Chamber Music
Mezzo-soprano, Piano,
baritone voice soprano
voice, tenor voice
SKU: PR.411411980
Sung Monologues for
Solo Voices and Piano
Inspired by Classic
Literature. Composed
by Nkeiru Okoye. Theodore
Presser Company
#411-41198. Published by
Theodore Presser Company
(PR.411411980).
UPC:
680160690671.
I
love classic literature
and movies based on the
classics. Great plot
lines, complex
characters, and the power
of love across social and
economic boundaries
displayed in multilayered
stories. (And, of course,
the corsets and
crinoline.) Recent TV
series like
Netflix’s
Bridgerton have succeeded
in bringing these kinds
of stories back to
mainstream audiences,
illustrating that their
universal themes endure
even today.Each sung
monologue in LOVE AND
LONGING is drawn from a
climactic moment in a
work of classic
literature.
“Whatever our souls
are made ofâ€
contrasts Cathy’s
frozen commitments to
social expectation and
detached feelings toward
her fiancé Edgar
Linton with her
overwhelming love for
Heathcliff in Wuthering
Heights. In “Mr.
Rochester,†Jane
Eyre declares her
feelings for her employer
with uncommon familiarity
and boldness. Finally,
Mr. Darcy’s
proposal to Elizabeth in
Pride and Prejudice is
reimagined with a Gilbert
and Sullivan-like rhyme
scheme, as Darcy
humorously enumerates the
reasons it would be
foolish and improper for
him to marryElizabeth,
while asking for her
hand. The first two texts
are taken almost verbatim
from passages in the
novels, while the lyrics
for “Darcy
Proposes†are
original, freely adapted
from several
passages.LOVE AND LONGING
was conceived as a single
work in three parts, to
be performed in
succession by three
different singers.
However, performances of
the set by two singers
instead of three, or of
monologues as standalone
pieces, are also
permissible. The parts
were originally written
for soprano,
mezzo-soprano, and
baritone respectively,
with alternate versions
for mezzo-soprano,
soprano, and tenor added
later.These arias are
well within reach for
college students and
young professionals, and
draw on multiple musical
traditions.
Performer’s
interpretations of the
monologues will of course
be enriched by reading
the novels, and by
watching the movies they
inspired.
Wuthering Heights
