this brightening silence for TTBB choir a cappella, 4’
Kathleen Allan 2014
Commissioned by Newman Sound David Chafe and Jennifer Hart, Artistic Directors, St. John’s, NL in honour of the 100th anniversary of the 1914 Newfoundland Sealing Disaster
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
this brightening silence hush now for soon will come our grey angel on wings of canvas rising from the foam she'll draw us up across her bow, hold us fast and point us home and in the meanwhile we make our exchanges breath for spirit, salt for ice, flesh for stone, words yet unbroken for olden ways of blood memory as our life's storm fades from this brightening silence now as one we cradle in the bow, stretching full its worth to strain oblivion to force a crack that grows splintering death itself to pieces while she, with us safely stowed in her berth lifts her wing o’er the breaking floes that fall way beneath us as our light rushes in and releases
- T. Benton Roark
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Commissioned by Newman Sound, David Chafe and Jennifer Hart, Artistic Directors, in honour of the 100th anniversary of the 1914 Newfoundland Sealing Disaster
this brightening silence T. Benton Roark
Tenor
Kathleen Allan
q = 60 Freely
mp œ œœ œ œ œ œ b j 4 œ 2 œ 3 œ b œ ‰ ‰ œ œ œ œœ b J œ œ œ b 4 J & b4 œ œ œ4 J ‹ Hush now, for soon will come our grey an-gel with wings of can - vas ris- ing from the
° bb b 4 U ˙ œ w T. & b b 4 ˙ Œ ‹
24 œ , œ œ 43 ˙
6
foam
She'll draw,
° bb b U T. & b b ˙ ˙ ‹ 11
U ? b B. ¢ b bbb ˙˙
home
She'lldraw us up a- cross her oo
Œ
pp
œœ oo
Œ
pp
œœ
oo
34 ˙™ ˙™ ˙™ 34 ˙™
° bb b Œ ‰ j œ œ œ 44 œ ˙ T. & b b ˙™ ‹ home
B.
?b ¢ b bbb Œ
and point us home
œ œ œœ œ , œ œ 3 œ œ™B1&2 œ4 œ œ œ 2 œ J J J 4 œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ 4 4
and in the
16
fast,
j ‰œ œ œ œœ J
mp
? bb b 44 Ó Œ B. ¢ bb B1
hold us
œ ‰ 44 Œ J
bow, hold us
˙˙ ™
fast,
œ œ™ œ œ œ ˙™ , ˙ ˙™
œ
˙˙
we
mean - while
we
œ
point
b˙˙ ™™
œ œ
mp mean - while
and point us home, point us
42 œ make
˙˙™™
œ œ 43 œ œ Œ
mean - while
we
make our ex - chang - es
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visitCopyright MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies. Music © Kathleen Allan 2014 Text Copyright © T. Benton Roark 2014
us
12 8
our ex - chang - es
mp œœ œ œ œœ œœ œœ 3 œœ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ 4 2 œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ J œ Œ 4 4 4 and in the
œ
12 8
2
° b b 12 eœ= e œ œ-œ œœ œœ T. & b b b 8 J J ‹ breath for spi - rit, 20
? b b 12 ™ B. ¢ b b b8 Ó
float
b 3 & b bbb 4 Ó ‹
mp
T2
? bb b 44 ˙ ™ bb mp
B1
oh,
? bb4 ¢ b b b4 w
mp
B2
oh
œ œ œ œ Œ œœ œœ œœ œ œ Œ
breath for spi - rit,
28
b 4 & b bbb 4 ˙ ‹ oh,
˙™
breath for spi - rit,
? bb3 B. ¢ b b b4 Ó
° bb b 4 mf œ T1 & b b 4 ‹ bro
œ
salt
° bb b 3 ˙ ™ T1 & b b 4 ‹ stone T2
salt
Ϊ
moving forward
22
‰ œ
-
for old - en
˙™
salt for ice,
œœ œœ ˙˙˙
salt for ice,
˙
58 œ ™
œ
œ J
for
œ
j œ 43 â ä
T1
‰ œ
flesh
œœ
for
‰ Œ™
43
ice,
œ
˙™
Œ œ œœ
˙™
A tempo
Œ œ œ œ 44 words yet un-
˙
œ ‰ 44 J
˙
œ ‰ 4â J 4ä
flesh for stone
œ œœœ ˙™ Œ flesh for stone
œ œœ œ œ 4 œ œ 4 œ™
as our
life's storm
œ œ 44 œ œ
as our
ways of blood
58 Ϫ
ice,
blood mem- o - ry
œ œ 58 œ œ œ J
old - en
˙˙™™
for
˙
œ œ ˙
ways of
œœ
poco rit.
