Love is Not the Last Room (2011)
a song cycle for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, and piano
Duration: 35:00
1. Introduction - soprano - Yehuda Amichai - 0:45
2. On Pilgrimage - baritone - Laurence Hope - 3:30
3. De Profundis - mezzo-soprano - Charles Hamilton Musgrove - 2:15
4. Interlude 1 - soprano and mezzo-soprano - Yehuda Amichai - 0:45
5. Singers - tenor - Unknown - 1:15
6. Oh, Every Day that Dawns - soprano - David Belasco - 2:00
7. An Empty Crib - mezzo-soprano - Ella Wheeler Wilcox - 4:00
8. Interlude 2 - mezzo-soprano and tenor - Yehuda Amichai - 1:15
9. Cloris and Fanny - baritone - Thomas Moore - 1:30
10. When I Would Muse in Boyhood - tenor - Alfred Edward Housman - 2:30
11. To One Away - soprano - Sara Teasdale - 1:15
12. Interlude 3 - soprano, tenor, and baritone - Yehuda Amichai - 0:45
13. The Floor - mezzo-soprano - Oliver Herford - 1:15
14. I Thought I Was Not Alone - baritone - Walt Whitman - 2:00
15. The Cross of Snow - tenor - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 3:00
16. Interlude 4 - mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone - Yehuda Amichai - 0:45
17. Good Night - soprano - Richard La Gallienne - 3:00
18. Near the Wall of a House - soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone - Yehuda Amichai - 2:30
Duration: 35:00
1. Introduction - soprano - Yehuda Amichai - 0:45
2. On Pilgrimage - baritone - Laurence Hope - 3:30
3. De Profundis - mezzo-soprano - Charles Hamilton Musgrove - 2:15
4. Interlude 1 - soprano and mezzo-soprano - Yehuda Amichai - 0:45
5. Singers - tenor - Unknown - 1:15
6. Oh, Every Day that Dawns - soprano - David Belasco - 2:00
7. An Empty Crib - mezzo-soprano - Ella Wheeler Wilcox - 4:00
8. Interlude 2 - mezzo-soprano and tenor - Yehuda Amichai - 1:15
9. Cloris and Fanny - baritone - Thomas Moore - 1:30
10. When I Would Muse in Boyhood - tenor - Alfred Edward Housman - 2:30
11. To One Away - soprano - Sara Teasdale - 1:15
12. Interlude 3 - soprano, tenor, and baritone - Yehuda Amichai - 0:45
13. The Floor - mezzo-soprano - Oliver Herford - 1:15
14. I Thought I Was Not Alone - baritone - Walt Whitman - 2:00
15. The Cross of Snow - tenor - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - 3:00
16. Interlude 4 - mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone - Yehuda Amichai - 0:45
17. Good Night - soprano - Richard La Gallienne - 3:00
18. Near the Wall of a House - soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone - Yehuda Amichai - 2:30
Notes
This song cycle was inspired by Ned Rorem and Lori Laitman. I saw a fantastic performance of Rorem’s Evidence of Things Not Seen and was incredibly moved. A few days later I saw a recital of Laitman songs, with the composer herself at the piano. Meeting Laitman afterwards and chatting with her a bit along with the performances of her and Rorem’s works got me thinking about composing art song again.
I spent some time looking through public domain poetry, and amassed a couple dozen poems I liked and thought might make good songs. At first I organized these poems into three categories which might have all become cycles: Love, Loss, and Art. The “Love” set would have been for tenor and piano, and the “Loss” set for soprano, baritone, and piano. But then I thought about Evidence again. I decided to take what I especially liked from the “Love” and “Loss” sets and create a new set for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, and piano. This way I could get to experiment with different groups of voices, like Rorem did with Evidence.
The set has a fairly simple pattern for organization: Two more “serious” solos - an interlude for varied forces - one “lighter” solo. Four groups like this gives each singer three solos: two “serious” songs and one “lighter.” Then I added an introduction and final quartet. The material and text from the introduction and interludes come from the final quartet, and the entire set is organized around a line from the final poem: “Love is not the last room.”
