We Can Fly
for treble chorus and piano
Music and lyrics by Lee R. Kesselman
We Can Fly is dedicated to the amazing legacy of Roberta Q Jackson, and her 35 years as the founding Artistic Director of the Portland Symphonic Girlchoir. With gratitude to the Trueax family, commission sponsors.
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
We Can Fly
We can fly! Let me fly!
Let’s be like the birds. Let us fly! We can fly! Let me fly! Let us fly!
A wise woman once told me: “Look for ways to be happy, A little bit each day.”
We can fly! …
A wise man once told me: “Let Kindness and Justice be your measures, To all who are in the room, And those you cannot see.”
We can fly! …
A wise child once told me: Be like birds, An Eagle for Strength and Freedom, A Bluebird for Beauty, A Dove for Peace.”
Birds do fly!
Let’s be like the birds. Let us fly! Birds do fly! Let us fly!
And when we take flight, we see the whole world. Far above our own small lives.
PROGRAM NOTE:
One of the advantages of working with the same organizations and conductors over time is the level of familiarity and trust that grows through the process. I have known Roberta Jackson and Debra Burgess now for almost 30 years and this is the 5th piece I have written for the Portland Symphonic Girlchoir.
Tsvey Taybelekh (2005)
Peace in the Desert (2015)
Dear God, Be Good to Me (2017)
Be Quick to Love (2019)
We Can Fly (2024)
These are some of my favorites among my compositions for treble choirs. I trust the PSG to bring unerring musicality, vibrant vocalism, and a sure educational process to the many pieces of mine that they have performed, including the premieres of these pieces. I also trust that Deb & Roberta really want repertoire which, beyond its purely musical and poetic elements, also challenges their young singers to think beyond themselves to the larger issues of the world, both social and political. In this context, I have tried to create lyrics for We Can Fly which speak to important issues and yet are more poetic than preachy. These great teachers teach their young artists music, but also open the doors to life-lessons.
This piece was constructed to involve three separate ensembles of the Girlchoir, providing an opportunity for all the singers to perform at least some elements of the new work. There are varying sections of unison, 2-part, and 3-part writing. Conductors can choose which sections of the work best suit choir members, including opportunities for soloists or small ensembles. The refrains would be most suitable for the youngest singers, while the text-driven sections would be most effective for the most mature and experienced singers. There is room for freedom of tempo -- but the round from mm. 43-67 should be quick and ragtime-spirited as long as it can be clean and rhythmic. LRK
We see the smoke and fire, the winds of war, the rivers of tears. But higher, even higher, much, much higher, We see the Oneness of all who want to fly. A world without borders, a land without tears, A place where all are eagles, bluebirds and doves And live to fly free.
We can fly!
Let’s be like the birds. Let us fly! We can fly! Let us fly!
~Lyrics
by Lee R. Kesselman
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Commissioned by the Portland Symphonic Girlchoir, Roberta Q. Jackson & Debra D. Burgess, Co-Conductors
We Can Fly
Joyfully, but not rushed
= 76 unison, simply
Words & music by Lee R. Kesselman © 2023 by Lee R. Kesselman for treble chorus and piano
We can
Voice 1 Piano
fly! We can fly! Let me fly! Let me fly! Let's be like the birds. Let us Pno. 4 fly! Let us fly! We can 4 fly! We can fly! Let me fly! Let me fly! Let us fly! Pno. 9 9 =76 A wise wo man once told me: -
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Pno. 12
py, A 12 lit tle bit each day."