œ œ œ œ œ 58 œ œ œ J ken
˙˙™™
œœ J
life's storm
f
˙ fades
f
˙
fades
f
œ œœ œ œ 4 œ œ œ b˙ 4
mem- o - ry
as our
life's storm
fades
f
Ϫ
4 œ œ 4œ œ œ ˙
as our
life's
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storm
fades
3
° b b ˙™ T1 & b b b ‹ 32
T2
B1
B2
? b b <b>˙ bbb ?b ¢ b bbb
36
p
p
Ó ∑
Più mosso
mp
68 Œ ™
>œ
œ -œ œ J J
mp
>œ
œ -œ œ J J
mp
> ? bb 44 œ b
>œ
68
∑
68 Œ ™
mp
>œ
we cra - dle in the
simile
œ
œ -œ œ J J
we cra - dle in the
œ œ bbb 44
f
Œ
Now as
si - lence
> 34 œ
mp
Now as
œ -œ œ
bright'-ning si - lence
si - lence
Now as
œ œ œ 4œ œ œ 38 4
œ œ œ™
œ œ œ 4œ œ œ 38 4
œ œ œ™
bow, stretch - ing
stretch - ing
24 œ œ œ
full
full
38 œ
bow, stretch - ing
its
its
full
worth
worth
to strain
to strain
œ J
ob-
j œ ob-
œ 4œ œ J 4J
œ œ œ œ œ J
œ 44 œ™ J
œ œ™ J
bright' - ning
œ œ 38 œ
4 bbb 4
f œ œ œ œ œ œ3 4 J ‰ J 4 bbb 4
>œ
mp
bright' - ning si - lence bright' - ning
? bb 44 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 42 œ B2 ¢ b
43 Œ
f 3 œ 4 œ œ œ ‰ œ œ bbb 44 J J
>œ
bright' - ning si - lence
j œ œ œ œ œ 42 œ
œ -œ œ
mp
bright' - ning si - lence bright' - ning si - lence
one,
œ -œ œ J J
bright' - ning si - lence bright' - ning
b4 2 & b b4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 4 œ ‹ one, we cra - dle in the bow, mf
B1
œ -œ œ J J
from this bright'-ning si - lence bright' - ning si - lence
bb &b b b w ‹
° b4 ™ T1 & b b 4 œ ‹ one, T2
œ bœ 68 >œ
mp
its
si - lence bright' - ning si - lence
worth
to strain
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j œ ob-
4
° b œ™ œ ˙ T1 & b b ‹ liv - i-on 40
T2
B1
œ to
b œ &b b œ™ œ œ ‹ liv - i- on ? b œJ œ bb
liv - i - on
° b 5U ˙™ T1 & b b 4 ‹ self 44
T2
B1
bb 5 U b & 4 ˙™ ‹
force a crack that
U 5 ? b B2 ¢ b b 4 ˙™ self
-
grows
œ œ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ™ J J œJ ‰ œ
to force a crack that
œ
to
ing death
œ it -
45
splint'-ring death it - self to piec- es
f
grows
splint'r
j œ™ œ œj ‰ œ w
-
splint'r
œ œ J
ing death
j œ œ
Ϫ
force a crack that grows
-
ing death
œ it -
œ
it -
45 45
U œ 3 ˙™ Œ 4
˙ œ œ œ œ œ™ œ œ bœ œ ˙™ , mf œ™ œ™
U 3 Œ œ 4 ˙™
, mf ˙ œ œ œ œ ™ œ œ œ œ ˙™ œ ™ œ ™ œ
A few voices pp
oo
mp
U ? bb 45 œ œ œ œ U œ Œ œ 43 ˙ ™ b self to pie - ces
splint'r
œ œ J
5 œ™ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 4 J J œ œ œ œ
to
œ œ œ J J
? bb œ ™ œ ˙ ¢ b
Ϫ
force a crack that grows
œ
bright' - ning si - lence
B2
œ™ œ œ ‰ œ w J J