1. Introduction (soprano)
This is the one song that has a complete statement of the “Love is not the last room” melody other than the final quartet. In the whole cycle, and in this song especially, a lot of the harmonies are drawn from simple stacked fourths and fifths. Many melodies are drawn from that, too, like the first phrase of this song. This introduces a nebulous harmonic idea with moments of clarity. There isn’t much rhythm to this- it’s mostly very straightforward in the writing, but the soprano should sing it extremely freely.
I spent some time looking through public domain poetry, and amassed a couple dozen poems I liked and thought might make good songs. At first I organized these poems into three categories which might have all become cycles: Love, Loss, and Art. The “Love” set would have been for tenor and piano, and the “Loss” set for soprano, baritone, and piano. But then I thought about Evidence again. I decided to take what I especially liked from the “Love” and “Loss” sets and create a new set for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, and piano. This way I could get to experiment with different groups of voices, like Rorem did with Evidence.
The set has a fairly simple pattern for organization: Two more “serious” solos - an interlude for varied forces - one “lighter” solo. Four groups like this gives each singer three solos: two “serious” songs and one “lighter.” Then I added an introduction and final quartet. The material and text from the introduction and interludes come from the final quartet, and the entire set is organized around a line from the final poem: “Love is not the last room.”
1. Introduction (soprano)
This is the one song that has a complete statement of the “Love is not the last room” melody other than the final quartet. In the whole cycle, and in this song especially, a lot of the harmonies are drawn from simple stacked fourths and fifths. Many melodies are drawn from that, too, like the first phrase of this song. This introduces a nebulous harmonic idea with moments of clarity. There isn’t much rhythm to this- it’s mostly very straightforward in the writing, but the soprano should sing it extremely freely.
2. On Pilgrimage (baritone)
This takes the nebulous harmony of the Introduction, but adds a meter - even though it’s mostly in an awkward 5/4. This meter is meant to suggest the stumbling palanquin bearers carrying the heavy load of the baritone. The melody that starts with the pickup to m. 13 is sped up and then transposed up, increasing the tension. At m. 22 the tempo picks up slightly and the meter changes to a regular 6/4 - the baritone finally gives in completely to his fantasy. Mm. 38-42 bring the mood back down to the concealed 5/4 at the slower tempo, with a slight burst of emotion at m. 45. In the end, the baritone resigns himself to his fate.
This takes the nebulous harmony of the Introduction, but adds a meter - even though it’s mostly in an awkward 5/4. This meter is meant to suggest the stumbling palanquin bearers carrying the heavy load of the baritone. The melody that starts with the pickup to m. 13 is sped up and then transposed up, increasing the tension. At m. 22 the tempo picks up slightly and the meter changes to a regular 6/4 - the baritone finally gives in completely to his fantasy. Mm. 38-42 bring the mood back down to the concealed 5/4 at the slower tempo, with a slight burst of emotion at m. 45. In the end, the baritone resigns himself to his fate.
7. An Empty Crib (mezzo-soprano)
In this song, the mezzo describes a sleeping mother, dreaming of rocking her son in a crib. The crib, however, is empty - we don’t know exactly why. The boy could have just grown up, but, because of the line “God pity her when from her dream Elysian she wakes to see the empty crib and weep;” I interpreted it that the boy is gone. The piano plays a rocking theme that quotes Brahms’ “Wiegenlied.” The piano part gets more dissonant as it goes on, with a return to the original accompaniment at m. 27. Here the mezzo also joins in with the “Wiegenlied” melody. At m. 35 the music changes to paint the picture of the mother’s joy she’s experiencing in her dream, only to be brought back at m. 45 to a heavier version of the beginning. The dissonance increases more and more before sinking into despair.
Recording: Katherine Sanford, mezzo-soprano. Kayme Henkel, piano. Recorded July 28, 2011, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC.
In this song, the mezzo describes a sleeping mother, dreaming of rocking her son in a crib. The crib, however, is empty - we don’t know exactly why. The boy could have just grown up, but, because of the line “God pity her when from her dream Elysian she wakes to see the empty crib and weep;” I interpreted it that the boy is gone. The piano plays a rocking theme that quotes Brahms’ “Wiegenlied.” The piano part gets more dissonant as it goes on, with a return to the original accompaniment at m. 27. Here the mezzo also joins in with the “Wiegenlied” melody. At m. 35 the music changes to paint the picture of the mother’s joy she’s experiencing in her dream, only to be brought back at m. 45 to a heavier version of the beginning. The dissonance increases more and more before sinking into despair.
