Three Texts by Elizabeth Barrett Browning Mezzo-Soprano Piano
i. Grief ii. Consolation iii. Comfort
Andrew Rodriguez
2 Grief I tell you, hopeless grief is passionless; That only men incredulous of despair, Half-taught in anguish, through the midnight air Beat upward to God’s throne in loud access Of shrieking and reproach. Full desertness, In souls as countries, lieth silent-bare Under the blanching, vertical eye-glare Of the absolute heavens. Deep-hearted man, express Grief for thy dead in silence like to death— Most like a monumental statue set In everlasting watch and moveless woe Till itself crumble to the dust beneath. Touch it; the marble eyelids are not wet: If it could weep, it could arise and go. Consolation All are not taken; there are left behind Living Belovèds, tender looks to bring And make the daylight still a happy thing, And tender voices, to make soft the wind: But if it were not so, if I could find No love in all this world for comforting, Nor any path but hollowly did ring Where 'dust to dust' the love from life disjoin'd; And if, before those sepulchres unmoving I stood alone (as some forsaken lamb Goes bleating up the moors in weary dearth) Crying 'Where are ye, O my loved and loving?' I know a voice would sound, 'Daughter, I am. Can I suffice for Heaven and not for earth?' Comfort Speak low to me, my Saviour, low and sweet From out the hallelujahs, sweet and low, Lest I should fear and fall, and miss thee so Who art not missed by any that entreat. Speak to me as Mary at thy feet— And if no precious gums my hands bestow, Let my tears drop like amber, while I go In reach of thy divinest voice complete In humanest affection—thus in sooth, To lose the sense of losing! As a child Whose song-bird seeks the woods forevermore, Is sung to instead by mother’s mouth; Till, sinking on her breast, love-reconciled, He sleeps the faster that he wept before.
Three Texts by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
3
For Mezzo-Soprano
i. Grief Andrew Rodriguez (b. 1989)
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
With Fierce Intensity (q=120-130)
Voice
mf
I
Piano
mf
tell
you,
hope
-
less grief
is
mf subito
Pedal minimally; clear and articulate
3
pas - sion - less;
that
on - ly
men
in - cred - u - lous
of
des -
5
pair,
half taught in
an - guish,
through the
mid - night
Copyright © 2014 by Paper Thin Publishers. All Rights Reserved.
4 7
air
beat
up - ward to God's throne
f
9
cess
of
3
in
loud ac-
3
3
shriek - ing
and
re -
p subito
11
proach.
mf
p subito
5 13
mp
Full
des - ert - ness
in
souls
as
count - ries,
li - eth
p
15
si - lent - bare,
un - der
the
blan - ching,
3
ver - tic - al eye
17
glare
3
3
of the ab - so - lute hea -
vens.
pp subito mp subito
6 19
Deep - heart - ed
man,
ex - press
21
Grief
for
thy
dead
in
si lence
24
like to
death,
f
26
mf
Most like
a
mf
mon - u - men - tal
28
ev - er - last - ing watch
stat - ue
and
move - less woe
31
-
ble
to
the dust be- neath.
In
Till it - self
7
crum
-
f poco rubato Touch it;
ff
8
35
the mar - ble eye - lids are not wet:
rit.
weep,
p
it could a - rise and go.
it could a - rise and go,
mf
it could
39
If
p
dim.
9
ii. Consolation
Voice
Joyfully (q=120)
f
3
are not
All
Piano
f 3
4
f
ta - ken;
3
ten - der looks to
mp
3
mf
3
3
3
bring
3
3
3
3
3
3
7
3
there are left be - hind Liv - ing Be - lov eds,
And make the day light still a
3
mp
3
3
3
10 10
molto rit.
hap
-
py
thing,
And ten - der voic - es,
14
Much slower p molto rubato
Pensive (q=83)
pp
p
to make soft the wind:
18
p
p
3
But if
it were not
p
so,
if
I could find no
simile
11 21
love in all this world for com -for - ting,
Nor an - y path but
29
rit.
Where 'dust to dust' the
love from life dis - join'd;
ring
hol - low - ly did
25
3
12 32 Frantically (q=95)
f
As if, be - fore those sep - ul - chres un - mov - ing I stood a - lone,
f
f
35
dearth,
Cry - ing
bleat - ing up
the
37
3
as some for - sak - en lamb goes
moors in wear - y
3 f
"Where are ye,
ff
O my lov - ed
and lov - ing?"
p Much slower
41
pp
44
Can I suf - fice for
"Daugh - ter,
mp
I know a voice would sound,
13
p
I
am.
Hea - ven
rit.
and not for earth?"
pp
14
iii. Comfort Gently like a lullaby (q.=60)
Voice
mp
Speak
Piano
mp sempre legato
p
6
low
to
me,
my
Sav - ior,
low
and
sweet,
12
mf
poco marc.
From
out
the
legato
hal - le - lu
-
-
jahs,
sweet
15 16
and
low,
p
Lest
I
should
p
fall,
and
miss
thee
so
25
art
not
missed
by
cresc.
who
and
fear
21
mf
a - ny
that
en -
mf
16 29
mp boldly
treat.
Speak
mp
34
to
me
as
Ma
-
ry
at
thy
39
feet,
And
if
no
pre
-
cious
my hands
be - stow,
gums
17
mf
43
Let my
tears
mf
47
poco accel.
mp
go
in
50
drop
like
am -
ber
reach
of
while I
thy
di -
mp
vin
-
est
voice
com
-
18 53
mf
plete
in
hu - man - est
af
-
fec - tion,
mf
56
(e=e)
sooth
mf
to
lose
the
sense
of
poco rit.
60
-
los
f
Thus in
f
-
mp
ing!
p
As a
mf mp
19 65
child
whose
song
-
bird
seeks
ev
-
the
woods
for
-
er
-
73
to
more,
Is
in -
-
sung
p
70
stead
by
mo - ther's
mouth;
mp
Meno mosso
20 76
81
rit.
sleeps
mp
Till, sink - ing
on
her breast,
love
re - con- ciled,
He
p
the
fast - er
that
p
he
wept be - fore.
pp
ppp