NIGHT WEARS BLACK
For solo soprano with cello and pitched bells
Music by Juhi Bansal, text adapted from Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī
Text Night wears black to mourn the dead stars. This piece should sound very ritualistic and prayer-like. Although the vocal style is influenced by Indian folk music, the atmosphere should be more reminiscent of traditional buddhist chanting. The overall effect should be that of a meditation or a prayer to the night. • The vocal part should be performed with minimal vibrato (except where desired for expressive effect).
• The ornaments in the vocal line are in the style of Indian folk singing, and should be very subtle, small flips to the primary note rather than clearly articulated pitches. Where indicated, they should be performed with glissandi or portamenti to the primary note. [The opening of the Lata Mangeshkar song "Ae dil e nadaan" (available on Youtube) is a good example of this kind of ornamentation.] • All grace notes fall before the beat. Feel free to elaborate and decorate the given line further in this same style. • The pitched bells may be of any type: hand-bells, crotales, prayer bowls, etc that give the correct pitch (in any octave). They do not need to match in timbre, although they should complement each other.
Night Wears Black h. = 50
Soprano Solo
Cello
Bells
The
Always p
Always p
night
5
6
S. Solo
Cello
Bells
S. Solo
Cello
Bells
S. Solo
11
Bells
13
4
17
4
4
wears
4
4
16
night
espressivo Always p
Always p
the
9
night
Cello
4
4
21
2
S. Solo
4
Night
Cello
Bells
wears
4
Night
4
25
wears
black
Always p
26
S. Solo
Cello
Bells
29
Night
wears
4
31
S. Solo
p
Cello
Bells
33
Night
4
4
wears
black
37
36
S. Solo
Cello
Bells
Night
4
wears
black
3
41 S. Solo
Night
Cello
Bells
4
wears
45
black
to
46
S. Solo
49
to
mourn
Cello
Bells
53
51
S. Solo
mourn
Cello
Bells
to
mourn
57
56
S. Solo
mourn
Cello
Bells
mourn
4
S. Solo
61 Night
Cello
Bells
wears
black
to
65
66
S. Solo
mourn.
Cello
Bells
69
to
mourn
71
S. Solo
to
Cello
Bells
73
mourn
to
mourn
77
S. Solo
Cello
Bells
81
To
mourn
5 82
S. Solo
Cello
Bells
to
85
mourn
87
S. Solo
Cello
Bells
the
89
dead
stars
dead
92
S. Solo
93
stars
Cello
Bells
dead
stars
dead
stars
97 S. Solo
Cello
Bells
dead
stars
dead
stars
101
dead
6
105 102
S. Solo
stars
Cello
Bells
dead
stars
mourn
the
109 107
S. Solo
3
dead
Cello
Bells
mourn
112
S. Solo
3
the
Cello
Bells
3
dead
S. Solo
117 pp
121
stars
Cello
Bells
pp
7 122
S. Solo
Cello
Bells
pp
125
4
127
S. Solo
129
pp
4
mourn
Cello
Bells
4
the
dead
stars
4
133
132
S. Solo
Cello
Bells
wears
p
Night
p
black
to
p
S. Solo
137
mourn
Cello
Bells
141
the
dead
stars,
to
8 142
S. Solo
mourn
Cello
Bells
145
the
dead
stars,
to
147
S. Solo
mourn
Cello
Bells
the
149
dead
stars,
to
153 S. Solo
157 ppp
mourn
the
dead
Bells
stars.
ppp
Cello
ppp
S. Solo
Cello
158
Bells