"Mottainai" for Voice and Piano

Keane Southard

Mottainai for

Voice and Piano

(2021) (Duration: c. 7 mins.)

Text: It was three months ago, in the middle of May, When I celebrated my latest birthday.

After brushing my teeth and putting on clothes, I found a small box crowned with silk bows.

With joy I tore off the wrapping and lace Before lifting the present up to my face.

An electric toothbrush of the latest design— Too expensive to buy—was exclusively mine!

Now the manual brush I’d bought yesterday Was no use to me—I could throw it away.

But as it dropped in the trash—I can’t tell you why— I heard a voice whisper “mottainai, mottainai.”

That very same day, or that evening at least, My friends took me out for a grand birthday feast.

They said, “Order anything!” and so I obliged, Getting appetizers, an entrée, and numerous sides.

The first course was delicious, the second divine, And I washed it all down with some glasses of wine.

After crackers and cheese, my belly felt big As the main course appeared: a complete roasted pig.

I took just one bite before declaring, “No more” And coolly pushed away that fat, slaughtered boar.

But as they withdrew the platter—I swear this is no lie— His mouth, animated, crooned “mottainai, mottainai.”

As I left the restaurant and walked down the street, My mind was still fixed on that talking piece of meat.

My friends said “Goodbye!” and I went my own way As I thought “What a beautiful, but strange, birthday!”

But as I sauntered on home looking forward to bed, A disheveled old man approached me and said “Excuse me, my friend, can you lend me a penny?

For I’m in need of food, but I haven’t got any.”

The man stank of liquor, and instead of reply I ignored him as if he were a trivial fly.

I left him behind yet was pursued by his cry: A bitter, plaintive, “mottainai, mottainai.”

Program notes: Mottainai was commissioned by and composed for the 2021 Artsong Collaborative Project in Toronto, Canada. The text, which is my own, was written in early 2020 and I began composing the music in December 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. This work was completed in January 2021 while in residence at Copland House, Cortlandt Manor, New York, as a recipient of the Copland House Residency Award.

“Mottainai” is a Japanese expression of regret at the full value of something not being put to good use or the feeling of regret at something being wasted, and it is connected to the Shinto belief that all objects have souls. It can also be used as an imperative meaning “Don’t be wasteful.” Mottainai is something I feel very deeply when I witness waste (or create it myself) and I was so glad to find a word that encapsulated it. Waste is one of the issues at the root of so many of our global problems: waste of energy, food, natural resources, time, money, and even of the lives of people and animals. If we can all feel mottainai when we see waste and change our mindset to find the full value of all things and beings, then we will go a long way towards creating a beautiful and just future on this planet. I hope that after hearing this song, you too will hear a voice singing “mottainai, mottainai” whenever you witness waste.

Keane Southard 2021

Performance instructions: 1. Tenuto marks (-) over notes indicate more weight/stress on the note and does not indicate space to be placed in between that note and the next (unless the tenuto is combined with a staccato).

2. Unless otherwise indicated, the damper pedal should be used discreetly to allow for maximum clarity.

Keane Southard/Spindrift Pages Email: keane.southard@hotmail.com Website: keanesouthard.instantencore.com

Commissioned by and Composed for The 2021 Artsong Collaborative Project.

Mottainai A Japanese expression of regret at the full value of something not being put to good use, of something being wasted. e = 96

  



             p dolce

  







         



    pp 

 

It was three months

                

 

sf

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   

cel - e -brat - ed





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

in

   

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

  my

mp

the

   mid - dle



  

of

  

 

mp

   

lat - est

birth - day.

Af - ter brush - ing

 



When

  

  

May,

 

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  

 

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   

p

6

I

  

e = 132

 p       

3

 

Words and Music by Keane Southard

     

©2021

 

mp

    my

  

      

teeth

and



   

2 9

    put - ting

 

 



on clothes,

I

found

     a small

box

mf

   

    

f



crowned with silk bows.

With

                                 f                                   

   

  

    

joy

I tore off

the wrap - ping

13

           

     

mf

         16

 





up

to

my

face.

 



    

      



      

and lace

Be - fore



   

lift - ing the

pres

 -

ent

                                  p

           

   f

  An



 

e

-

lec - tric

     f



      

p

                    

    

         

 



3

     

tooth

       

-

brush

              

3

18



  



  of



    3

 

the

      lat - est

                   3



   



20



  

3

3

3

3



de -

   

      

 

ex - pen - sive

to

                                3

 

3



3



3

3

3

 

was ex

3

 

-

clu - sive - ly

mine!

          3

3



ff

       

      3                      3    3                         3

buy

                                           

22

   3      

                

      

Too

sign

ff



     

               

      

4 25

poco rit.

A tempo

mp

 

 





                      

Now the

  

  

man - u -al brush

    

 

     

I'd

 

 



bought yes - ter- day

 

  

p

Was

   

                        



rit.

