On the Breakwater
Eric Malmquist This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
On the Breakwater for SATB choir duration: approximately five minutes Poem by Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) On the breakwater in the summer dark, a man and a girl are sitting, She across his knee and they are looking face into face Talking to each other without words, singing rhythms in silence to each other. A funnel of white ranges the blue dusk from an outgoing boat, Playing its searchlight, puzzled, abrupt, over a streak of green And two on the breakwater keep their silence, she on his knee.
Program Note: Carl Sandburg’s collection of Chicago Poems was published in 1916, but I have repeatedly found that the near hundred-year-old words still apply. Then and now, the city is heartbreaking but achingly beautiful at the same time. Details have changed – just replace Sandburg’s Italians with Mexicans and his streetcars with L trains. This poem, published in the same book as Chicago Poems but in a different set entitled Fogs and Fires, still speaks to me here-and-now. The season still applies, but the breakwater is in Rogers Park, beside a stand of dune grasses bending in a gentle breeze, with a view south of a dazzling, gleaming city, and to the east of us nothing but an auburn sky dissolving into the horizon.
Performance Notes: This piece is centered around F, although isn’t really tonal per se but essentially pandiatonic. It simply felt right to me to omit a key signature. The [oo] vowels are carried through to the end of each system, until or unless replaced by actual words.
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
On the Breakwater commissioned by the Wicker Park Choral Singers Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)
Soprano
4 &4
Alto
Tenor
Moderate q = 80
∑
∑
∑
∑
∑
∑
& 44
∑
∑
∑
∑
∑
∑
4 V4
∑
∑
∑
∑
π ? 4 œ œ ˙. 4
Bass
ERIC MALMQUIST (2013)
˙
œ œ ˙.
Ó
p sotto voce ˙ œ œ œ ˙
Œ
On
˙
œ œ ˙.
Ó
the
break - wa - ter
˙
Ó
[oo]
7
T
B
VŒ
œ œ œ ˙
˙ in
the
? œ œ ˙.
œ
sum - mer dark,
˙
Œ Œ œ ˙ a
œ œ ˙.
Ó
man
˙
œ œ ˙ .
and a
Ó
Œ
˙ œ œ .
girl
are
œ œ ˙.
sit - ting,
˙
˙ She
œ œ ˙.
Ó
œ ac -
[oo] 14
T
B
V
œ œ
˙
ross his
? ˙
œ
knee
œ œ œ
œ œ ˙
and they are
look - ing face
œ
œœ ˙
Ó
˙
œ œ
Ó
Ó
œ œ ˙.
in - to face
˙
˙
œ œ
˙
Talk - ing
œ œ œ œ to each
o - ther
˙
Ó
[oo] 20
T
B
V œ
Œ
? œœ ˙
˙ with
œ ˙ œ
-
˙
out
œ ˙
words,
œ Œ ˙
sing
∑
œ
-
œ œ œ ing rhy - thms
œ œ ˙.
œ
œ œ œ in
œ œ ˙.
si - lence
[oo]
© 2013 VarangiantoMusic This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com purchase performance copies.
œ
˙
to
œ œ ˙.
œ each
2 26
S
A
T
B
∑
& &Ó
π ˙
π œ œ ˙. [oo]
w
[oo]
∑
V œ ˙. ?
o - ther.
∑
Ó
π ˙ [oo]
˙
Ó
Ó
œœ œ w
œ œ ˙.
∑
Ó
[oo]
Ó
bw
33
S
& œ œ œ œ the break
A
T
B
-
˙
? Ó
˙
[oo]
[oo]
S
A
∑
&
B
wa - ter
œœ œ
&œ ˙
Ó
V Ó ?Ó
dark,
Ó
bw
Ó
˙
Œ œ
Ó
man
˙
˙
w
bw
Ó
˙
bw
˙
œœ œ
and
a
œ œ
the
break - wa - ter
œ œ
bœ œ ˙
Ó
[oo]
˙ [oo]
a
œœ œ
w
dark,
Œ
w
˙
in
˙ ˙ [oo]
girl
œ
are
œ œ ˙.
sit - ting,
Œ ˙
˙.
