Cradle Song

Cradle Song (2005) On a poem by William Blake

Eric Guinivan (b. 1984)

Duration: 6 Minutes

Cradle Song

By William Blake (1757–1827) Sleep, sleep, beauty bright, Dreaming in the joys of night; Sleep, sleep; in thy sleep Little sorrows sit and weep.

Sweet babe, in thy face Soft desires I can trace, Secret joys and secret smiles, Little pretty infant wiles.

As thy softest limbs I feel Smiles as of the morning steal O'er thy cheek, and o'er thy breast Where thy little heart doth rest.

O the cunning wiles that creep In thy little heart asleep!

When thy little heart doth wake, Then the dreadful night shall break.

Cradle Song Instrumentation Soprano (with three crystal glasses) The singer is called upon to play three crystal glasses while singing. The crystal glasses are pitched Bb5, C#6, and E6 and are given the indication “CG� in the score. The glasses should be placed on a stand, tray, or small table in front of the singer during performance. The singer plays the glasses by dipping the finger into the water inside one of the glasses and gently circling the rim of the glass with the finger.

Vibraphone One pair of medium-hard mallets and one bass bow are required for performance. The sustain pedal should be depressed for the duration of the piece.

Piano The sustain pedal of the piano should be depressed for the duration of the piece.

Cradle Song Soprano

   

 Vibraphone   

Piano

Adagio, q = 60





Pedal depressed throughout

pp

p

     

  

p

Vib.









  

Vib.





to mallets









pp

  

mf

  p



f





mf



                    



mf pp

bright

 



   



Lit-tle sor - rows sit and weep



pp

 

beau -ty

p

Sleep

cresc.

 CG  

  

night

p        S.    18

sleep

f





   



mf pp

sleep



Pno.



 p sub.

 

p



 

mf pp

mf



p







mf p



mf p









 

f p





f

   

in thy sleep





  p

f

f

               p 3 3 3



3











mp

dream - ing

   

 

Medium Soft Mallets



 





 









 









 

  

    

 

f



  



     

poco cresc.

mp



mf







 

                     

     





p

mf

        



 



Sleep

p

mf

mf

 Pno.

in the joys of





mf

                

  S.        10

             

 

p

mp

arco



Eric Guinivan Text: William Blake

dim. poco a poco



              

ppp

cresc. poco a poco



f

      





 (sempre)

2

 S.  25



 CG   

p

 







mf

 



Sweet

babe



p

                                         Vib.    fade in delicately...

Pno.







    







mp

p

 

( )

 S.   

p sub.

28





 



 

       







p

 

mf







  

p





                                    Vib.     

Pno.



      

in

thy

face

               



  ( )



 S.    CG   31







               





 



f

              

     

mf

 p





Soft

de











 

p

     



   -

sires



   

I

                               Vib.             

Pno.



mf

mp

                                                                               mp p                            ( )   poco

poco

3   S.  

   

34

 p





  

mp





 

  

                                                   Vib.               can

Pno.

trace

Se - cret joys



and se

-

cret

mp

f

                                                                                   mp    mf                 ( ) 

  S.   38



p





mp





smiles

 

Lit - tle

pret

 

-

ty

                       Vib.                                p pp                                                          p

Pno.



  ( )

 S.   41

 CG  

in



 

p sub.

f

 -

fant

 

f





pp

  

p

 











 





wiles





p                                                 Vib.            dim. poco a poco f                                                                        mp dim. poco a poco f dim. poco a poco

Pno.



( )



 



 



4  S.   CG    44

Vib.

Pno.





 



     

 



f

     

      

 

( )

 Molto rit.

S.   CG    47







 



q = 60

  









( ) poco

Pno.



     





mf

feel

   

p

   



pp

 





mf



3

 

poco cresc.



mf

       smiles of the morn -ing



           

               

   

mp

 

As thy soft - est limbs I

             p

 





ppp

          



 





  S.     Vib.





 



poco

steal



p

f

f

 

  



          

 

 



  

 

 

 

p

mf

     

O'er thy cheek and o'er thy



f

                 

 

p

 

 

   



                                      3 3 3

ppp

51





fade out delicately...like a music box...

 Vib.                 

Pno.

Rit. poco a poco

                                     dim. poco a poco p mp                                                             

     





  S.   breast CG   56

Vib.   

Pno.



 



fleeting

    

    

poco f

 S. 

6

mp

  

  

p



 

   

mp

where thy lit -tle heart doth rest

 



fleeting

 

f

p

   







p



  CG  



  p

f



 



  





                fade in delicately...















      f

       







cresc. poco a poco



p

 



ppp

   

62



p sub.

         

p subito

5

 (sempre)

mf

  

O

the



cun

-

 

ning

pp                                          Vib.    p mp                             

Pno.







( )

 S.   





p sub.

65











p

  mf









p

                                    Vib.                                                                                      

Pno.



  ( )

wiles

that





creep

 



 

6

 S.  68



  CG  

 

p

mf





p

f







In

thy

lit



-

  



tle heart

                              Vib.             



mp

mf

                                                                                    

Pno.

poco

  ( )

  S.  



   

71

a

mp

poco

-

  





p

           p





         



  

mp





sleep

When

thy

lit

-

  



tle heart

doth

                                              Vib.              



p

f

                                                                                  

Pno.

  ( )

  S.   75

wake

          





mf

  p



p







p







 

                    Vib.                                p pp                                                          Pno. p pp         ( ) Then

the

dread

-

ful

 S.   

 f

78



p sub.



f

mf

 





p sub.



7

         Vib.                                            f                                                                            f night

Pno.



( )

 

 

Vib.

Pno.

     

    

 

break

pp



                                                    dim. poco a poco                    



     

       

 S.    CG   85



p

Pno.

shall

mp

( )

Vib.

break

     



f

82

S.

shall



 

    

dim. poco a poco



 



f

                                                mp









( )

        mp



dim. poco a poco

      

dim. poco a poco



8

 S.     CG    88

Vib.

Pno.





 











( ) Rit. poco a poco

 



Molto rit.

 

Pno.

      

 

       

( )





 

 





































ppp



  

                                                          



 

fade into the distance...

fleeting...



pp



ppp



pppp

dim. poco a poco



 

p



91



                                                pp 



 S.   CG   Vib.

