SATB choir, divisi, piano
reduction - Late
intermediate
SKU:
GI.G-9035
Composed by
Thomas LaVoy. Joy,
Creation. Evoking Sound.
Music Education. Octavo.
24 pages. GIA
Publications #9035.
Published by GIA
Publications (GI.G-9035).
UPC: 785147903505.
English. Text Source:
Stream of Life, verse 69
from Gitanjali,
1912. Text by
Rabindranath
Tagore.
I have
recently been incredibly
inspired by the writings
of the great Bengali
mystic Rabindranath
Tagore, whose monumental
collection of poetry
Gitanjali won the Nobel
Prize in Literature in
1913. This book
introduces the reader to
a new awareness of the
world that surrounds us,
deepening the connection
between nature and the
human spirit that we all
yearn for. Verse 69 is
particularly joyful and
life-affirming: an
ecstatic realization of
the energies that move in
ceaseless ebb and flow
through us, our lives,
and our natural
environment. Each
individual line of this
verse has a unique
character and color, so I
have placed each in a key
that I feel suits the
mood of the text. The
constantly flowing
ostinati that weave their
way throughout are
collectively a musical
representation of the
“stream of
life†to which
Tagore refers. This
flowing line can be found
even in the subdued third
line of text, which makes
reference to the
“ocean-cradle of
birth and of
death.†In similar
fashion, the more complex
rhythmic cells found
within the stream (e.g.,
measures 21–40)
are a product of
Tagore’s ecstatic
tone. Ultimately this
piece is simply meant to
be an expression of joy.
It is dedicated with
great admiration to the
commissioning ensemble,
the Fort Myers High
School Greenwave Singers,
and their conductor Matt
Koller. This tremendous
ensemble is a prime
example of choral music
education in practice in
the United States, and I
feel honored to have been
given this opportunity to
work with them.
—Thomas LaVoy.