28

   



no use

to



me,

   

 

   



 

 

           

31

dropped in the trash,

          p  







  



a - way.

    But as it

  

  

  

f



                     pp

                       I



it

        

    

 

    

I could throw

    

e = 96 p

f



can't tell you why,

 

             

I

heard a voice whis - per,

                 mp

     

p

     

     pp

poco rit.

36

 

A tempo

   "Mot

  



   -

   

39

 





 

 



A voice

       

        





"Mot - tai - nai."

          

                   

p

 

         

e = 132

p

f sub.

                 

43

   

 

 

pp dolce

rit.

whis - pered



mot - tai - nai."

       

      

    

tai - nai,

mf

     

5

p dolce e cantabile

   



        

            

            

  

   

mp



That ver - y

same



day,

 or



that



 

eve - ning

 

at least,

  My

                                 

  

mp

 

   

 

 

 

    

6 46

  friends

   took me out







for

a

grand



f





birth - day

feast.

                                          

   

 

  

    

48

 

 

mf



    





  

    

 

  

 

They

    so

I

 

o - bliged,

said,

           

    

  

   

ap - pe - tiz - ers,

  

 

  

       

   



"Or - der a - ny- thing!" and

mf





    



Get -ting

 



Allargando 50

f

 

     

    

 

    

   



   



         ff

3

an en - tree,

and nu - mur - ous

     

            

   

  

  

   

sides.

             ff

  

 

rit.

53



mf

 

  

The



 

  

7

           

first course was de - li - cious, the

       

          

 

    

di - vine,

And I

              

   

mp

sec - ond

 

 

         

e = 96

     

 

rit.

56

    washed it all

          

      

down with some

   

e = 76

crack - ers

    p

and

 

    



 

of wine.

Af - ter

                                        

  

       

60

glass - es

p

       

cheese, my

              

bel - ly

 

     

felt

  

   

         mf

big

As the

                       

      

   

main course ap - peared:

    mf

     

 

 

       

 

 

8 64

      



a com - plete



  

    clar - ing

  

  

ff



"No more"

            

      

p

             I

    



 

 

And

cool

 

  

    

ly pushed a - way

that

   

   

   





     



slaugh - tered

    

        

          

          

      

  

e = 96

p

But as they

 

    

        mf          

boar.

              

fat,

     

  

accel.

71

   

be -fore de -

mf            

    -

took just one bite

p



  

  

  

pig!



    

68

      

roast - ed

     

      

ff



with - drew

     p

  

the plat - ter,

I

 

9

rit.

 

74

     

swear this is no lie,

His

  



mouth,

an - i - mat - ed,



A Tempo 77

  

nai,

mot - tai -





nai."

His mouth

  

         

          

80

e = 76

  





       





nai."

     pp



      



      mf

      

     

       





 

crooned

    

"Mot - tai -

         p

           pp

    As

     

 



                  pp dolce

  



"Mot - tai -

rit.

p dolce e cantabile

  

    

  

 

 

   

mf

crooned

         

  

    

        

I

left

   

the res - tau -rant

       



   



and

 

  

10

 

       

  

walked down the street, My mind was still fixed on

           

   

   

 

mp

87





p



      

 

  



  

and I

 

went my own way

mp

       

               

90

pp

strange,

           

pp

talk - ing piece of meat.

    

       

But as I

My

                        

mp

  

   

          

As I thought "What a beau- ti - ful

    

 

   

  

f

     

   

 

to bed,

A di -

    

                     

 

 

for - ward

 

on home

  

look - ing

    

but

 

saun - tered

p



 3               

p

birth - day!"

p

     

         

     

f

mp

    

   mp      

 

 

p

friends said "Good bye!"

     

            



that

mp



83



 

  

93

 

 

   shev - eled

old man

  

96

 

         





a pen - ny? For I'm in

 

 

man

    

said, "Ex - cuse me,

 



my friend,

can you



need

f

     

p dolce









rit.

food,

    

 f   

but I have - n't got

a - ny."The

      

stank of liq - uor

and in - stead of

re - ply

 

pp coldly

         

I ig - nored him as if

he were a

                                        

   





pp coldly

f

     







   of



                                                

 e = 76

4



lend

             

and



                                    

      

   

99



   me

f

       

ap - proached me

               



11

e = 108 p sub. dolce



        

una corda



 

12

   

102

  triv

-

i - al

    



mp

 

fly.

I

    



     left him

yet was pur - sued by

mp

 

cry:

A

   

tre corde e = 60 pp dolce e triste

rit.

105

     bit- ter,

      

plain -

       



  tive,



                

109

  

  

nai,

    

   



ppp



    una corda  rit.

                     pp

           

 



mot tai - nai,

         

mot - tai - nai."

 





   

   

    

"Mot - tai - nai,

       

   



his

       

   

   

 



be - hind

 

   

  



mot - tai

          





 

                      