WANG JIE I DIED FOR BEAUTY
I DIED FOR BEAUTY For Baritone, Vibraphone and Piano Poems by Emily Dickinson
I.
I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died
II.
Interlude
III.
The Last Night that She Lived
IV.
I Died For Beauty
2004
WANG JIE
I HEARD A FLY BUZZ WHEN I DIED
THE LAST NIGHT THAT SHE LIVED
We waited while she passed
I DIED FOR BEAUTY
It was a narrow time
I heard a fly buzz when I died
The last night that she lived
Too jostled were our souls to speak
I died for beauty, but was scarce
The stillness in the room
It was a common night
At length the notice came
Adjusted in the tomb
Was like the stillness in the air
Except the dying – this to us
Between the heaves of storm
Made nature different.
When one who died for truth was lain She mentioned, and forgot
In an adjoining room
Then lightly as a reed
The eyes around had wrung them dry
We noticed smallest things
Bent to the water, struggled scarce
He questioned softly why I failed
And breaths were gathering firm
Things overlooked before
Consented, and was dead
“For beauty” I replied
For that last onset when the king
By this great light upon our minds
Be witnessed in the room
Italicized, as ‘twere
“And I for truth, Themselves are one And we, we placed the hair
We brethren are” he said
And drew the head erect
I willed my keepsakes, signed away
As we went out and in
And then an awful leisure was,
And so, as kinsmen met at night,
What portion of me be
Between her final room
Belief to regulate
We talked between the rooms
Assignable; and then it was
And rooms where those to be alive
Until the moss had reached our lips
There interposed a fly
Tomorrow were, a blame
And covered up our names
With blue uncertain stumbling buzz
That others could exist
Between the light and me;
While she must finish quite
And then the windows failed; and then
A jealousy for her arose
I could not see to see
So nearly infinite
Emily Dickinson
Notes: For the percussionist: 1.
Unless “l.v.” is indicated, the percussionist has his liberty of pedaling design. Particularly in the 2nd movement, the pedaling should be clean, but not too dry.
2.
For the following measures, rest after the cut-off note indicates “stop vibrate”. I. m3, m7, m11, m14 Interlude. m17 III. m9, m12,
For the singer: 1. 2. 3.
Pay close attention to dynamic contrast throughout the entire song cycle. In 2nd movement “The Last Night That She Lived”, rests and breath marks should be precisely interpreted from m63 to m71, for the effect of “breathlessly”. In 3rd movement “I Died For Beauty”, the effect of the irregular note heads in m9 is closest to Sprechmelodie, in which the pitch is both a sung tone and a spoken tone. Therefore, the pitch is meant to be heard through whispering-like spoken tone. The difference between these tones and sprechmelodie lies in the tail of each tone – they are not to be abandoned immediately by falling or rising, instead, to be held legato to the next.
Duration: 8 minutes
Dedicated to – Yang Liqing
I. I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died
Emily Dickinson
Baritone
Freely, like a recitative q = 60-76
mf
I
Vibraphone
pp
pp
Bar.
f
The
Vib.
still - ness
in
Copyright © by Wang Jie Published by Rich Man's Den.(ASCAP) All Rights Reserved
3 the
room
when
died.
I
Pno.
a fly buzz
l.v.
Piano
heard
p
was
like
the
still
-
ness
Wang Jie 3
in
the
air
3
mp
bet - ween the heaves
of
2
Bar.
ppp
storm
The eyes
l.v.
Vib.
Bar.
and breath were ga - ther-ing firm
for that last
on - set
when the
port
be
l.v.
Pno.
3
mf
king
Vib.
a-round had wrung them dry
p
Pno.
9
mf
Andantino, with pulse q = 80-88 p
wit- nessed in the room
I
3
willed my keep- sakes
signed a - way signed a- way
What
3
p
pulse 3 with p Cadenza, freely accel.
Bar.
por
Vib.
Pno.
-
-
-
tion of me be
And then it was there in - ter- posed a
l.v.
p
pp Bar.
p
fly
3 3
p
as - sign- a- able
3
fff
With
blue
blue, blue un - cer- tain
stum- bling buzz
3
p
Pno.
