Jesper Koch: Tombstones (2018–19)

Jesper Koch Tombstones (2018–19) Six Epitaphs from the “Spoon River Anthology” for soprano and piano Dur. 20′

Text: Edgar Lee Masters

To Alissa Roca

SCORE

T/ (+45) 3313 5445 · E/ sales@edition-s.dk · W/ www.edition-s.dk

Edition·S publications are supported by the Danish Arts Foundation / Edition·S udgivelser er støttet af Statens Kunstfond

Jesper Koch Tombstones (2018–19) Six Epitaphs from the “Spoon River Anthology” for sopran og klaver Dur. 20′

Dillard Sissman The buzzards wheel slowly In wide circles, in a sky Faintly hazed as from dust from the road.

And a wind sweeps through the pasture where I lie Beating the grass into long waves.

My kite is above the wind, Though now and then it wobbles, Like a man shaking his shoulders; And the tail streams out momentarily, Then sinks to rest.

And the buzzards wheel and wheel, Sweeping the zenith with wide circles Above my kite. And the hills sleep.

And a farm house, white as snow, Peeps from green trees—far away.

And I watch my kite, For the thin moon will kindle herself ere long, Then she will swing like a pendulum dial To the tail of my kite.

A spurt of flame like a water-dragon Dazzles my eyes— I am shaken as a banner.

Jennie M’Grew Not, where the stairway turns in the dark A hooded figure, shriveled under a flowing cloak!

Not yellow eyes in the room at night, Staring out from a surface of cobweb gray!

And not the flap of a condor wing

When the roar of life in your ears begins As a sound heard never before!

But on a sunny afternoon, By a country road, Where purple rag-weeds bloom along a straggling fence And the field is gleaned, and the air is still To see against the sun-light something black Like a blot with an iris rim— That is the sign to eyes of second sight. . .

And that I saw!

Conrad Siever Not in that wasted garden Where bodies are drawn into grass That feeds no flocks, and into evergreens That bear no fruit— There where along the shaded walks Vain sighs are heard, And vainer dreams are dreamed Of close communion with departed souls— But here under the apple tree I loved and watched and pruned With gnarled hands In the long, long years; Here under the roots of this northern-spy To move in the chemic change and circle of life, Into the soil and into the flesh of the tree, And into the living epitaphs Of redder apples!

J. Milton Miles Whenever the Presbyterian bell Was rung by itself, I knew it as the Presbyterian bell.

But when its sound was mingled With the sound of the Methodist, the Christian, The Baptist and the Congregational, I could no longer distinguish it, Nor any one from the others, or either of them.

And as many voices called to me in life Marvel not that I could not tell The true from the false, Nor even, at last, the voice that I should have known.

Hortense Robbins My name used to be in the papers daily As having dined somewhere, Or traveled somewhere, Or rented a house in Paris, Where I entertained the nobility.

I was forever eating or traveling, Or taking the cure at Baden-Baden.

Now I am here to do honor To Spoon River, here beside the family whence I sprang.

No one cares now where I dined, Or lived, or whom I entertained, Or how often I took the cure at Baden-Baden.

Charles Webster The pine woods on the hill, And the farmhouse miles away, Showed clear as though behind a lens Under a sky of peacock blue!

But a blanket of cloud by afternoon Muffled the earth. And you walked the road And the clover field, where the only sound Was the cricket’s liquid tremolo.

Then the sun went down between great drifts Of distant storms. For a rising wind Swept clean the sky and blew the flames Of the unprotected stars And swayed the russet moon, Hanging between the rim of the hill And the twinkling boughs of the apple orchard. You walked the shore in thought Where the throats of the waves were like whip-poorwills Singing beneath the water and crying To the wash of the wind in the cedar trees, Till you stood, too full for tears, by the cot, And looking up saw Jupiter, Tipping the spire of the giant pine, And looking down saw my vacant chair, Rocked by the wind on the lonely porchBe brave, Beloved!

1. Dillard Sissman To Alissa Roca

Sereno ( = 100)

(semplice e poco rubato)

Soprano The (poco rubato)

5

Piano

6 S. buzz ards wheel slow ly

In wide

cir cles,

5

Pno

11 S. in

a

sky

Faint

5

ly

hazed

5

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 1

rit...........................................................

16

(A tempo) ( = 90)

S. as from

dust

from the

road

Pno

22 S. And

a

wind sweeps through

Pno

accel. p. a p.

28 S. a

pas

ture where I

Bea ting the grass

lie

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 2

in

to long

( = 100) 33 S. My

waves.

dim.

