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The cloud - (2013)
Sara Teasdale
for mezzo soprano and piano
I am a cloud in the heaven's height,
The stars are lit for my delight,
Tireless and changeful, swift and free,
I cast my shadow on hill and sea --
But why do the pines on the mountain's crest
Call to me always, "Rest, rest?"
I throw my mantle over the moon
And I blind the sun on his throne at noon,
Nothing can tame me, nothing can bind,
I am a child of the heartless wind --
But oh the pines on the mountain's crest
Whispering always, "Rest, rest."5 pages, circa 3' 55"
Sara Teasdale
The text was published in Anthology of Magazine Verse for 1915. Ed. William Stanley Braithwaite. New York: Gomme & Marshall, 1915.
A four note ostinato is found throughout the two strophe setting, breaking in rhythmic notation only to be taken up again. Under and over voices sustain as the texture which surrounds the vocal line.
The score for The cloud 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.
