G-9875 THE LAST LETTER • LAVOY
LAVOY
The Last Letter Thomas LaVoy
SATB divisi and Baritone Solo with Fiddle
Notes When I was approached by James Jordan in early 2018 to compose a work commemorating the First World War, I immediately thought of the last letter of Sullivan Ballou. Though its place in history is considerably earlier than the First World War, having been written by Sullivan on the eve of his death in the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861, I feel this remarkable letter is a testament to the strength and courage that is necessary in times of war, as well as a reminder of the terrible cost that war brings upon families. I first heard of the letter while watching Ken Burns’ monumental documentary The Civil War with my father some time ago. The reading of this letter, which occurs in the very first episode of the series, is paired with a beautiful fiddle tune titled “Ashokan Farewell,” originally composed by Jay Ungar in 1982 and later adopted as the title theme for the documentary. While the inclusion of this tune in The Civil War is heartbreaking and iconic, I chose to take a different path when composing a work based on Sullivan’s last letter. As much as I love “Ashokan Farewell,” I feel that the darker subjects written about by Sullivan in his final letter were inferred rather than directly represented. The conflict between love of country and love of family saturates Sullivan’s writing—he was clearly tortured by the idea that his sense of duty, and his actions to uphold that sense of duty, would result in the destruction of his beloved Sarah’s dreamed-of future with him. Having spent his formative years as an orphan, the thought of offering that “bitter fruit,” as he described it, to his own children tormented him. He sought forgiveness—for his faults, for the pains that his actions caused his wife and children, for his foolishness and thoughtlessness. In spite of all of this darkness, his love for Sarah and his son Edgar was undeniable and ultimately responsible for the actions that would tear him away from them. Sullivan faced his internal fears and conflicts and fought anyway, believing that the investment of his life in maintaining the relatively new United States government was the best way of protecting his family and their way of life. To quote Nelson Mandela (and the many others who have said very similar things), “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” “The Last Letter” seeks to find a balance between the beauty of Sullivan Ballou’s final letter to his wife and the horrific reality of the costs of war. Throughout the work, Sarah is personified by the fiddle, with the opening folklike statement being “Sarah’s tune.” The middle section is much darker, with the choir incessantly repeating the words “forgive me,” while the baritone soloist, representing Sullivan, enumerates his faults and asks for forgiveness. The work ends very simply, with ad libitum statements in both the fiddle and baritone solo, followed by a final, unaccompanied iteration of “Sarah’s tune”—Sullivan’s final meditation on his beloved wife. —Thomas LaVoy
3 Commissioned by Westminster Williamson Voices, James Jordan, conductor, in commemoration of the First World War.
THE LAST LETTER
Based on the last letter of Sullivan Ballou, 1829–1861, adapt. Slowly, simply q = 48
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Words Adapt. and Music by Thomas LaVoy
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*Keyboard reduction includes only the choral parts. †In mm. 42–49, each individual bass whispers “Sarah” three or four times.
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for rehearsal only*
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faults;
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give
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for - give my
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give
49
J
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for
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give
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cresc.
give
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for
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of
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œœ
me,
..
me,
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me,
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for
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for
P stagger breathing . œ for
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div.
œœ
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me,
coun - try
b & b œœ
div.
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Œ
div.
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me,
J
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me,
give
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your hopes
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of
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years.
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me,
for
me,
for
me,
for
me,
for
me,
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give
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give
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give
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ww w
give
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9
? bb
64
ƒœbitterly œ œ
b & b # .. b . V b .
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,
For
me.
&
bb
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f œœ
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give
me,
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œ
me,
incessantly, sustained*
For
give
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for
-
For
. # ...
œœ œ œœ œ
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give
*Choir should never overpower the soloist.
give
..
..
me,
me,
Bitterly, tormented q = 52
incessantly, sustained*
f œœ
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give
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is this dis - hon - or - a - ble—
incessantly, sustained* unis.
me.
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œ œ œ
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incessantly, sustained*
,
64
œ
O is this weak - ness,
b . & b .
me.
œ
‰ J
, f œ
me.
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œ œ
œ
. ..
that, hav - ing lived as an
œœ
for - give
me,
.
me,
œ
for -
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œ
for - give
for - give
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me,
me,
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10
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68
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or - phan,
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œ
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∑
P ? b Œ œ œ œ b M y
chil
me.
My
, p
b & b .
œ
me.
b V b ..
me.
? bb 72
b & b ... . ? b . b
My
, p
-
œœ
œ
for
chil
me,
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œ œ œ
œ
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œ œ
J œ
dren,
œ
for - give
.
dren,
dren,
œ
. .
œœ
for - give
give
J
chil
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œ
me,
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my
chil
dren,
my
chil
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∑
my
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me.
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give
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for
give
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for
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.
give
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chil - dren?
me,
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for
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me,
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to my
give
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chil
fruit
dren…
ter
w
My
œ
œ
me,
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Œ
Ó
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œ
give
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œ
, œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ
J
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-
give
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bb
b & b ..
-
for
68
&
-
for
that bit
give
œ
me,
b V b ..
72
-
for
give
? bb
for
Œ œ
3
I would feed
b & b .. b &b œ
œ œ œ œ.
œ
.
dren,
dren,
œ
. .
œ
my
me,
œ
my
my
œ
œ œ
œ
77
b & b
b &b
chil
b & b . b Vb
chil
? b b
chil
77
œ
-
-
-
dren,
-
œ
my
dren,
dren,
. œœ
.
#
j3 œ- œ
U w
molto legato e rubato
P
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-œ
# U
œ
œ
V
give
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me.
j œ- œ 3
#
pp w w
#
Mm.
#
∑
ww ww w
w w
,
pp w
Mm.
me.
rit.
#
stagger breathing
w w
w w
œœ
∑
stagger breathing
w
w w
ww w
œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ
j
,
œ œj
œ .
U
œ
œ
#
œ
œ
Freely, ad libitum (q = c. 48)
86
Baritone solo
w p
∑
legato e rubato P molto œ œ œ œ
Sa - rah,
w
w
w
w w
? # Uw
#
w w
∑
# U
give
me.
∑
w
U
?#
w
rit.
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-
for
w
85
w w
Freely, ad libitum (q = c. 48)
me.
w
w w œ
œ œ
w
rit.
rit.
-
for
w
#
∑
w
for - give
for - give,
rit.
œ
me,
œ
œ
for - give
.
.
11 rit.
œ
chil- dren,
give
,
œ
œ .
.
.
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? bb
V
for
&
œ
œ
b & b
83
œ
if the dead
œ
œ
can come back
12
œ œ œ ?# ‰ œ J
œ
(86)
3
and move a - round
œ
87
those they loved,
w
U w
?# w w
U w w
V
#
œ œ œ œ
? # œ œ. J
88
Sa - rah,
V
#
3
I shall al - ways be near
œ œ œ
‰ J
do not think me dead—
think I
am
. gone,
w
w
?# w w
w w
90
&
#
we
V
unhurried, molto legato 3
shall
,U
meet
a
w.
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# & œ
44 œj œ pœ -
∑
? # n #
Slowly, simply q = 48
U
-
3
3
œ œ œ
-
œ n
3
œ œ
J
44 w
.
and wait
œ. œ œ
you.
3
for
thee,
œ œ
œ
J
3
gain.
Ó
44
∑
∑
U
44
∑
∑
rit.
j3 œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
for
œ
œ
U w
3
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Ó
U
Ó
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,
,
Uw
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Œ
œ
G-9875
7
Code B12
85147 98750
5