Recording: Katherine Sanford, mezzo-soprano. Kayme Henkel, piano. Recorded July 28, 2011, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC.
9. Chloris and Fanny (baritone)
This song has two different sections: a very, very vaguely Persian theme with rolled, open chords, polite ornaments, and a sense of decorum; and a wild, frantic B theme. In the end, the baritone tries to return to the decorum of the first theme - a little halfheartedly.
Recording: Rameen Chaharbaghi, baritone. Kayme Henkel, piano. Recorded July 28, 2011, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC.
This song has two different sections: a very, very vaguely Persian theme with rolled, open chords, polite ornaments, and a sense of decorum; and a wild, frantic B theme. In the end, the baritone tries to return to the decorum of the first theme - a little halfheartedly.
Recording: Rameen Chaharbaghi, baritone. Kayme Henkel, piano. Recorded July 28, 2011, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC.
10. When I would Muse in Boyhood (tenor)
The opening piano part of this song was recycled from my Revelation cantata. In the cantata, this piano part opens a movement where God is showing mercy to his followers. The same reverent, grateful feeling works for this song. The writing is lush and romantic as the tenor begins explaining what he did and did not dream. The reverence comes back briefly at m. 17, but then the tenor gets back to describing what he did find. The friends he did find sacrificed themselves in the way he wanted to sacrifice for them. He is humbled by their selflessness.
Recording: Terrance Johns, tenor. Kayme Henkel, piano. Recorded July 28, 2011, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC.
The opening piano part of this song was recycled from my Revelation cantata. In the cantata, this piano part opens a movement where God is showing mercy to his followers. The same reverent, grateful feeling works for this song. The writing is lush and romantic as the tenor begins explaining what he did and did not dream. The reverence comes back briefly at m. 17, but then the tenor gets back to describing what he did find. The friends he did find sacrificed themselves in the way he wanted to sacrifice for them. He is humbled by their selflessness.
Recording: Terrance Johns, tenor. Kayme Henkel, piano. Recorded July 28, 2011, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC.
11. To One Away (soprano)
This song opens with a call and several echos which are repeated throughout the song. The soprano’s melody is chromatic and dramatic, and the drama is picked up in the piano. Mm. 16-20 bring the tonal center away from the original C to Eb, but when the call and echos return they are heard in the original pitches with the Eb centering added on top of it.
Recording: Kathleen Jagielski, soprano. Kayme Henkel, piano. Recorded July 28, 2011, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC.
This song opens with a call and several echos which are repeated throughout the song. The soprano’s melody is chromatic and dramatic, and the drama is picked up in the piano. Mm. 16-20 bring the tonal center away from the original C to Eb, but when the call and echos return they are heard in the original pitches with the Eb centering added on top of it.
Recording: Kathleen Jagielski, soprano. Kayme Henkel, piano. Recorded July 28, 2011, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC.
13. The Floor (mezzo-soprano)
In my original idea for a set about love, I had chosen poems that showed different types of love: lover to lover, parent to child, friend to friend, and, in this case, person to inanimate object: the floor. The mezzo sings a drinking song about how the floor will always be there for you, even when the rest of the room may be spinning.
In my original idea for a set about love, I had chosen poems that showed different types of love: lover to lover, parent to child, friend to friend, and, in this case, person to inanimate object: the floor. The mezzo sings a drinking song about how the floor will always be there for you, even when the rest of the room may be spinning.
14. I Thought I Was Not Alone (baritone)
This song is very closely tied to "3. De Profundis" - both in subject matter and in material used. The "winding spell" music from the end of "De Profundis" is used here at the beginning to set off the idea that these two are connected. Then, the music from the interlude section toward the beginning of "De Profundis" is used as a bass ostinato for the rest of the piece - but with one beat missing in the final measure, so the phrase is each time begun on a different beat. This shifting beat changes which beat of the theme gets stress, which allows me to more significantly change the harmonization above it each time. The baritone's melody winds around a fairly small range, is often swallowed up in the texture of the piano, and often breaks mid-thought, as if unsure. This matches the mood of the speaker: he thinks someone is with him, but he is mistaken. He only sees strangers around him - just like the mezzo in "De Profundis."