can
can - Pno. 15 fly! We can fly! Let me fly! We can fly! Let me 15 =76 fly! Let me fly! fly! Let me fly! Let's be like the birds. Let us Let's be like the birds. Let us Pno. 18 fly! Let us fly! We can fly! Let us fly! We can 18 fly! We can fly! Let me fly! We can fly! Let me fly! Let me fly! fly! Let me fly! Let us Let us Let us fly! A fly! A fly! =76 4 We Can Fly This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
"Look for ways to be hap
We
We
all who are in the room, And
the birds, Let us
Let's be like the birds, Let us
Pno. 23 wise man
me: "Let wise man once told me: "Let 23 Kind ness and Jus tice be your meas ures, To Kind ness and Jus tice be your meas ures, To - -- - Pno. 25
once told
who are in the room, And 25
you can not see." We can
you can not see." We can fly! We can fly! Let me fly! We can fly! Let me =76 Pno. 28 fly! Let me fly! fly! Let me fly! 28
be like
all
those
those
Let's
fly! Let us fly! We can fly! Let us fly! We can 5 We Can Fly This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Ea
31 fly! We can fly! Let me fly! We can fly! Let me 31 fly! Let me fly! fly! Let me fly! Let us Let us fly! A fly! A A =76 Pno. 35 wise child once told me: wise child once told me: wise child once told me: 35 Be like birds, An Be like birds, An
birds, An
Pno.
Be like
gle for Strength and Free dom,
gle for Strength and Free dom,
gle for Strength and Free dom, ---6 We Can Fly This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Ea
Ea
Ea gle for Strength and Free dom, A
Blue bird for Beau ty, A
Ea gle for Strength and Free dom, A
Blue bird for Beau ty, A
Dove for Dove for
Ea gle for Strength and Free dom, A
Blue bird for Beau ty, A
38
Pno.
38
Dove for Dove for
Dove for Dove for rit. - - -- - -- - - Pno. 41 Dove for Dove for Dove for 41 Peace." Peace." Peace." Birds do Allegro =96 fly! Birds do Birds do lightly fly! Birds do fly! Birds do Birds do 7 We Can Fly (or faster if possible!) This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Let's
birds. Let us
Let's be like the
fly!
Pno. 46
fly!
fly!
46 fly! fly! Birds do fly! Birds do
fly! Birds do
Birds do
Birds do
be like the fly! fly! Birds do
fly! Let us
Let us
be like the Pno. 51 fly! Birds do fly! Let us birds. Let us 51 fly! Birds do fly! Birds do fly! Let us fly! Birds do fly! Birds do fly! Birds do fly! Birds do fly! Birds do fly! Birds do fly! fly! Birds do fly! Birds do 8 We Can Fly This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
birds.
Let's
Pno. 56 Let fly! fly! Birds do 56 us Let fly! fly! us Let fly! us fly! Pno. 62 rit. Pno. 69 3
when we take flight, we 69 =64 Freely slow arpegg. 3 3 see the whole wide world. Far a bove our own small lives. 9 We Can Fly This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
And
We see the smoke and 73
fire, the winds of
war, and the riv ers of
73
Pno.
3
tears. But Pno. 77 3 high er, e ven 77 high er, much, much
accel.
cresc.
high er, we see the - Pno. 80 3 One ness of all who want to 80 3 fly. A A world with out bor ders, a world with out bor ders, a =69 - -- 10 We Can Fly This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
cresc.
land with out tears, A
place where all are
land with out tears, A
place where all are
83
Pno.
83
ea gles,
ea gles, blue birds, and doves and blue birds, and doves and 3 live to fly free. 3 live to fly free. rit. -- Pno. 87 We can We can We can 87 sopra fly! We can fly! We can fly! We can fly! We can fly! We can fly! We can 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Maestoso =69 fly! We can fly! fly! We can fly! fly! We can fly! 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Let's be like the birds. Let us
be like the birds. Let us
be like the birds. Let us 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 11 We Can Fly This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Let's
Let's
fly! Let us fly! We can
fly! We can fly! We
fly! Let us fly! We can
fly! Let us fly! We can
Pno. 91
91 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
can
can fly! We can fly! We can 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
can fly! fly! We can fly! fly! We can fly! 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Pno. 94 Let us Let us Let us 94 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 fly! Let us fly! Let us fly! Let us 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 rit. fly! fly! fly! 3 3 3 3 a tempo Let us Let us Let us 3 3 3 3 rit. fly! fly! fly! 12 We Can Fly c. 4'30" This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
fly! We can fly! We
fly! We