While mp
she,
While
she,
U 3 Œ œ 4 ˙™ mp
While
she,
in her berth,
with
in her berth,
œ bœ œ œ ˙ ™
, mf Ϫ Ϫ
-
ly stowed in her berth,
lifts her
-
ly stowed in her berth,
lifts her
us safe - ly stowed
˙ œ b˙ with
us safe
˙ œ ˙
with
us safe
lifts her
lifts her
, mf œ™ œ œ œ œ ˙™ œ™
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° b ˙™ T1 & b b ‹ wing 51
T2
B1
b b˙ ™ &b b ‹ wing ? b ˙™ bb
œ
œ <n>œ
˙ nnn 44 œ œ œ œ break - ing floes
œ nœ
break - ing floes
œ J ‰ Œ Œ œ ‰ Œ Œ J
wing
55
T2
B1
4 3 ™ & 4 œ œ™ ‰ œ œ 4 ˙ ‹ neath us as our light ? 44 œ œ™ ‰ œ œ 43 ˙ ™ neath us
B2
as our
light
?4 œ œ 43 ˙ ™ ¢ 4 œ œ™ ‰ neath us
as our
light
be -
f
o'er the
° 4 œœ œœ ™™ ‰ œ œ 3 ˙ ™ T1 & 4 4 ‹ neath us as our light
œ
nnn 44 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 42 œ
wing
˙™ ? b B2 ¢ bb
24 œ
f
o'er the
œ
5
Più mosso
˙
4 nnn 4 Œ
Œ
4 nnn 4 Œ
f
˙™ ˙
œ ˙™
rush - es
˙
in
œ ˙™
rush - es
break - ing floes that
˙
in
rush
in
œ b˙ -
es
way
be -
œ œ œ œ œ 42 œ œ œ 44
in
˙
fall a - way be-
œ œ œ œ œ 42
break - ing floes that fall
b˙
a -
œ œ 4 4
f
œ œ
œ œœ˙
rush - es
that fall
44
a -
œ œ ˙™
œ
way
be -
Ϫ Ϫ
as our light
rush - es
as our light
œ œ ˙™
rush - es
as our light
rush - es
œ œ œ ™ œ œ œ™ œ™ J
œ œ œ
˙™
as our
light
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Ϫ Ϫ Ϫ Ϫ rush - es
44
6
° œ œ ˙ T1 & ‹ in 62
˙
p
œ
˙
oo
? ˙™
B1
œ
oo
& b˙ ™ ‹ in
T2
pp
p
˙
œ
in
B2
¢
? ˙™
° œ T1 & ‹
B1
mp
˙
œ
in
67
T2
oo
? ˙
œ
œ œ™ œ œ œ
˙™
˙
b˙ ™
˙™
œ
˙
œ
˙™
˙™
˙
œ
œ œ™ œ œ œ
Poco meno mosso
>Ϫ
mp
œ 44 œ J
and
˙™
re - leas - es.
Œ
Œ
43
44 œ
œ
‰ œ œ œ 42 œ œ œ J
44 w p
Oh
oh
oh
42 ˙
‰ œ ä J oh
œ
p
mp
˙
‰ œj œ œ 42 œ œ œ œ 43 œfiœ œ
p
Oh
Œ
42 ˙
44 œ
Oh
? ˙ B2 ¢
˙
oo
poco rit.
& <b>˙ ‹
˙™
43
˙
43
˙™
œ
‰ œJ â mp
oh mp
œ ‰ J
oh
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° œœœœ œ œ œ œ4 ˙ œ 4 T. & J J ‹ 71
œœœœ œ ˙ ? J J
B1
mp
? B2 ¢ ˙™ ° 4œ T. & 4 ‹ 77
˙™
° ˙ T1 & ‹
& ˙™ ‹
T2
? ˙
B1
mf
oh
œ
œ
bœ
hoh
oh
oh
42 ˙
mf
w œ
˙™ œ
oh
œ
˙
oh
¢
? ˙™
˙™
œ œ™ œ œ œ
˙™
œ
˙™
˙™
43 ˙™
34 ˙˙™™ 34 œ œ œ œ œ œ 43 ˙™
w
oh
B2
oh
mf
˙™
˙
oh
‰ œj 44
œ ‰ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ 2 œ œ œ 3 œ œ ‰ œ 4 œ 4 4 J J 4 J
œ œ œ œ œ œ
? 44 ˙™ ¢ 80
œ ‰ œ œ œfij œ 2 3 œœœœœ4 œ œœ4 ˙ J
44 w
? 44 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
B1
B2
œœ4 ˙ 4
7
˙™
mp
˙™
mp
˙™
mp
˙™
mp
˙™
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˙™ ˙™ ˙™ ˙™
44 â ä