Elizabeth Alexander How To Sing Like a Planet Seafarer Press
SEA-105-01 $3.50 l a s u e r r e o P c S How To Sing Like a Planet SATB and piano Elizabeth Alexander Seafarer Press How To Sing Like a Planet “Scientists now say the planet itself is generating a constant, deep thrum of noise. No mere cacophony, but actually a kind of music, huge, swirling loops of sound, a song so strange you can't really fathom it, so low it can't be heard by human ears...” l a s u e r r e o P c S - Mark Morford, from “How To Sing Like a Planet,” San Francisco Chronicle, April 23, 2008 Let everything unfold in its own time. Accept what’s beyond your control. Revel in simple harmonic motion. Turn. Rotate. Get charged up. Be weak. Be strong. Don’t fight friction. Vibrate sympathetically. Don’t be afraid to get into a groove. Let gravity have its way with you. Revolve around something luminous. Wheel, whirl, slide, collide, Circle, cycle, amble, gambol – Resonate, radiate, innovate, renovate, Oscillate, fluctuate, circumnavigate – Bloom periodically. Hunker down when you must. Wobble from time to time without apology. Know that annihilation’s possible any time, But expect a bright tomorrow’s coming anyway. Elizabeth Alexander Copyright 2011 by Elizabeth Alexander. All rights reserved. Composer’s Note: “How To Sing Like a Planet” was inspired by a news article by the same title, written by gregarious San Francisco Chronicle columnist Mark Morford. Using a recent science report as a springboard, Morford spun out a delicious riff about the irrepressible music that the earth makes just by being itself. His glorious, over-the-top phrases described “…all sorts of curious tonal phrases that bounce around the mountains and spin over the oceans and penetrate the tectonic plates and gurgle in the magma and careen off the clouds and smack into trees and bounce off your ribcage and spin over the surface of the planet in strange circular loops.” Wow, I thought. Could we sing that kind of music? While I didn't actually set Morford’s words to music, his unfettered imagination (and provocative title) got me off and running. I decided to write a little “instruction manual” for how one might sing like a planet. I called on my son Oliver to help brainstorm, both because he had studied earth science more recently than I and because of his own irrepressible creativity. Oliver helped me remember principles like harmonic motion and oscillation, phenomena like the earth’s wobble, and the primacy of the four basic planetary forces — gravity, electricity, weak force and strong force. I also borrowed some ideas from my yoga teacher Paul Busch, whose radical notions include the conviction that gravity is our friend, and the suggestion that wobbling is nothing to be embarrassed about! Originally commissioned by ACDA of Minnesota for the Minnesota Boys Honors Choir SATB version commissioned by Eugene Rogers for Michigan Youth Chamber Singers How To Sing Like a Planet SATB and piano (h = 50-52) S A B l a s u e r r e o P c S T Elizabeth Alexander thoughtfully, meditatively Piano p 7 S A B T Seafarer Press SEA-105-01 pp Let pp Let div. ev’ - ry - thing un - fold ev’ - ry - thing un - fold in its own in its own © 2012 by Elizabeth Alexander All Rights Reserved. time. time. (Cue-notes are for rehearsal or reinforcement) 2 14 S Ac - cept A what’s be - yond your 19 S A T B mp sim - ple mp Rev - el in sim - ple Rev - el in sim - ple 3 3 3 3 mo - har - mon - ic 3 3 mo - har - mon - ic 3 har - mon - ic 3 mo - 4 3 har - mon - ic p 3 sim - ple in mp con - trol. Rev - el in nondiv. mp Rev - el mp con - trol. what’s be - yond your l a s u e r r e o P c S B p p Ac - cept T 1 3 1 tion, tion, tion, mo - tion, 3 3 3 3 3 S turn, turn, and turn, 24 pp and pp A B turn, turn, T turn, B turn, turn, and turn, turn, 3 3 turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, p p rō - oo - ō -oo - ō - oo - ō - oo p rō - oo - ō -oo - ō - oo - ō - oo p p turn, turn, rō - oo - ō -oo - ō - oo - ō - oo rō - oo - ō -oo - ō - oo - ō - oo turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, 3 turn, turn, 29 A turn, pp 3 S turn, pp turn, l a s u e r r e o P c S and T 3 - ō - - ō - - ō tate! - tate! - ō tate! - tate! 4 33 mp S rō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo - ō A T rō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo mp B mp 36 S ō - wō - wō! A T B - wō! tate! - ō - - wō - wō - wō! - wō - wō wō - wō - wō - wō wō - wō - wō wō - wō - wō! - wō - wō - wō wō - wō - wō ō - wō - wō! rō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo - wō - wō - wō! wō - wō - wō! tate! rō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo - - ō tate! rō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo - wō - wō - wō! - ō - wō - wō! ō - wō - wō! rō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo - ō - wō - wō! ō - wō - wō! ō - wō - ō rō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo tate! l a s u e r r e o P c S rō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo - ō - oo mp - mp wō A 5 (h = 100-104) (Double-time) 40 f S wō! f A wō! T B f wō! f wō! l a s u e r r e o P c S mf 46 S sfz Clap: mp Be A T B mp Get 1 2 1 2 51 1 5 charged up. mp Be Be Be mp Clap: charged up. mp Get weak. weak. weak. weak. Pianist may play