This song is very closely tied to "3. De Profundis" - both in subject matter and in material used. The "winding spell" music from the end of "De Profundis" is used here at the beginning to set off the idea that these two are connected. Then, the music from the interlude section toward the beginning of "De Profundis" is used as a bass ostinato for the rest of the piece - but with one beat missing in the final measure, so the phrase is each time begun on a different beat. This shifting beat changes which beat of the theme gets stress, which allows me to more significantly change the harmonization above it each time. The baritone's melody winds around a fairly small range, is often swallowed up in the texture of the piano, and often breaks mid-thought, as if unsure. This matches the mood of the speaker: he thinks someone is with him, but he is mistaken. He only sees strangers around him - just like the mezzo in "De Profundis."
18. Near the Wall of a House (quartet)
This was one of the first songs of the cycle I wrote - this is the culmination of the ideas from the rest of the cycle, but I wrote it first so that the ideas here are most perfect and cohesive. I could then take ideas from this song and use them in other songs.
Recording: Kathleen Jagielski, soprano. Katherine Sanford, mezzo-soprano. Terrance Johns, tenor. Rameen Chaharbaghi, baritone. Kayme Henkel, piano. Recorded July 28, 2011, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC.
This was one of the first songs of the cycle I wrote - this is the culmination of the ideas from the rest of the cycle, but I wrote it first so that the ideas here are most perfect and cohesive. I could then take ideas from this song and use them in other songs.
Recording: Kathleen Jagielski, soprano. Katherine Sanford, mezzo-soprano. Terrance Johns, tenor. Rameen Chaharbaghi, baritone. Kayme Henkel, piano. Recorded July 28, 2011, Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC.
Performances
Prima Volta: Lessons and Carols - 14 December, 2013 - Dowling Music, Houston TX
"The Cross of Snow" and "I Thought I Was Not Alone" - Rameen Chaharbaghi, baritone. Hailey Darnell, piano.
Imagery in Music - 29 June, 2012 - Calvary Baptist Church
"Cloris and Fanny" and "I Thought I Was Not Alone" - Rameen Chaharbaghi, baritone. Cheryl Branham, piano.
New Inspirations - 28 July, 2011 - Calvary Baptist Church
"Introduction" - Kathleen Jagielski, soprano. Kayme Henkel, piano.
"On Pilgrimage" - Michael Oberhauser, baritone. Kayme Henkel, piano.
"An Empty Crib" - Katherine Sanford, mezzo-soprano. Kayme Henkel, piano.
"Cloris and Fanny" - Rameen Chaharbaghi, baritone. Kayme Henkel, piano.
"When I Would Muse in Boyhood" - Terrance Johns, tenor. Kayme Henkel, piano.
"To One Away" - Kathleen Jagielski, soprano. Kayme Henkel, piano.
"Near the Wall of a House" - Kathleen Jagielski, soprano. Katherine Sanford, mezzo-soprano. Terrance Johns, tenor. Rameen Chaharbaghi, baritone. Kayme Henkel, piano.
"The Cross of Snow" and "I Thought I Was Not Alone" - Rameen Chaharbaghi, baritone. Hailey Darnell, piano.
Imagery in Music - 29 June, 2012 - Calvary Baptist Church
"Cloris and Fanny" and "I Thought I Was Not Alone" - Rameen Chaharbaghi, baritone. Cheryl Branham, piano.
New Inspirations - 28 July, 2011 - Calvary Baptist Church
"Introduction" - Kathleen Jagielski, soprano. Kayme Henkel, piano.
"On Pilgrimage" - Michael Oberhauser, baritone. Kayme Henkel, piano.
"An Empty Crib" - Katherine Sanford, mezzo-soprano. Kayme Henkel, piano.
"Cloris and Fanny" - Rameen Chaharbaghi, baritone. Kayme Henkel, piano.
"When I Would Muse in Boyhood" - Terrance Johns, tenor. Kayme Henkel, piano.
"To One Away" - Kathleen Jagielski, soprano. Kayme Henkel, piano.
"Near the Wall of a House" - Kathleen Jagielski, soprano. Katherine Sanford, mezzo-soprano. Terrance Johns, tenor. Rameen Chaharbaghi, baritone. Kayme Henkel, piano.