(RNY 1348) DAVID LANG : SENSE OF SENSES

FOR CHAMBER CHOIR OR 8 SOLO VOICES SCORE

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DAVID LANG

THE SENSE OF SENSES

program note

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the sense of senses is one in a series of pieces I have been writing over the past several years, in which I have applied different literary filters to the text of the biblical ‘Song of Songs.’ The idea behind this series is that if we look at the text from many different angles it may eventually begin to reveal more of its emotional and spiritual powers.

What makes the ‘Song of Songs’ stand out from other Biblical texts is, of course, its intense sensuality. One way the text makes us the feel the spark between the lovers – which is, after all, a metaphor for the spark between believers and God – is the heightened use of language that places us in the middle of the action. It tells the story by constantly triggering our senses.

The lovers see the vines and vineyards, they smell the frankincense and myrrh, they taste the honey and the wine. Our connection to the story is deepened because the details are described to us in ways that we, ourselves, can imagine seeing, and smelling, and tasting.

I wanted to catalog all the senses in the text, so I filtered out everything except that which is seen, heard, smelled, felt and tasted, and I kept these in the order in which the story mentions them. I removed characteristics or parts of the body that would gender who is speaking, and then I rearranged the order of the senses, so that all of the seen things would be together, all the heard things, all the felt things, etc. I then ordered the senses from far to near – from sight to sound to smell to feeling to taste – so that we might feel the power of the senses grow and intensify, as they come closer to us.

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the sense of senses was co-commissioned by the Company of Music, Vienna, Johannes Hiemetsberger, Director; the Crossing, Philadelphia, Donald Nally, Director; and the Fisher Center at Bard College

the duration should be almost 8 minutes

the sense of senses words by david lang (after the song of songs)

a door a wall a wall companions in you Jerusalem Lebanon my dove that the bed the coals the company the crown the doves the field the flowers the fountain the foxes the fruit the fruits the garden the garden the garden the gold the green the hair the horses the jealousy the jewels the joints the lions the marble the morning the mountains the pillars

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can

see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see

the pillars the roe the rose the studs the sun the swords the tents the thousand the top the vine the vineyard the vineyard the vineyard the vineyards the waters threescore Tirzah virgins

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see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see see

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can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

I can see you

I can hear her I can hear the birds I can hear you I I I I I I I I I

can can can can can can can can can

smell smell smell smell smell smell smell smell smell

the the the the the the the the the

apples bed beds calamus camphire camphire frankincense garments lilies

smell smell smell smell smell smell smell smell smell smell smell smell smell smell

I I I I I I I I I I I I I

can can can can can can can can can can can can can

feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel

the mandrakes the myrrh the myrrh the myrrh the myrrh the myrrh the ointments the spices the spices the spikenard the spikenard the tender grape the wheat your good ointments banner day day desire dew fear north wind seal seal shade shadows shadows south wind

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the the the the the the the the the the the the the

I can feel you I I I I

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can can

taste taste taste taste taste taste taste taste taste taste taste taste taste taste taste taste taste taste taste

the honeycomb the honeycomb the liquor the pleasant fruits the pleasant fruits the pomegranates the spiced wine the wine the wine the wine you you your kiss your kiss your lips your lips your mouth your mouth your wine

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taste taste taste taste

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