening hrases o healing The iano accomaniment o gently reeated eighth-notes might e heard as the ulsing hear o the sleeing victim Every Revolution Needs resh Poems reminds us that oets take chances, oets go ithout slee and ace the dark, and oets disregard conventions Thereore, it is oetry that ill lead us the change The musical exression o these ords comrises an agitated iano solo (ith some esecially resh chords), ith readings intersersed This is a rhythmic iece restless, alays on the move May it e Said o Me oens ith ulsing eighth-note atterns, similar to the irst song In this case, the hearteat is our on or our actions are led y the heart The eort is to emrace the suering o another as one emraces the ain ithin There is no distance eteen humanity May it e said o me that I shared your sorro May it e said o methat hen you rose rom your kneesi oined yousinging This song eatures many added-tone chord clusters These exress the grou sentiment may it e said o me, may it e said o any one o us, that e could sho comassion The music rises, as does the message o the oem, The climactic inal ords, I oined you singing, lead to hrases rom the song Ho Can I Kee rom Singing (ne music), hich rovide a celeratory conclusion We must listen We must sho comassion We must change
Alice Walker ( 19) 5 Voice Piano Sloly q = 92 g Sloly q = 92 Why We Must Change or Solo Voice and Piano Word reaches us that you are sleeing, sleeing Dismayed e have turned to the sea We encounter among others alking there a sense o hat e have lost: the road exanse o humanity s sensitivity to the oneness o itsel Garielle, hile you slee, resting your nimle rain, e think o alking ith you in the valley o the shado o death; holding you u We hoe you can eel our grie; gently, We ray or heal - ing, heal - ing g We ray or heal - ing, heal - ing, 1 Word Reaches Us or Congressoman Garielle Giords arely audile Gyneth Walker our sorro vast like the ocean that dras us We kno in this moment you teach us many things: ho all across the orld there is no one ho deserves this ate We kno e must leach and sterilize our tongues, righten ith understanding all our dark thoughts Sister, hom I never met excet in this ain that has so ounded you thank you or reminding us through your suering and your susenseul slee that e must change () ith much edal Coyright 201 y Gyneth Walker 252 Park Street, Ne Canaan, CT 0680 gynethalkercom All rights reserved
2 9 A ( ) Word reach - es us that you are slee - ing slee - ing A 12 Dis P - mayed e have turned to the sea We en - 15 count - er a - mong oth -ers alk - ing there a sense o hat e have 18 ree measure recited on itch W, accel lost: the road exanse o humanity s sensitivity to the oneness o itsel ree measure g WW W W W, accel Walker Why We Must Change 1 Words Reaches Us
B 20 With motion q = 108 esr Ga - ri - elle, hile you slee, rest - ing your nim - le 6 B With motion q = 108 6 6 2 rit rain, e think o alk - ing ith you in the val -ley o the shad - o o rit 26 (rit) death;, Sloer, hold - ing you u a temo (q = 108) C ( ) quietly, ith sorro We hoe you can eel our (rit), Sloer, a temo (q = 108) quietly, ith sorro ith much edal C Walker Why We Must Change 1 Words Reaches Us
0 grie: our sor - ro vast like the, o - cean that dras us We kno in this mo - ment you can 6 9 teach us man - y things: ho all a - cross the orld there is ^ ^ ^ ^ D D ^ orceully no one ho de-serves this ate We kno e must leach and ster -i -lize our tongues, Walker Why We Must Change 1 Words Reaches Us ^
5 right - en ith un - der - stand - ing 6 rit E q = 92 esr all our dark thoughts Sis - ter, hom I rit cresc E q = 92 9 nev - er met ex - cet in this ain that has so ound - ed you oco rit g oco rit Walker Why We Must Change 1 Words Reaches Us
6 52 Slightly sloer thank you or re - mind - ing us through your su - er - ing and your sus - ense - ul slee Slightly sloer 55, that e must change, 58 a temo (q = 92) Sis - ter, hom I nev - er met ex - cet in this ain that has so a temo (q = 92) g ( ) g g loco g Walker Why We Must Change 1 Words Reaches Us
61 oco rit Slightly sloer ound - ed you thank you or re - mind - ing us through your su -er -ing 7 loco g oco rit Slightly sloer g g 6 and your sus - ense - ul slee that e must ( ) g change arely audile (as the eginning) 67 (rit) (rit) We ray or heal - ing, heal - ing, heal - U ing U U () 10 Walker Why We Must Change 2 Every Revolution Needs resh Poems