mm. 46-48 with different hand positions and fingering; one possibility is given here. Be strong, Be strong, Be strong, Be strong, sfz 4 1 mp An optional flourish by a solo or group: f 6 52 S Don't (t) fight (t) B gl i s s. Whee! l a s u e r r e o P c S Don't (t) fight (t) T fric - tion. A fric - tion. An optional flourish by a solo or group: f gl i s s. Whee! Vi - brate sym - pa - the - tic- ally. mp Don't T to get mp in - to a groove, mp be a - fraid to get in - to a gli ss. Don't a - fraid be A B 58 S 62 S Don't A be a - fraid to get in - to a T Don't B Don't A a - fraid to get be a - fraid Don't B to get be a - fraid to get groove, groove, T 66 S be groove, groove, Don't mp l a s u e r r e o P c S groove, 7 in - to a mp in - to a in - to a a - fraid to get groove, be a - fraid to get be a - fraid in - to a in - to to get a in - to a a in - to groove, Don't be Don't to get groove, a - fraid Don't be 8 70 S Don’t be a- fraid, A 75 don’t be B Don’t be a - fraid, mf Don't be a - fraid to get mf be a - fraid to get mf be a - fraid to get mf be a - fraid to get don’t don’t Don't a - fraid, Don't T be Don’t be a - fraid, Don't a - fraid, groove, don’t Don’t be a - fraid, a - fraid, l a s u e r r e o P c S be Don’t be a - fraid, A a - fraid, S be don’t Don’t be a- fraid, B don’t groove, T don’t be be a - fraid, a - fraid, be in - to mf in - to in - to a groo - woo - woo a a in - to a a - fraid, groo - woo - woo groo - woo - woo - woo - woo - woo - - woo - woo - woo - - woo - woo - woo - groo - woo - woo - woo - woo - woo - 9 80 S gliss. woove! A woove! T B B 86 S T p gra - vi - ty p Re - Re - gra - vi - ty B Let A p Let gliss. woove! gliss. woove! l a s u e r r e o P c S gliss. have its way with have its way with you. you. 2 3 3 10 94 S volve a - round some B 4 102 S Wheel, A Wheel, sfz T B sfz some nous, mf - thing lu - mi - nous, some - thing lu - mi - nous, whirl, slide, whirl, slide, col - lide, col - lide, cir - cle, cy - cle, cir - cle, cy - cle, sfz sfz am - ble and am - ble and gam - bol* gam - bol* and and thru(m), thru(m), thru(m), full, resonant mf lu - mi - Hu(m)*, Hu(m), thing volve a - round T - l a s u e r r e o P c S A mf thru(m), * Is it “gambol” or is it “gamble?” Hmmm... 110 S sfz flow! A re - so- nate, mf re - so- nate, S ra - di - ate, in - no- vate, ra - di - ate, in - no- vate, C re - no - vate, os - cil- late, fluc - tu - ate, os - cil- late, fluc - tu - ate, B re - no - vate, f f per - i f f Bloom f - per - i cir - cum - na - vi - gate, o - di - cally, - o - di - cally, - cir - cum - na - vi - gate, o - di - cally, per - i - per - i Bloom Thru(m), Bloom T Bloom A sfz 118 Hu(m), mf B Thru(m), sfz l a s u e r r e o P c S flow! T Hu(m), 11 sfz o - di - cally, opt. 12 126 T B Hun - ker down 134 S mf 142 to time with out Wob - ble from time to time div. mf mf l a s u e r r e o P c S Wob - ble from time A must. when you when you Hun - ker down with must. a - po - lo - gy! a - po - lo - gy! div. out mp 148 D 154 S A B mp an 160 S time, T B time, - an ni - - ni hi - - hi an - - y - - - y - - - pos - si - ble an la - tion's pos - si - ble - la - tion's A l a s u e r r e o P c S Know that mp mp Know that T 13 14 165 mf S but ex mf A but * but ex mf B Alt. Pno. - but - ex - pect a bright to pect a bright to pect a bright to pect a bright to row’s com row’s com row’s com row’s com - mor - - ing l a s u e r r e o P c S ex mf T - - - - - mor mor mor - - - ing - ing - ing * Yes, altos, you have the hardest line in measures 165-169. It is also the coolest. I know you can do it! -E.A. 170 S f an f A an T f an f B an - y - - y - - y - y way! f way! - way! - way! 15 174 S an - A B - - an - an an an T B - A - y - way! y - an y - - y - y y way! way! - way! - way! way! - way! - l a s u e r r e o P c S y way! 178 S - an y an T l a s u e r r e o P c S l a s u e r r e o P c S Growing up in the Carolinas and Appalachian Ohio, Elizabeth Alexander gained her love of language and music from her parents, a minister and a piano teacher. These twin passions are reflected in her catalogue of over 100 choral and vocal pieces, which have received over 20 national and international awards, and been performed by over 1000 choirs. Reviewers have commented on “the close personal resonance between the composer and the words,” her music’s “delicacy and sincerity,” and its “elegance, subtle unexpected harmonic turns, and...freshness within a well-known language.” Her wide-ranging compositional influences include classical, folk, atonality, Latin and classic jazz, and gospel. A 2011 McKnight Fellow, she has received awards and fellowships from the Jerome Foundation, New York Council on the Arts, Wisconsin Arts Board, National Orchestral Association, International League of Women Composers, and American Composers Forum. Her composition teachers have included Jack Gallagher at The College of Wooster, and Steven Stucky, Yehudi Wyner and Karel Husa at Cornell University, from which she received her doctorate in music composition. Other performers of her music have included orchestras such as Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra; chamber ensembles North/South Consonance, Society for New Music, and Sounds New; and singers Ruth MacKenzie, Bradley Greenwald, Christina Baldwin, Janet