3
bet- ween the light and
pp
3
me
l.v.
Vib.
pp
A tempo, freely again
mf
l.v.
pp
4
Bar.
Vib.
Pno.
And
then
the
win - dows
failed
p
and
then
I
could
not
see
ppp
see
pp
to
pp
attacca
5
Interlude q = 86
Vibraphone
l.v.
mp
Piano
Pno.
pp
mp
5
Vib.
6
9
Vib.
Pno.
12
Vib.
Pno.
15
Vib.
Pno.
7
l.v.
8
II. The Last Night that She Lived Presto
Baritone
The
last
Vibraphone
mf
night
3
p
3 3 3
that she
Piano
3
3
p non-legato
Bar.
3
dif - fer - ent
Vib.
Pno.
com -
mom
night
ex- cept the dy- ing
this to us made na - ture
3
3
3
3
3 3
ff 10
It was a
3
3
lived
3
3
p
We
no
small
-
ticed
3
leggiero
sfz
3
things
3
3
3
things o
-
-
ver
looked
3 3 3 pp 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 ff 3 3 3 3 3 pp 3
9
f
19
Bar.
be-fore
Vib.
Pno.
29
Bar.
we
Vib.
Pno.
3
light u -pon our mind
3
3
3
By this great
3 3
3
3
3
I - ta - li - cized
went
out
and
in
bet
-
3
3
3
3
3
3
her
fi
3
-
nal
room
3
pp
p leggiero
3
ween
p
As
3
leggiero
3
3
mp
as it were
3
pp
3
p
and rooms
where
those
to
leggiero
10
38
Bar.
be
Vib.
Pno.
Pno.
To - mor - row
were
pp
a
blame
3
that
oth - ers could ex - ist
3
while
she
must
3
pp pp 3
fi
Vib.
live
46
Bar.
a -
3
3
- nish quite
a
jea - lou - sy
for
cresc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
her
a - rose
so
3
mp
near - ly in - fi- nite
We
wai
-
3
f
cresc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
pp
11 54
Bar.
-
Vib.
Pno.
Vib.
Pno.
p
p
-
ted when she passed
ff
at length the
no - tice
was
a
were our
souls to
speak
time
Too
nar - row
Breathlessly
came
It
pp
jos - tled
mp
61
Bar.
-
cresc. . . . . .
p
3
She men - tioned
mp 3
leggiero
mp
3
3
3
and for - got
leggiero
3
3
3
then
light - ly
3
3
3
3
3
as
a reed
3
3
68
Bar.
3
bent to the wa - ter
Vib.
stru - ggled scarce
3
3
cresc.
Bar.
drew the head
Vib.
Pno.
e - rect
And
free
sen - ted
and was
then
an
aw - ful
lei - sure was
pp
dead
3
Quietly, Like a Lullaby
73
fff
l.v.
3
cresc.
con -
3
Pno.
glis s.
12
And we
we place
the hair
pp
and
to the end
Be - lief
to
re
-
gu
-
late
q = 60
III. I Died For Beauty
Andante, like a lullaby
Baritone
Otherwise use triangle stick on the edge of the instument.
Vibraphone
pp
Piano
5
Bar.
- ed
Vib.
mf
Pno.
mf
pp
in the
I
l.v.
tomb
ppp
mf
for beau- ty
when one who died
for
truth
4
gliss.
but
l.v.
4
died
l.v.
13
was scarce
was
mp
mp
in an
-
4
lain
ad - just
ad- join -
ing room
14 Bar.
Vib.
8
Pno.
pp
Like Wispering
pp
He
ques- tioned
Bar.
lied
Vib.
Pno.
and I
f
12
3
for
truth
soft - ly
mp
mf
pp
p
why
mp
f
he said
pp
pp
p
p
p
rep -
cresc.
as kins men met at night
p
I
and so
beau- ty
for
f
failed
them- selves areone we breth- ren are
I
pp
we
17
Bar.
talked
Vib.
Pno.
bet - ween the
names
Vib.
Pno.
p
room
19
Bar.
p
un - til
the
moss
4
p
p
our
dim.
had reached
sfz
lips
dim.
and
co -
vered
p
ppp
ppp
pp
our
ppp
15