œ
œ œ ˙.
Œ
are
She
sit - ting,
w
Ó
bw
Ó
˙
She
œ œ
œ œ ˙
On the
break - wa - ter
œ œ
bœ œ ˙
On the
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
the
bw
˙.
girl
œ
w
[oo]
break - wa - ter
On
Ó
œ œ œ œ œ
break - wa - ter
œ œ
˙
break - wa - ter
Ó
Ó
Ó
the
w
œ œ bœ œ ˙
œ œ ˙
On
œœ œ w
Ó
and
On
Ó
œ œ ˙.
œ œ ˙
œ œ
man
œ œ
a
˙
Ó
in the sum - mer
On the
Œ œ
˙
∑
On the
Ó œ
˙
w
w
a
sum - mer
T
˙
[oo]
V Ó
39
œ œ ˙. Ó
& w
π ˙
p sotto voce Œ œ
break - wa - ter
œ ac -
œ
ac -
3 45
S
&œ œ œœ œ
œ œ œ œ
&œ ˙
œ œ œ œ
ross his
A
knee
œ
ross his
T
B
and they are
knee
V Ó
˙
?Ó
˙
51
A
T
B
ing to each
& Ó
dim.
V Ó
œ œ œ ˙.
A
T
B
with - out
œ œ œ ˙.
œ ˙
o - ther
to each dim.
o - ther
to each
o - ther
with - out
Ó
&
∑
&
∑
∑
p œ
words,
words,
˙
[oo]
˙
Ó Ó
∑ Ó
Œ
? w
Ó
∑ ˙
[oo]
to
˙
face
Talk -
˙
Ó
On the
œ œ
f ˙
break - wa - ter
œ œ
bœ œ
˙
Ó
f ˙
œ
the
sum - mer
sing - ing
œ ˙
dark,
w w
[oo]
in
π œ œ ˙.
si - lence to each
∑
p w
w
œ œ œ œ œ
rhy - thms
w p w
œ
[oo]
break - wa - ter
Œ œ œ
Œ œ
Ó
f œ œ ˙
-
in
p
œ
bw
œ œ ˙
fun - nel
o - ther.
∑
∑
Ó
˙
w
Ó
π ˙
Ó
˙
w
Ó
π ˙
œ
˙
œ ˙
of
˙
white
∑ ∑
[oo]
˙
f w
[oo]
A
V bw
in
Œ
œ œ
p œ
œ ˙
o - ther
to each dim.
Œ
On the
œ œ œ ˙.
? Ó 58
S
Ó
-
face
look - ing
bw
& œ œ œ œ œ ˙.
Œ
œ œ ˙ Ó
dim.
œ. bœ œ œ J
look - ing
w
[oo]
[oo]
S
and they are
œ œ ˙
∑ p œ. bœ ˙ J p œ. œ ˙ J
p œ ˙.
ran - ges
œ
the
ran - ges
∑
blue
Œ ˙
in
∑
œ. bœ ˙ J
∑
œ. œ ˙ J
[oo]
w
b˙
˙
[oo]
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œ
the
4 65
S
Ó
&w
dusk
A
B
œ w
Ó
œ œ
P Œ ˙
from an
&œ ˙
œ
sum - mer
T
P œ œ œ ˙
dark
V˙
Ó
?˙
Ó
˙
out - go - ing
from
œ. bœ ˙ J
˙
œ. œ ˙ J
˙
[oo] 71
S
A
T
&
˙.
F œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ
&˙
F V ˙ bœ œ œ. œ œ œ ˙ puz - zled,
?˙
the
blue
blue
œ. œ œ œ œ Œ &
77
S
break - wa - ter
A
& ˙
break
T
-
œ œ
? n˙
break
-
dusk
dusk
œ œ wa - ter
o - ver
a
o - ver
a
streak
of
˙
Œ bœ œ. œ œ bœ œ œ the
keep
their
si
Œ œ their
˙
˙
˙.
keep
their
si
Œ œ their
-
nw si
ww
si
blue
œœ
-
-
-
the
Ï ww
Ï w
lence,
lence,
dusk
dusk
of
U
∑
light,
-
˙
œ. œ œ œ ˙
blue
dusk
œ. œ œ bœ ˙
blue
U
on the
˙
ƒ Œ œ ˙
ƒ f œ. œ œ œ ˙ J
on the
And two
And two
œ œ œ œ œ œ
green,
And two
on the
green
two
on the
œ œ
Tempo I q = 80
∑ ∑
dusk
ƒ Œ œ ˙
∑
Ï ww
light,
˙
U U
lence,
-
ƒ f œ. œ œ Œ ˙ J
of
œ Ïw
lence,
˙
search
Œ œ
green,
Œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ blue
˙
green,
˙
the
œ
the
f bœ œ œ J of
search
Œ œ
f œ œ œ J
streak
its
its
˙
dusk
j œ. œ œ œ œ.
˙
˙
Œ
œ ˙
j œ. œ œ bœ œ.
˙˙
˙
˙
blue
n ˙˙ ..
Rit.
wa - ter
œ. œ œ œ œ Œ V break - wa - ter
B
ab - rupt,
F œ œ œ. œ œ bœ ˙ the
B
ab - rupt,
Play - ing
an out - go ing boat P Œ œ œ. œ œ œ ˙ ˙
the
F Œ œ œ œ œ œ Œ puz - zled,
boat,
the blue dusk P Œ œ œ. œ œ bœ ˙
[oo]
˙
Œ œ œ œ œ
π w
∑
∑
∑
∑
∑
∑
Baritones
[oo]
∑
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˙w [oo] Basses
Ó
5 84
S
A
∑
&
π
&Ó ˙
[oo]
T
B
∑
? w˙
Ó
w
∑
˙ Ó ∑
∑
[oo]
A
T
B
∑
& œ œ ˙.
w
&Ó
œœ œ
w
V Ó
Œ
œ ˙
[oo]
[oo]
œ keep
? ww
˙˙
Ó
their
[oo] 99
S
A
T
B
∑
&w Ó
Vw
˙
? ˙˙
œœ œ
œ ˙. Ó
si
w
Ó
œ
-
lence,
∑
œ œ ˙.
[oo]
Ó Ó
w [oo]
∑
∑ ˙w [oo]
∑
w
Ó
w
Ó Œ
˙w
Ó
π œ œ ˙.
And two
œœ œ
w˙
Ó
˙
Ó
˙
∑
˙
Ó
∑
Ó
œœ œ
œ œ
˙
on
his
∑
ww
œ
knee.
∑
œœ œ w ∑
Ó
Ó
the break - wa - ter
∑
w
œ ˙
œ œ ˙.
œ ˙. she
œ œ
Ó
œœ œ w
w Ó
on
w˙
∑
[oo]
w˙
Ó
∑
w
Ó
œœ œ w
p sotto voce Œ œ ˙ œ
˙w
œ œ ˙.
Ó
œœ œ w Ó
w
∑
w Ó
Ó
w
[oo]
&w
∑
˙˙ Ó Ó
ww
œ œ ˙.
œœ œ w
[oo]
92
S
Ó
œœ œ w
∑ Ó
∑
w
[oo]
∑
V
π œ œ ˙.
ww
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
œ œ ˙. ˙˙
Ó Ó
6 106
S
A
T
B
&
∑
& Ó
œœ œ
œ œ ˙.
w
w
Ó
[oo]
[oo]
∑
V w ? w [oo]
∑
˙w [oo]
Ó
∑ œœ œ
w
œ œ ˙.
˙
ww
˙˙
[oo]
Ó Ó Ó
œ œ ˙.
w
˙
Ó
w
w
˙
Ó
œ œ ˙.
w
˙
Ó
w bw
w w
˙ ˙
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Ó Ó
Chicago, IL February, 2013