BY WHAT WINGS (2015)

By What Wings An Elegy for five male voices

SCOTT LEE

By What Wings was written for Amarcord’s residency at Duke University, and is dedicated to those we have lost in recent years: Willie Pratt Lee Agnes Vernelle Robinson Lee Donna Rae Collins Link Betty Louise Anderson Patterson William Morris Raymund

The text for Elegy comes from the obituary of Captaine Georges Guynemer, a French pilot who disappeared in battle in September of 1917. The obituary was written by Henri Lavedan and published in the October 6, 1917 edition of the French magazine, L’Illustration. The translation reads: He was neither seen nor heard as he fell, his body and his machine were never found. Where has he gone? By what wings did he manage to glide into immortality? Nobody knows: nothing is known. He ascended and never came back, that is all. Perhaps our descendents will say: He flew so high that he could not come down again.

Duration: ca. 4’30”

http://www.scottleemusic.net

Score

By What Wings An Elegy for five male voices

Tenor 1

Tenor 2

Elegaic q = ca. 100-112

3 V4

!

!

" 3 ˙ #œ V4

Baritone

Bass 1

" #˙.

˙.

˙.

#˙. !

T2

P 3 V 4 œ œ #œ

B

B1

B2

3 V4

P ? 3 œ.

4 ?3 4

P ? 3 œ.

4

!

˙. #˙.

#˙.

!

˙.

b˙.

˙. !

#˙

#œ

!

!

!

!

" #˙.

!

#˙.

!

pp subito ˙.

" ˙

pp subito #˙.

Ah

#œ.

!

4 ˙ 4

#˙

n˙.

Ah

4 4

Ah

4 n˙.

4

!

" #˙.

#œ.

pp subito ˙.

Ah

#œ

4 4

3 4

P 3 4 œ. bœ œ

P 3 ˙.

4 P 3 4 ˙.

P 3 ˙.

4

4 w 4 © Scott Lee 2015

œ.

3 4

!

2 4

3 4 3 4

!

n˙.

2 4 b˙

3 4

!

!

3 4

2 4

!

2 4 2 ˙ 4

Ah

9 T1

œ œ #œ

œ . n œ . 42 œ b œ 43

Ah

" ? 3 #˙.

4 ?3 4

˙ #œ

Ah

Ah

Ah

Bass 2

!

˙ #œ œ. œ.

Ah

?3 4

!

" ˙ #œ

SCOTT LEE

2 4 œ

œ

" , œ # œ 43

2 ˙ 4

#˙

2 4 ˙

#˙

2 4 ˙

˙

"

,

" , " ,

3 4 3 4 3 4

2

3 V4

!

3 V4

!

?3 4

!

15 T1

T2

B

B1

B2

?3 4

By What Wings

" ˙ #œ

˙ #œ

He

" #˙.

!

œ n˙

!

n˙.

He

˙.

T2

B

B1

V

œ. #œ.

#˙

heard as

? ˙

#˙.

heard as

he

œ

B2

fell.

he

j ‰#œ as

!

was

nei

˙

œ

2 #˙ 4

3 #˙.

4

2 4 #˙

3 4 #œ

fell.

œ #œ #œ Œ 3

he fell.

43

2 4

!

3 4

nei

œ #œ #œ œ 4

nei - ther seen

!

2 3 4 œ œ 4 ˙.

fell.

˙.

heard as

? ˙

œ

he

œ

? #˙

42

!

#˙ #œ

œ

was

!

V

˙

was

He

T1

nei

-

p ˙

4 œ ˙ 3 4 #œ 4 ˙. ther seen

4 4

!

p 3 ˙ 4

#˙

-

4 #˙ 4

seen

3 4

-

4 #˙ 4

#˙

!

b˙.

#˙.

P solo ? 43 Œ Œ # œ ˙ .

22

was

He

!

œ

!

˙.

" #˙.

˙

ther

ther

p

bo

˙.

p #˙.

œ.

bo

His

bo

˙.

#œ.

His

p œ #œ His

!

seen

His

bo

p # 3 ˙.

4 nor

F 43 Œ œ # œ œ 3

#œ

-

-

dy

-

-

œ #œ œ

and ma

œ.

dy

N˙

and

ma

œ.

˙

œ

dy

and

ma

œ.

˙

œ

œ.

