PRAIRIE DAWN
for unaccompanied mezzo-soprano
TONY MANFREDONIA
A crimson fire that vanquishes the stars; A pungent odor from the dusty sage; A sudden stirring of the huddled herds; A breaking of the distant table-lands Through purple mists ascending, and the flare Of water ditches silver in the light; A swift, bright lance hurled low across the world; A sudden sickness for the hills of home. - Willa Cather
PERFORMANCE NOTES 1.) Any notehead indicates a whispered tone, in the general area of the voice where the pitch is located. 2.) Stems with an x are to be performed in the Sprechstimme style. 3.) Consonants located in ( ) either preceding or following the same consonant indicates that consonant should be greatly emphasized ( e.g. - (f)fire ), and ought to be added to the duration written. 4.) All fermatas indicated with a single * should be of short length. Any fermata without a single* should be of a length determined by the performer. 5.) The Tempo change at m. 20 - Unexpectedly, with momentum should also include an 'unexpected' presence shift on stage. This should last until the tempo returns to 4/4 at m. 33.
PROGRAM NOTES Willa Cather's Prairie Dawn caught me by surprise the more I read it. Interpreting it first as simply a painted picture of a Nebraska sunrise, etchings of nostalgia burst forth as I began composing the music. Perhaps my mind comprehended words like "pungent," "stirring," or "lance" as sharp or potent. Angry, even. I felt shades of frustrated homesickness rooted in the otherwise straightforward text. When reminiscing old memories of home, my mind tends to repeat or "replay" specific moments within a single image. With nostalgia, there's often a sense of pain involved. My mind becomes focused on the fact that I can't relive good memories; gone forever and unable to return. It's through this sensation upon reading Cather's text as to why I included whispers, sprechstimme, and even prolonged moments of silence. Recalling a beautiful memory can be both a moment of joy and sorrow. A juxtaposition of pleasure and frustration.
DURATION ca. 4 minutes
To Megan Ihnen Thank you for being an incredible collaborator and a strong advocate of living composers!
Prairie Dawn
for Unaccompanied Mezzo-Soprano Willa Cather
Tony Manfredonia Reminiscent, but withheld q = 66
4 &4 Œ œ œ pp
Mezzo-soprano
Ó
œ
A crim - son;
œ
œ
mf dim.
stars;
the stars;
2 4 & 4 bœj ‰ Œ 4 ˙ ™ . o
& n˙ ™
18
- dor
U Œ
p
2 & 2 œJ ‰ Œ Ó
pp
˙ herds;
nœbœ œ œ Œ ¿ ¿ ¿ bY
œ
A break - ing;
3 4Ó
œ
2 4 ™ œ œ œ pun(n)
pp dolce 3
U* U* ‰ œ œ™ ‰ z œz Œ œ ™ #œ œ #œ œ™ œ dust -y sage;
sud - den
dus(s)t -y
sage;
** s(s)tir - ring;
stir - ring;
A
sud - den
Œ œ ™ bœ mp
s(s)tir ring;
of the
˙
stir - ring;
˙
hud - dled
poco accel.
j ‰ Œ œ bœ œ 44 œz zŒ Ó œ . œ œ œ bœ. . 3
mp
break(k) - ing;
of the
3 > ™ œ >œ œ bœ 3 œ œ 3 œ Œ œ 2œ Œ œ#œ nœ 22
Y
3
3
Growing intensity q = 72
4 &4 Œ œ œ
œ œ
3 4Ó
pp mf > mf > 2 Œ œ œ ™ œ œ œ œ #œ œ Œ nœ œ œ Œ Œ ™ œ 2 #œ
hud - dled
pp
that van -quish -es the
Unexpectedly; with momentum h = 60
** stir - ring;
ring;
33
from the dust -y sage;
A
hud -dled herds;
26
Œ Œ
3 j œ™ œ 4 œ œ œ
A pun -gent;
mf dim.
j œ ‰ Œ œ nœ œ
& œ œ
(f)fire
4 ˙™ 4
3 j œ 4 œ ™ œ œ™ œ bœ ™
mp
4 ˙™ 4
23
Ϫ
the stars;
12
gent(t)
˙
crim(m) - (s)son
pp dolce 3 * * U U 3 & 4 ˙ ‰ j #˙ Œ ‰ z j nœ ™ œ œ bœ ˙™ œ œ
5
Ó
mp
of the
dis -tant
s(s)tir -
U 4 Œ 4 ™ ˙
w
herds - (sss...)
pp
Ó ¿. ¿.
dis - tant;
* - Short fermata Copyright © Tony Manfredonia (BMI) 2017
** - Like an echo
2
œ™ j œ ™ #œ œ œ œ œ ™ œ œ
38
dis - tant ta -
&
46
&
ble -
pur
ple
-
˙™
mists
- scend - ing;
Tempo I q = 66
dit -ches
* 3 jU ‰ j 4 #˙ œ ‰ z œ
swift, bright lance;
œœœœ 3
r œ
œ œj ‰ Œ >.
2 4 j ‰ ‰ j 4 œz z 4 œ œ w œ
>¿
in the
j œ ‰ #˙ light;
world;
& Œ
¿™
a - cross the
¿
¿
¿ ¿
s(s)ud -den s(s)ick -ness (sss...)
world;
Y™
U* 2 Œ 4Œ
˙
Œ œ the
œ™ #œj #˙ ™
U* Œ
light;
Y
U pp Œ ‰ j œ.
œ ˙
j‰ œ œ
light;
œ™ œ œ
Œ bœ œ
ff
and the flare;
j 4 œ‰ 4Y
p
A
hurled low a -cross the world;
p
b˙
scend - ing;
>¿ Œ œ™ œ
sil -ver
swift, bright lance
-
>œ Ó
f
a - s(s)cen(n)d - ing;
light;
mp
a
>œ #>œ ™ œ œ œ. œ. ‰ œ nœ Ó p
#œ#œ œ #˙
& œj ‰ œj ‰ œj ‰ Œ . . .
66
a
3
the light;
61
p >œ Œ ‰ ¿ J
3
rit.
& ‰ z j˙ œ
&
Through pur - ple mists
the flare Of wat -er
mp
57
lands;
œ dim. œ #œ. œ. œ ‰ J Œ
flare;
51
#œ ‰ œ
œ ‰ œ œ œ #>œ J
œ™ #œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ™ #œ œ œ œ 3œ œ >œ J
f
3
& Ϫ
42
Overwhelmed; unleashed q = 80
˙™ pp
bœ œ for the
Œ
‰ j œ œ™ œ
the
œ
œ
Œ
A s(s)ud -den s(s)ick -ness;
4 4
rit.
˙
Ϫ
hills
of
U* ‰
w
home -
Y
*** (mmm...).
*** - Exhaling closed "m" in a whisper