Leon - Atwood Songs (sample pages)

Tania Leรณn Atwood Songs for Soprano and Piano

The "Atwood Songs" were commissioned thanks to the support of the Hanson Institute for American Music at the Eastman School of Music, and The College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University.

“Atwood Songs” Poetry by Margaret Atwood

1. NOTES TOWARDS A POEM THAT CAN NEVER BE WRITTEN

4. HABITATION

For Carolyn Forche

Marriage is not a house or even a tent

I

it is before that, and colder:

This is the place you would rather not know about, this is the place that will inhabit you, this is the place you cannot imagine, this is the place that will finally defeat you

the edge of the forest, the edge of the desert the unpainted stairs at the back where we squat outside, eating popcorn

where the word why shrivels and empties itself. This is famine.

the edge of the receding glacier

2. MEMORY Memory is not in the head only. It’s midnight, you existed once, you exit again, my entire skin sensitive as an eye, imprint of you glowing against me, burnt-out match in a dark room.

3. EATING FIRE Eating Fire is your ambition: to swallow the flame down take it into your mouth and shoot it forth, a shout or an incandescent tongue, a word exploding from you in golf, crimson unrolling in a brilliant scroll To be lit up from within vein by vein To be the sun (Taught by a sideshow man)

where painfully and with wonder at having survived even this far we are learning to make fire

5. FOUR EVASIONS Sitting in this car, houses & wind outside, three in the morning, windows obliterated by snow coats & arms around each other, hands cold, no place we can go unable to say how much I want you unable even to say I am unable * Not that there is nothing to be said but that there is too much: this cripples me.

I watch with envy & desire, you speak so freely. *

CONTENTS

1. Notes towards a poem that can never be written

1

2. Memory

4

3. Eating Fire

6

4. Habitation

10

5 Four Evasions

13

to Eileen Strempel and Sylvie Beaudette

Atwood Songs 1. Notes towards a poem that can never be written Margaret Atwood

Tania León

Decisive q=72

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6 4 5

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5 4 This

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2

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11

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11

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6 4 this

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3 4

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3 4

you can not

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2. Memory Margaret Atwood

Tania LeĂłn

Recitative, molto espresssivo

0 0

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Lento con moto 2

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3

5 4

Me mo ry

0

3

is not in the head on

ly.

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mid night,

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3. Eating Fire Tania Leรณn

Margaret Atwood

q=84

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Fi re is your am bi tion:

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5 4 it

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in to your mouth and shoot

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4 4

5 4

4 4

4 4 or

an in can de scent

tongue,

4 4

4 4

10

mp

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to

3 4 f

3 4

mp

10

4. Habitation Margaret Atwood

Tania LeĂłn

Lento (quasi recitativo, poco rubato) with resolve q=ca. 64 f

5 4

Mar

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5 4 mf

5 4

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and cold er:

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the edge

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of

the for

est

the edge

of

the de

sert

11

7

the_un paint ed stairs

9

at

the back where we squat

eat ing

pop corn

out side,

3

3

6

the

edge

of

3

3

3

3

3

3

the

re

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ce

ding

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11

3

gla

cier

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5

where pain ful

ly

and with

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5 4

13

5. Four Evasions Margaret Atwood

Tania Leรณn

Quasi blues

q=65-70

4 4

3 4

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f

3 4

4 4

4

3 4

3 4

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f

4 4

2 4 mp

3 4

4 4

4 4 13

3

2 4

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7

3 4

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Sit ting

in this car,

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6

hou ses

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9

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poco rall.

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snow

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5 4 14

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each o ther,

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5 4 hands cold,

no place

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we can go

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un a ble to

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