A LINE-STORM SONG
FOR SOPRANO AND PIANO
Music by Juhi Bansal, text by Robert Frost
Contact information: Email: juhibansalcomposer@gmail.com Website: www.juhibansal.com
A Line-Storm Song is a setting of one of Robert Frost’s earliest published poems. Amidst a scene filled nature – tattered clouds, wet woods, crushed flowers and gusting winds, Frost places two lovers whose story mirrors the flow and ebb of the sea. In this setting of the text, the piano evokes the shapes and gestures of sea and wind, while the voice captures the innocence and sweetness of the lovers in the oncoming storm.
The line-storm clouds fly tattered and swift, The road is forlorn all day, Where a myriad snowy quartz stones lift, And the hoof-prints vanish away. The roadside flowers, too wet for the bee, Expend their bloom in vain. Come over the hills and far with me, And be my love in the rain. The birds have less to say for themselves In the wood-world’s torn despair Than now these numberless years the elves, Although they are no less there: All song of the woods is crushed like some Wild, easily shattered rose. Come, be my love in the wet woods; come, Where the boughs rain when it blows. There is the gale to urge behind And bruit our singing down, And the shallow waters aflutter with wind From which to gather your gown. What matter if we go clear to the west, And come not through dry-shod? For wilding brooch shall wet your breast The rain-fresh goldenrod. Oh, never this whelming east wind swells But it seems like the sea’s return To the ancient lands where it left the shells Before the age of the fern; And it seems like the time when after doubt Our love came back amain. Oh, come forth into the storm and rout And be my love in the rain.
Notes on Performance: Voice: The rhythms for the sung text are meant to be very natural and flexible. Feel free to treat them with a certain amount of freedom, to allow the text to come across in this way. Piano: The overall role of the piano in this piece is to provide a sense of atmosphere for the text. To facilitate this, the sustain pedal should be used throughout. You will see two different types of grace notes in the score: 8th notes (as at mm 5), and 16th notes (as at mm 63). The 8th notes indicate ON the beat grace notes, while the 16th notes should fall BEFORE the beat. Notes in boxes (as at mm3) are to be played randomly and extremely rapidly, like a tremolo figure. This 'flurry' effect should last for the duration marked on the box.
Music by Juhi Bansal
Text by Robert Frost Lightly, delicately Voice Ethreal, with lots of pedal
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Piano
7
7
10
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The 5
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© 2010
3
line- storm clouds fly tatt - ered and swift,
the
3
7
3
road for - lorn
all day,
where
my - riad snow - y quartz stones lift,
and
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Pno.
3
9
hoof - prints va - nish a -way.
The
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Pno.
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9
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11
road - side
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flow'rs,
too
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wet
for the bee,
ex - pend their 3
11
3
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Pno. 3
3
bloom
in 3
vain.
Come 3
13
3
3
o'er the
hills
and far with me,
3
and
3
be my
love
3
in the rain.
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Pno.
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15
15
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Pno.
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The 17
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birds
have
less
to
say for them -selves
in the
cresc.
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wood - world's
torn
des - pair
than
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now
these num - ber
-
3
less years
the elves,
al -
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Gently, crystalline
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Pno.
3
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21
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though
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they are no 6
less there: 6
All 6
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21
Pno.
3
(
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)
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3
song
3
of
the
woods
is
crushed
like
some wild, eas - i - ly shat - terred rose. 6
23
Pno.
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(
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Come, 6
rit. 3
25
be
3
my
love
in
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25
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3
the wet woods;
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come, where the
boughs
rit.
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rain
when it blows.
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6
6
Pno.
6
6
a tempo 27
27
a tempo
6
6
3
Pno.
3
3
(
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6
6
29
6
3
29
6
3
Pno.
6 6
(
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3
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6
poco allargando
31
poco allargando
3
31
6
Pno.
cresc.
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6
(
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Dramatic, elegant a tempo
33
3
3
There is the gale Dramatic, elegant
to
urge
3
be
-
hind
and bruit our sing - ing down,
a tempo 33
Pno.
35
3
3
and sha - llow wa - ters a - flut - ter with
3
wind
from which
to ga - ther your
35
3
Pno.
3
3
3
3
3
gown.
37
3
What mat - ter
if
37
we
3
go
clear
to the west,
and come not
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3 3
Pno. 3
dim. 39
3
through
3
3
dry shod?
For wild - ing
3
brooch shall wet
your breast
the rain -fresh
dim.
39
3
3
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3 3
Pno.
3
3
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3
41
3
gold - en
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rod.
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Pno.
3
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rit. 43
3 43
rit.
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Pno. 3
molto rit.
molto rit. 6
45
6
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6
47
3
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47
Pno.
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3
45
Pno.
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49
a tempo
a tempo
Oh,
49
Pno.
51
3
3
nev - er
the whelm - ing
east
wind swells
but it
seems like the sea's
51
3
Pno.
re - turn
to the
3
3
3
3
3
3
3 3
53
3
3
an - cient
3
lands
where it left
the shells
be - fore
the age of the fern;
and
3 53
Pno.
3
3
3
3
3
3
it
3
55
seems like
the
time
when
af - ter
doubt
our
love
came
back
a - main.
Oh,
Light, delicate 55
Pno.
6
6
6
6
6
57
come
forth
3
in - to the storm
and
rout
and
be
3
my
love
in the rain,
Oh,
57
6
Pno.
6
3
6
6
3
6 6
6
3
3
6
59
3
come 59
Pno.
forth 6
3
in - to
the storm
and
rout
and
be
3
my 6
6
love
in
the
rain.
6
3
6
6 3 3
3
61
61
Pno.
63
Slower, rit. 63
Pno.