Pno

39 S. kite

is

a

bove

the

wind,

Though now and then

it

Pno

45 (g ) S. wob bles,

like

a

man

sha king

5

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 3

his

shoul

ders;

rubato

50

rit.

S. And the tail streams out mo men ta ri

Then sinks

ly,

Pno

(A tempo) accel. p. a p.

55 S. rest.

Pno

( = 120)

61

cresc.

S. And (

the

buz zards wheel

and

wheel,

)

cresc.

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 4

to

( = 160) 66 S. Swee ping

the

ze

nith

with wide

cir

Pno

71 S. A

bove

my

kite.

Pno

allargando sempre

76 S.

sub. dim.

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 5

cles

( = 100)

83 S.

And the

hills

sleep.

Pno

89 S. And

a farm house,

white as

snow,

Pno

95 S. trees

far

a

way.

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 6

Peeps from green

(non espress)

101 S.

I

And

watch

my

kite,

5

Pno

rall.................................. ( = 90) misterioso

107

espress.

S. For

the

thin

moon

will

Pno

cresc.

accel. p. a p.

114 S. kind

le her

self

ere

long,

Then

she will

cresc.

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 7

120 S. swing

like

a

pen

du

lum

di

al

Pno

( = 160) 125 S. To

the

tail

of

my

kite.

A spurt of flame like a

Pno

130 S. wa ter dra gon

Daz zles

my

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 8

eyes

allargando sempre 135 S. I

am

sha ken

as

4 4

Pno

5

( = 120) 141

(B.C.)

S. (n)

ban ner!

5:3 Pno

148

( = 100)

dim.

S.

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 9

a

2. Jennie M’Grew poco rit.

Agitato

= 80 cresc.

= 84 3

S. Not,

where the

stair way turns in the dark,

A hoo ded fig ure, shri veled

cresc.

Pno marcato

rall.

accel.

4

3

= 84

S. Not yel low

un der a flo wing cloak!

Pno

eyes in the room

at

dim.

( = )

accel. cresc.

sereno

= 60

= 50

7 S. night,

Sta ring

from a sur face

out

cresc.

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 10

of

cob web

( = 120) 10

3

S. gray!

And not the flap of a con dor wing,

Pno

13 S. When

Pno

16 S. roar

of life

in your

ears

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 11

be gins

the

20

rall. sempre

3

S. As a sound heard ne ver be

fore!

Pno

= 80 23 S. But on 3

Pno

rit.

26 S. noon,

By a coun try road,

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 12

a

sun ny

af

ter

= 50 29 S. Where pur ple rag weeds

bloom a long

a stragg ling

fence,

Pno

rit.

32 S. And the field is gleaned,

and the air

is

still,

Pno

A tempo 35

misterioso

S. To see

a gainst

the sun

some thing black,

light

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 13

Like a

38

3

S. blot with an

i

ris rim

That is the sign to eyes

of se cond sight....

dim.

Pno

(poco rit.)

41 S. And

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 14

That I saw!

3. Conrad Siever ( = 50-54) semplice S. Not in that was ted gar den

Where bo dies are drawn in to

grass

that feeds no flocks,

semplice

Pno

4 S. and in

to

e ver greens

That bear no fruit

There where a long the sha ded

3

Pno

7 S. walks

Vain sighs are heard,

And vai ner dreams are dreamed

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 15

Of close comm un

ion

A tempo ( = 54)

poco rit.

10

cresc.

S. with de par ted souls

But

here

un der the app le tree

3

Pno

cresc.

3

3

13 S. I loved and watched

and

pruned With gnar led hands

In the long,

long years;

Pno

16 S. Here

un der the roots

of this nor thern

spy

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 16

To

move

in the che mic change

rit.

A tempo ( = 50)

19 S. and cir cle of life,

In to the soil and in to

the flesh of the tree,

Pno

22 S. And in

to

li

ving e

pi

taphs

Pno

rit.

25 S. ap

ples!

3

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 17

Of red der

4. J. Milton Miles = 84

marcato

= .

S. When 5

s z

Pno

sub.

3 S. e

ver the

Pres

by

te

bell

ri an

Pno

was

rung

by

it

cresc.

.=

5

= .

S. self, loco

5:3

5

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 18

marcato

7 S. I

s z Pno

knew

it

as

the

Pres

by

sub.

.=

= .

9 S. ta

ri an bell. loco 5

5:3 Pno

marcato

11 S.

But

Pno

s z

sub.

when

the

cresc.

