Songs of Fatherhood for SATB a cappella
1. Little Fish 2. So, Little Rabbit 3. Awaken 4. Fly Free by Day, Swim Deep at Night 5. Eternal Laughter
Poetry by William Wallis Music by David V. Montoya
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
1.
Little Fish
Your first breath seemed To me the breath of God. Pale and pure, it flooded The surface of my face.
Every friend was a melody Seeking a new voice— Holding her hand was so new, And we made that first loving choice.
As you hesitated that moment Head turning up, body still buried In your mother’s flesh, The land of my heart formed.
And then suddenly it appeared— That dream in harmony With this world, with life itself, And we shared that sacred dream in song.
Your eyes opened—skies appeared. Restless, to taunt the spirit, Your shoulder lifted within And a whole, perfect image Slipped from sea to air. Then all things formed about you, Little fish writhing in first light, Little angel of my heart.
2.
So, Little Rabbit
So, little rabbit, got you! I’ll hold you down And kiss you anyway. You won’t escape My bear love so easily— I see the half-hid smile Beneath the playful Struggle to escape. I cling now; I know Soon you’ll be too old for this, Except in ceremony. But I will always steal in While you sleep here To inhale your hair’s Fragrance, measure your breath’s Calm raid on my senses.
3.
Awaken
The universe was once music And stories were visions Of innocence and joy And the inherent beauty of the sun.
4.
Fly Free by Day, Swim Deep at Night
I wake in a net of lost chances Drawn close about rising fears; Yet there is peace in design—distance, Repetition, even ancient arrears. You leave again tomorrow To later return from distant places And free my thought from old sorrow Determined by the god of long races. There is no need to ask why parting goes on When joyous pain prolongs such flight; I do not think I will die today, dear son, But even so—fly free by day, swim deep at night.
5.
Eternal Laughter
And so, father, you have gone Where I must one day follow, And my son’s love for you alone Is set apart, now, by sorrow. Every son hopes death will pass on by, But must accept the cold fact That at daybreak or eventide He must bury old dreams, and act. And so, old Dad, I salute your past, And seek in this still photograph What the sly camera could not catch— Your joyful, echoing, eternal laugh.
In dance we found new rhythms, William Wallis, November 13, 2013 Discovered how to move, to dream “Five Poems on Fatherhood” In the shifting space between us, And await the slow approach of longing. ________________________________________________________________________________ No. 1 was originally titled “Asher’s Moment” and is published in ASHER, rev. edition, Stone and Scott, Publishers, 1993. No. 2 was originally titled “Wrestling” and also appeared in the book ASHER. No. 4 was published in L. A. MY LOVE, Lone Wolf Editions, 2012. It was in the chapter titled “Minutia” and was one of four poems in that section. The title given is "29 November 2011." No. 3 and No. 5 were written especially for this set, SONGS OF FATHERHOOD.
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ABOUT THE PIECE: SONGS OF FATHERHOOD. This five-movement song cycle is also an amazing collaboration of artists. Conductor Bradley Scott Pierson commissioned me to write the 1st piece in 2012. Poet William Wallis and I decided that it would be a great idea to create a song cycle from that, so he crafted new poems to round out the set. Then, visual artist Lorato Mastebroek created beautiful pencil images to include in the program. The result was a collaborative artistic effort that was a joy for me to write. A quick synopsis: Mvt. 1 - Little Fish (Birth) Mvt. 2 - So, Little Rabbit (Childhood) Mvt. 3 - Awaken (Adolescence) Mvt. 4 - Fly Free by Day, Swim Deep at Night (Adulthood/Letting Go) Mvt. 5 - Eternal Laughter (Death, and the cycle of life) SONGS OF FATHERHOOD was premiered on February 7, 2014 at the University Presbyterian Church in Seattle, Washington. Brad Pierson gave a BEAUTIFUL reading of the piece with his superb choir whateverandeveramen (whateverchoir.org). Mr. Wallis was in attendance to read his poetry.
ABOUT THE POET: William Wallis (b. 1946) was born in the American South and educated at Hendrix College, Southern Illinois University, the University of Nebraska (Ph.D.in Literary Criticism and Creative Writing, 1972), and the Hanover Conservatory (Opera Performance). He has published twenty volumes of poetry and prose. His volumes Joshua (1994), Twins (1996), and Selected Poems 1969-99 (2000) were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, Poetry Division. In 2006, his novel Hawk won the Benjamin Franklin Award in Popular Fiction of the Independent Publishers of America. (His works are available on Amazon.com.) He lives with his wife Leslie and their four children just off the Miracle Mile in Los Angeles, where he is a cycling enthusiast.
ABOUT THE COMPOSER: David V. Montoya (b. 1968) received a bachelor’s degree in music education from California State University, Los Angeles, and a master of music degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. He currently teaches at La Habra High School (CA) where he teaches choral music, guitar, piano, AP Music Theory, and ukulele. His compositions range from a cappella and accompanied choral music (from the silly to the sacred) to works for voice, guitar, ukulele, and piano. Montoya lives his musical life in the Los Angeles, CA area, with his wife Patricia, and his three boys, David Thomas, Joseph and Matthew. Montoya studies composition with his dear friend and teacher, noted author/composer, William Allaudin Mathieu. He is also the caretaker of the library of scores by his friend and teacher George Heussenstamm. For more information about David V. Montoya and his music, please visit www.MontoyaMusic.com.
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
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© December 2013 by D. V. Montoya www.MontoyaMusic.com
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
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τ D. V. Montoya Christmas Day 2013 West Covina, CA
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