Keane Southard
Three Songs of Dylan Thomas for
Voice and Piano
(2005-06) (Duration: c. 11 mins.)
Program notes: These Three Songs of Dylan Thomas were written in late 2005 and completed in the spring of 2006. I was inspired to set Dylan Thomas’s poems to music after hearing a recording of the poet reading his own poems, including these three. I was moved by the power of his voice and how the poem came alive through reciting it. Thomas believed that poetry should be read aloud, and after hearing “And Death Shall Have No Dominion”, “In My Craft or Sullen Art” and “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” come alive by his voice, I felt that, through music, I could make these poems even more powerful and beautiful.
Keane Southard 2006
Performance instructions: 1. Unless otherwise indicated, the damper pedal should be used discreetly to allow for maximum clarity. 2. Notes with diamond-shaped noteheads (◊) in the voice part indicate that the words are to be spoken as if the poem were being recited. The general rhythm of the spoken words is indicated as a guide. 3. Notes with diamond-shaped noteheads (◊) in the piano indicate that the notes should be plucked with the fingernail inside of the piano. 4. Accidentals apply for the entire measure in which they occur. 5. Tone clusters on the piano are indicated by chords where the noteheads are covered with a thick, vertical black line. These clusters can be played with one or two hands, and contain white, black, or both kinds of notes. The general area and register for each cluster is given. 6. The “optional loud shouts” in “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” should only be included if the singer has a voice that can successfully “pull it off”.
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And Death Shall Have No Dominion Keane Southard
Text by Dylan Thomas
Solemn h = 50
pp
8
man
mf
p
and the west moon;
sos.
p
one
With the
p
pp
mp
When theirbones
mf
3
And death shall have
mf
Dead men na - ked they shall be
in the wind
3
mf
15
mp
p
do - min - i - on
no
mp
Solemn h = 50
mp
Copyright © Keane Southard 2006 Text Copyright © 1971 by The Trustees for the Copyrights of Dylan Thomas
pp
are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
p
p
2
f
mp
23
3
f
sos.
f
29
sink
through the
36
And
be
lost
love shall
p dolce
no
do - min - i - on
not;
3
mp
pp
p
sea they shall rise a - gain; Though lov - ers
death shall have
sf
p dolce
sane, Though they
3
mp
mad they shall be
f
mp
Though they go
mp
They shall have stars at el - bow and foot;
f
3 mp
43
3
And death shall have
no
do - min - i - on.
Un - der the wind - ings of the
3
48
f
sea
p
mp
mp
way,
not die wind - i - ly:
Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not
p
mp
mf
mp
Twist - ing on
mf
Faith in their hands shall
mf
3
racks when sin - ews give
f
3
break;
p
f
mf
They ly - ing long shall
mf
53
mf
pp
p
mf
f
snap in two, And the
f
4
58
ff
f
ff
un - i - corn e - vils run them through; Split all ends up
64
no
pp
pp
p
pp
3
And death shall have no
do - min - i - on.
3
And death shall have
mf
they shan't crack;
do - min - i - on.
mp
mp
f
una corda 72
p
No more may gulls cry at their ears
tre corde
Or waves break
p
loud
on the
sea - shores;
(toneclusters)
p
sff
pp
5
80
mp
Where blew a
88
ff
mad
and
dead
as
sfz
ff
to the blows of the
head
f
dai
its
ham - mer through
Lift
more
Though they be
95
rain;
pp
flower may a flower no
mf
mp
sfz
-
sies;
nails,
f
Heads
of the
Break
in
the
sun
ff broadly
ff broadly
char - act - ers
till
the
6
100
sun
breaks
down,
Freely, Solemn
fff
fff
spoken: And death
mp
Freely, Solemn
shall have
no
do - min - ion.
In My Craft or Sullen Art
Text by Dylan Thomas
Keane Southard
q = 69
q = 69
ppp
simile
una corda
4
p
In my craft or sul -len art
7
simile
And the lov - ers lie a - bed With all their griefs in their arms
When on - ly the moon rag - es
Ex - er - cised in the still night
Copyright © Keane Southard 2005 Text Copyright © 1971 by The Trustees for the Copyrights of Dylan Thomas
p
8 10
I la - bour by sing - ing light
mf
On
the ivo
-
ppp
pp
p
most
se - cret
their
p
Or the strut and trade of charms
But for the com - mon wa - ges Of
mf
p
ry sta - ges
16
heart
13
Not for am - bi - tion or bread
19
p
Not for the proud man a - part
21
9
mf
these spin - drift pag - es
rit.
24
p
Nor for the tow - er - ing dead
p
ppp
mf
From the ra -ging moon I write On
But
for
the
With their night - in - gales and psalms
mp
rit.
10
A tempo
f
27
mp
lov - ers, their arms
f
of the ag - es
Who
32
pp
Nor
heed
my
p
craft
or
art
(plucked inside the piano with finger)
pppp
pay no praise or wag - es
30
p
Round the griefs
A tempo
(norm.)
(plucked)
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Text by Dylan Thomas
q = 130
q = 130
mf
Do
not
a-gainst the
dy - ing of the
(Optional loud shout: "RAGE! AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT!")
f
Copyright © Keane Southard 2005 Text Copyright © 1971 by The Trustees for the Copyrights of Dylan Thomas
rage
night,
Rage,
light.
good
cresc.
day;
16
at close of
rave
f
and
Old age should burn
gen - tle in - to that
go
mp
9
Keane Southard
12
22
mp
Though
men
at their end
34
words had
forked
no light
know
dark
is
p
right,
Be - cause their
wise
mp
29
sos.
-
cresc.
ning
they
Do
not
go
gen - tle
in - to
cresc.
13
f
39
that
good
night.
the
last wave by,
f
bright
Their fra - il
rage
a - gainst the
dy
50
deeds might have
-
ing of the
bay,
Rage,
cresc.
ff
(Optional loud shout: "RAGE! AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT!")
light
danced in a green
cry - ing how
44
Good men,
14 55
flight,
mp
p
caught and sang the sun
in
Wild men who
68
sos.
mp
61
And
learn,
too
late,
they
grieved it
on
its
way,
Do
15
cresc.
ff
73
not
go
cresc.
gen - tle
in - to
that
84
gay,
blind - ing
Rage,
rage
night.
Grave men,near
a - gainst the
dy
-
ff
Blind eyes could blaze like me -
sight
good
78
death,who see with
teors
and be
poco rit.
ing of the light
poco rit.
16
Slower, rubato mf
89
And you,
my fath - er,
Slower, rubato
mf
there
Rage,
not
go gent - le in - to
Tempo I (senza rubato) sff
Do
95
dim.
now with your fierce tears, I pray.
that
a - gainst the
dy
ing
of
sff
sff
sff
pp
the
light.
Tempo I (senza rubato)
-
me
good night.
rage
pp
dim.
sff
Bless,
92
Curse,
on that sad height,
17
99
fff
103
107
rit.
rit.
sos.
q = 84
q = 84
p dim.
p
dim.
(Optional loud shout: "RAGE!")
(Optional loud shout: "RAGE!")
(Optional loud shout: "RAGE!")
ppp