P j Œ Œ ‰#œ

nor

nor heard

#˙

His

p #˙.

nor

44 w

#œ

#œ

dy

œ #œ ˙ bo - dy

and

-

œ

-

-

ma

-

œ. œ œ œ œ J 3

and his ma -

29 T1

F

V ˙

F

chine

T2

œ

were

V œ. œ.

chine were

B

F ? œ. œ.

F

chine were

B1

? #œ. œ.

B2

37

T2

B

V V ?

f #˙. f ˙.

Where

f #˙.

Where

Where

B1

f ? #˙. f ? ˙.

Where

B2

Where

˙

p F #˙. #œ œ œ œ

ne - ver found.

#˙.

Where

˙

Œ.

Œ

were ne - ver found.

has he

#˙.

gone?

˙.

nœ. œ.

˙.

has he

gone?

˙.

has he

bœ. œ. has he

P P

gone,

˙. gone?

f #œ.

˙. #˙.

non-falsetto

4

P

P #˙.

!

gone?

!

P bœ œ œ ˙. has he

gone?

˙ #œ œ

has he

œœ ˙

˙ #œ #˙.

P

gone?

bœ œ œ ˙.

has he

#˙.

gone?

˙.

!

gone?

poco rit.

#˙ œ œ #œ #œ œ œ œ 4 #œ œ œ œ ˙ 4

By what wings did he

!

œ

4

F Ó œ œ

P

gone?

nœ. œ. #˙.

n˙.

P

œ ˙

gone?

œ œ bœ ˙

has he

Where

#œ. #œ. #˙. has he

f

Where

#˙.

œ bœ œ œ n˙ œ

f b˙.

3

P

has he

˙

˙.

p F

Nœ. œ. #˙.

#œ

Where

ne - ver found.

#œ œ œ œ

f

Where

ne - ver found.

3

f œ b˙

œ ˙

p F 3 ˙ #œ #œ œ œ œ ne - ver found.

f ? # œ . œ œ >œ œ # œ ˙ J chine

T1

p F 3 #˙. œ œ #œ œ

3

chine were

By What Wings

P #˙.

3

3

glide in - to im - mor

-

ta - li - ty?

!

4 4

!

! n˙.

Wings,

glide,

˙.

˙. !

4 ˙ 4

#˙

glide.

4 w 4 !

44

!

4 45 T1

T2

V

" œ œ œ U˙

p # œ œ œ U˙ a tempo

No - bo - dy knows.

p U œ œ œ ˙ V p U ? œ œ œ ˙ p ? # œ œ œ U˙

" U œ œ œ ˙

p ? œ œ œ U˙

" U œ œ œ ˙

50

T2

B

V

f œ #œ œ œ

V ˙ ? #˙ and

B1

? ˙ and

B2

? ˙ and

#œ ne

-

œ ne

-

œ ne

-

œ ne

Ó

3

p cresc. #w

3

No - thing is known.

˙

f #œ

˙.

˙

f œ

ver

came

#˙.

˙

ver

came

-

back.

#˙

œ

ver

came

p cresc. #˙

3 #˙ 4

p cresc. #˙

3 4 ˙

He

43 # ˙

back.

#˙.

˙

ver

came

f œ

back.

!

U ˙.

U ˙.

U ˙.

back.

f œ

back.

p n 44 ˙

That

p 4 ˙ 4

That

4 4

p ˙

p 4 b˙ 4

That

That

U ˙.

and

œ.

œ

p b 4 ˙ 4

That

œ #œ J

as

-

cen - ded and

as

-

cen - ded

œ

œ.

#œ.

œ as

He

!

cen - ded

3 4 ˙

He

No - thing is known.

came

-

He

œ #œ œ œ œ J ‰

ne - ver

He as

No - thing is known.

No - bo - dy knows.

T1

3

Ó

" # œ œ œ U˙

No - thing is known.

No - bo - dy knows.

B2

3

3

" U œ œ œ ˙

F Œ ˙

P #œ. œ Œ œ œ 43 JŒ

p cresc. Œ #˙ œ

No - thing is known.

No - bo - dy knows.

B1

Ó

3

No - bo - dy knows.

B

By What Wings

-

as

œ œ J‰

is

-

U w all.

bU w

œ œ J‰

U w

is

œ.

cen - ded

œ‰œ J

is

œ.

cen - ded

œ.

œ

œ.

43

all.

3 4

all.

3 4 3 4

œ œ J‰

bU w

is

all.

œ œ J‰

bU w

is

all.

3 4

3 V4

!