Youngdahl, Andrea Cawelti, David Gagnon, Libby Turner-Opanga, Linda Larson and Cheryl Coker. Elizabeth lives in St. Paul, MN, where her frequent commissions include works for orchestra, chorus, chamber ensembles and solo musicians. She reads voraciously, shamelessly encourages her teenagers’ jokes, makes pretty good biscuits, and tends her garden during the three month period in Minnesota that is not winter. She believes she has the best job in the world. Selected Choral Music by Elizabeth Alexander April Rain Song (Langston Hughes) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-006-01 Before the Bread (English folk prayer) SSSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-023-00 Blessed Be the Flower That Triumphs (Michael deVernon Boblett) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-078-00 Cherish Your Doubt (Alexander) SATB & piano / SSAA & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-063-01 / SEA-063-02 Climb (Edna St. Vincent Millay) SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-059-00 Dragon Dance (Elizabeth Alexander) S & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-001-00 Die Gedanken Sind Frei (155h century German protest song, arr.) SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-087-00 The Earth Called To My Friend (Nancy Wood) SSA & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-057-00 Even a Fist Was Once an Open Palm (Yehuda Amichai) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-026-01 Faith Is the Bird That Feels the Light (Rabindranath Tagore) SSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-068-00 Fighting Over What We Believe (Alexander) SAB youth choir, SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-099-00 Finally On My Way To Yes (Pesha Gertler) SSATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-019-00 Folks, I’m Telling You (Langston Hughes) SSATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-027-00 For So the Children Come (Sophia Fahs) SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-010-00 Glen Song (Scott Bates) SSATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-025-00 Go Out! (John Murray) SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-081-00 I Write This Poem Out of Darkness (George Ella Lyon) SSA, flute, violin & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-024-00 If You Can Walk You Can Dance (Zimbabwean Proverb) SAB & piano / TTB & piano . . . . SEA-022-03 / SEA-022-05 Immortal Love (John Greenleaf Whittier) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-017-00 Infant Holy, Infant Lowly (arr. Polish carol) SSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-020-00 The Journey (Evelyn Dudley) TTBB / SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-075-00 / SEA-075-01 Jump! (Ray Bradbury) SSA & string quartet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-090-00 Life is not a Garden (Alexander) SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-064-00 May This Be a Working Alleluia (Alexander) S children’s choir, SATB & piano (opt. flute & 2 trumpets) . . SEA-098-00 Morning Bread (Amy Lowell) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-060-00 ...or a musician (Philip Dacey) SATB & orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-007-00 A Palette To Paint Us As We Are (Gerald Rich) SA & piano / SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-014-00 / SEA-014-01 Praise Wet Snow Falling Early (Denise Levertov) SATB & piano SEA-015-00 Reasons for the Perpetuation of Slavery (Alexander) SSAA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-091-00 Spring Grass (Carl Sandburg) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-006-03 They Have Freckles Everywhere (Alexander) SSAA & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-076-00 Those Who Wish To Sing Always Find a Song (Swedish proverb) SSS, oboe & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-022-01 To Make a Prairie (Emily Dickinson) SSA & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-016-00 Tomorrow, God Willing (Garrison Keillor) TTBB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-077-00 Trust the Seeds (Alexander) SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-009-00 We Lift Up Our Hearts (Richard Fewkes) Children’s choir, SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-021-00 We Remember Them (Sylvan Kamens & Jack Riemer) SATB & piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-083-01 Where There Is Light in the Soul (Chinese proverb) SAB/SATB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-070-00 / SEA-070-01 When the Song of the Angels Is Stilled (Howard Thurman) SSAA / TTBB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-062-04 / SEA-062-02 Why I Pity the Woman Who Never Spills (Joan Wolf Prefontaine) SSAA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-058-00 l a s u e r r e o P c S CD: Finally On My Way To Yes — Award-winning choral works by Elizabeth Alexander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-CD-001 For a complete catalog of over 60 pieces for mixed, women’s, men’s & children’s choirs, along with recordings and score excerpts, visit: Seafarer Press ~ www.seafarerpress.com
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