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 19

sound

was

ming

led

13 S. with the

sound

of the

Me

tho

dist,

the

loco

Pno

15 S. Chris

tian,

the

Bap

tist

and

the

Con

gre

ga

tio

nal,

Pno

17 S. I could no lon ger dis tin guish it, 3

loco 3

3

cresc.

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 20

19 S. nor

a

from the

ny one

ot

hers,

or

cresc.

Pno

sost. (quieto)

21 S. ei ther of them.

And

as ma ny

loco (“Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”)

lontano e leggiero

Pno

sempre

23 S. voi ces call’d to me in life

mar vel

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 21

not

that

I could not tell the

26 S. true from the false,

nor e ven,

Pno

(senza rit!)

30 S. that I should’ve known

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 22

at last, the voice

5. Hortense Robbins Slow, relaxed jazz ballad (no irony!) poco rit. = 50-54

A tempo (

= 54)

S. My

used

name

to

be

Pno

3 S. in

the

pa

pers dai

ly

As

ha ving dined

some where,

Pno

5 S. Or tra veled some where,

Or

ren ted

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 24

a house

in

Pa

ris,

7 S. Where

I

en

ter

tained

the

no

bi

li

ty.

Pno

poco rit.

A tempo

9 S. I

was for

e

ta king the

cure

ver

ea

ting

or

tra ve ling,

Pno

11 S. Or

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 25

at

Ba

den

Ba

den.

poco rit............... ( 13

= 50) rubato

(accel.)

S. Now

I

am

here

to

do

Pno

(

= 54)

15 S. ho nor

To

Spoon Ri

ver,

here

be side

the

fa mi ly

Pno

17 S. whence I

sprang.

No

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 26

one cares now

where

poco rit.

A tempo

19 S. I

dined,

Or lived,

Pno

rit................................. (

= 50)

21 S. or

whom I

en

ter tained,

Pno

rall.

23

(non rit.)

A tempo (

= 50)

S. Or how of ten I took

the

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 27

cure at

Ba den Ba den!

6. Charles Webster Andante mesto, e poco rubato semplice

= 56-60 S.

The pine woods on the

hill,

And

the

legato

Pno

5 S. farm

house

miles

a

way,

Pno

8 S. Showed clear as though be

hind

a lens

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 28

Un der a sky

of

quieto

11 S. pea cock blue!

But a

blan ket of cloud

by af ter noon

Pno

A tempo rall...............

15

= 50

( = 50)

S. Muf fled

the

earth.

Pno

19

(

)

poco rit.

accel.

A tempo

S. And

you walked the

road

and the clo ver

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 29

field,

where the on ly

rit........................................... ( = 56)

( = 60) 22

3

S. sound

Was the crick et’s

liq uid tre mo lo.

Pno

rit......... ( = 50)

rall. sempre

26 S. Then the

went down

sun

be

tween great drifts

Of dis tant storms.

Pno

Furioso 30

( = 120)

marc.

S. For a

Pno

ri sing wind

sub.

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 30

swept clean the sky

rubato

33 S. and blew

Of

the flames

the un pro tec ted

stars;

and

Pno

A tempo

rit. molto

misterioso

( = 92)

36 S. swayed

the rus set

moon

Hang

ing

misterioso

Pno

rit................................ ( = 84) leggiero

40 S. be tween the rim

of the hill

And

the twink ling boughs 3

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 31

of

the

Tempo I

rall. molto

( = 50)

43 S. ap ple or

chard.

You

Pno

accel.

46

cresc.

S. walked

the

shore

in thought

Where the throats of the

Pno

cresc.

( = 84)

49 S. 3

waves

were

Sing

like whip poor wills

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 32

ing,

sing ing be neath the

( = 72)

rit. sempre 52

( = 60)

rubato

S. wa ter

and

cry ing

of the wind

To the wash

in the ce dar trees

rubato Pno

Tempo I

rit........................... ( = 50)

( = 46)

56 S. Till

you stood, too full for tears,

ter,

Tip ping the

by the cot,

And look ing

Pno

60 S. up

saw Ju pi

spire

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 33

of

the

gi ant pine,

And

rit.............. ( = 40)

semplice

64 S. look ing down

saw my

va cant

chair,

Rocked by

Pno

68

A tempo

rall.

( = 50)

desolato

S. on

the lone ly

Be

porch

Pno

72

dolce

S. Be

lo

ved!

Pno

Jesper Koch-Tombstones 34

brave,

the wind