3 V4

!

?3 4

!

56 T1

T2

B

B1

p #˙ p #˙

Ah,

Ah

P ? 3 Œ #œ œ 4 ? 43

63 T1

T2

B

V

#˙.

!

? #˙.

B1

B2

? #˙. say:

per - haps

our

de

œ #˙.

˙

œ

per - haps

our

de

#œ

per - haps

p

˙

our

-

-

œ de

œ‰‰œ œ J J

œ #œ œ #œ

˙.

˙.

our

#œ

de - scen - dents

œ

#˙.

#˙.

say,

#œ

˙ #œ

œ #œ

scen - dents will

say,

#˙.

scen - dents will

˙.

˙.

say,

‰œ J

will

˙.

" n˙.

œ. #œ.

˙.

say:

#˙.

"

#˙.

#˙.

˙.

" #˙.

Ah

œ #˙

˙.

œ. œ.

œ #˙

P #˙.

p subito #˙.

n˙.

P œ #˙

p subito #˙ #œ

˙.

œ.

!

P #˙.

p subito ˙.

p subito #œ ˙

" #˙ #œ Ah

˙ #œ

!

!

P œ. #œ. ˙ œ Ah

p subito ˙.

˙

43

œ. 2 œ #œ 4

Ah

say

œ #œ ˙

Ah

!

42

Ah

Ah

!

say:

#˙.

œ #œ

œ ‰ Œ J

˙ #œ

say,

Ah

œ ˙

#˙.

scen - dents will

œ -

œ

Ah

say:

? ˙.

œ

#˙.

say:

V œ. œ.

˙.

˙

˙.

Per - haps

B2

œ

p ˙ #œ #˙ Ah,

5

By What Wings

say

œ

They will,

˙ will,

#˙.

2 4

#œ œ œ will

3 4 3 4

#œ 2 œ. J 3 4 4 will

2 ˙ 4

3 4

6

3 V4

72 T1

T2

B

B1

B2

f #˙.

By What Wings

˙

f 3 ˙.

V4 ?3 4 ?3 4

They

They

will

pp subito #˙ œ

f œ #˙ say,

P 79 #œ œ Œ V

Œ

œ

say,

cresc.

œ

say

#œ

They

will

œ#œ œ

#˙

They

p

say,

œ #œ

œ

They

p cresc.

rit.

will say,

pp subito cresc. #˙ œ #œ #˙

f œœ ˙

f ? 3 #˙ 4

p cresc. #œ œ#œ œ

will say,

say,

cresc.

˙

˙ #œ

will

say,

will say,

2 œ.

4 2 4

œ

will

will

He flew

T2

B

B1

B2

V

!

?

!

? ?

! !

p ˙ #œ

high

that he could

œ œ œ

will say,

say,

will

2 4 ˙

say,

œ

3

ne - ver come

Flew so

Flew so

4 w 4

3 b œ . œJ œ 4

4 #w 4

3 nœ. œ œ 4 J

44 w

j 43 b œ . œ œ

p ˙ œ p ˙ œ p

Flew so

#˙ œ Flew so

high,

high,

high,

high,

3 4 # œ . œJ œ ne - ver

come

ne - ver come

ne - ver come

ne - ver come

ƒ U˙ .

will say,

say:

˙ 3 œ œ 4 3 4

˙.

ƒU #˙. ƒ U˙ .

say,

p œ œ #˙.

rit.

say:

say:

they

F #˙

ƒU #˙.

will say,

3 4 œ.

˙

say,

3 4

œ ˙.

J 3 4

œ.

4 #˙ 4

#˙

will say,

œ

˙ œ # œ 4 œ# œ œ œ œ œ œ 3 # œ ˙ 4 4 so

say, will say,

œ #œ œ

A bit slower (q = ca. 66-72)

T1

will say,

#œ #œ œ œ J

œœ 2 œ 4 will

œ œ œ

œ œ 2 œ 4

œ #œ ˙

ƒU

say:

bœ.

˙.

will

say:

U

a tempo

˙.

F p U j j # œ œ. œ œ ‰ Œ Œ #œ #œ ˙ down

F #˙

down

down

F ˙

down

F ˙

a - gain.

down

a - gain

U p # œ ˙ œ ‰ Œ Œ #œ #œ J a - gain

p U œ ‰ Œ Œ #œ #˙.

J

a - gain

p U j‰ Œ Œ œ #œ #˙.

a - gain