Old - (2010) ![](images/01_Little_Green_Dot.gif)
Paul Laurence Dunbar
for medium voice and piano
I have seen peoples come and go
Alike the Ocean's ebb and flow;
I have seen kingdoms rise and fall
Like springtime shadows on a wall.
I have seen houses rendered great
That grew from life's debased estate,
And all, all, all is change I see,
So, dearest God, take me, take me.
[ 2 pages, circa 1' 40" ]
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Paul Laurence Dunbar
The text is found in Majors and Minors, 1895, written in the poet's early twenties.
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The harmony is built on parallel motion, major 9 chords, which are then augmented with polytonal colorings from time to time. The vocal line forms a large arch for the first four lines of the text, as the accompaniment forms smaller rises and falls beneath.
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The setting ends with an elongation of the gestures, and repetition of the text, "take me." The vocal line rises over the last phrases, to emphasize the statement as a positive perspective. Such is the course and end of life, when seen in this natural yet positive perspective.
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The score for Old is available as a free PDF download, though any major commercial performance or recording of the work is prohibited without prior arrangement with the composer. Click on the graphic below for this piano-vocal score.
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Old
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