8 2 Every Revolution Needs resh Poems Every revolution needs resh oems that is the reason oetry cannot die It is the reason oets go ithout slee and sometimes ithout lovers ithout ne cars and ithout ine clothes the reason e commit to acing the dark and resign ourselves, regularly, to the ossiility o eing rong Poetry is leading us It never cares ho e ill e held y lovers or drive ast or look good in the moment; ut aout ho comletely e are committed to movement oth inner and outer: and devoted to transormation and to change With energy q 12 8 12 8 ^ ^ agitated = 112, ut not too rushed ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ in a resh, revolutionary style ( ) # # # # N 6 # # # 9 # # # random, ascending dyads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Walker Why We Must Change 2 Every Revolution Needs resh Poems
9 11 Ta Piano ledge, High and Lo Begin Reading 1 (elo) continue taing during reading Reading 1: Every revolution needs resh oems that is the reason oetry cannot die It is the reason oets go ithout slee and sometimes ithout lovers ithout ne cars and ithout ine clothes the reason e commit to acing the dark and resign ourselves, regularly, to the ossiility o eing rong Taing stos and Piano continues, ith Singer claing as indicated Walker Why We Must Change 2 Every Revolution Needs resh Poems
10 1 ã (q = 112) Singer clas (q = 112) # # # # N 17 ã 20 ã # # # # @ @ # # @ random, ascending dyads @ @ @ @ Begin Reading 2 (next age) continue taing during reading 22 ã Ta Piano ledge, High and Lo Singer tas leg, quietly, in a relaxed manner Walker Why We Must Change 2 Every Revolution Needs resh Poems
Reading 2: 11 Poetry is leading us It never cares ho e ill e held y lovers or drive ast or look good in the moment: STOP taing (continue reading unaccomanied) ut aout ho comletely e are committed to movement (Play) X 25 ^ g # v oth inner and outer (Play) 26 X ^ g # v and devoted to transormation and to change Piano continues, ith Singer claing Walker Why We Must Change 2 Every Revolution Needs resh Poems
12 27 ã (q = 112) Singer clas (q = 112) # # # # N 0 ã # # # ã # # # # # 6 ã random, ascending dyads @ @ @ @ @ @ Singer snas ingers, oth hands, raising hands rom lo to high, rom 1st to th sna @ Walker Why We Must Change 2 Every Revolution Needs resh Poems 2 10
May It Be Said o Me 1 May it e said o me That hen I sa Your mud hut I rememered My shack That hen I tasted your Pele illed eans I recalled My salt ork That hen I sa Your tisted Lims I emraced My ounded Sight That hen you Rose rom your knees And stood Like omen And men O this Earth As romised to us As to anyone: Without regrets O any kind I oined you Singing With gentle motion q = 92 ith comassion May it e said o me With gentle motion q = 92 (as a gently ulsing ackground) ith much edal That hen I sa your mud hut I re - mem - ered my Walker Why We Must Change May It Be Said o Me
1 7 P 6 shack That P hen I tast - ed your e - le illed eans 6 6 10 6 ^ 6 6 I re - called my salt ork That 12 A 15 ith intensity hen I sa your tist - ed lims I em - raced my ound - ed A sight ( ) orceully suddenly tenderly May it e said o me May it e said o Walker Why We Must Change May It Be Said o Me
18 21 2 me (cresc) knees (cresc) and as ( ) That stood like o - men and B B ith groing strength cresc oco a oco hen you rose rom your ith groing strength cresc oco a oco ith edal men o this Earth rom - ised to us as to an - y - one: With - out re - n 15 () n 27 grets o an - y kind I oined you sing - ing n n Walker Why We Must Change May It Be Said o Me C C n n
16 1 rit I oined you rit n, ( ) sing - ing My n, D Slightly aster q = 112 triumhantly and loing n D Slightly aster q = 112 triumhantly and loing n n lie los on in ( ) a n end - less song a - ove earth s lam - en - n n n n n a 7 n ta n - tion n n n n I hear the real tho Walker Why We Must Change May It Be Said o Me
17 0 # # ^ ^ n dis - tant song Ho can I E kee, Ho can I n n n n n E kee, ho can I kee rom sing - ing, sing - ing, n n n n S1 6 rit U sing - ing, sing - ing, sing - rit ing! U U 2 00 Total: 7 20 This version or Solo Voice as comleted on uly 27, 201 Ne Canaan Connecticut Walker Why We Must Change May It Be Said o Me