Praise Wet Snow Falling Early

A meditation on darkness, transcendence and hope.

Commissioned by Dryden Community Choir / Rachel Dickinson

Highest Honors in the Waging Peace Through Singing Project

Featured in "Only the Best" by Drew Collins (Choral Director Magazine)

Poet/Lyricist:

Denise Levertov

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Opening with a tender appreciation of one morning's light, this piece gradually grows into a broader meditation on darkness, transcendence and hope. With the understated sensibility of art song and an expressive piano accompaniment, this song offers a deeply moving experience for both performers and audience.

This song is included on the CD, Finally On My Way To Yes, which may be ordered below.

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Praise Wet Snow Falling Early

Poem by Denise Levertov

Praise wet snow
      falling early.
Praise the shadow
      my neighbor's chimney casts on the tile roof
even this gray October day that should, they say,
have been golden.
            Praise
the invisible sun burning beyond
      the white cold sky, giving us
light and the chimney's shadow.
Praise
god or the gods, the unknown,
that which imagined us, which stays
our hand,
our murderous hand,
            and gives us
still,
in the shadow of death,
      our daily life,
      and the dream still
of goodwill, of peace on earth.
Praise
flow and change, night and
the pulse of day.

Composer's Note:

In 1997 in the small town of Dryden, New York, a group of people came together in the wake of two unexplainable and horrific murders, and did the only thing they could think of to do. They formed a choir. When the conductor asked me to write a piece for them, I knew I wanted it to address good and evil on a very basic level, offering no easy answers or second-rate balm. I chose to set the "Gloria" poem from Denise Levertov's "Mass for Thomas Didymus," which wrestles with contradiction and doubt as it nevertheless makes its way into the heart of praise.

Reviews and Responses:

"Yes, this piece is expressive and written well. But my particular affinity for it stems from Alexander's Barber-esque approach to setting the text. Her mastery of prosody, declamation, etc. results in a marriage between music and text that is dynamic and indelible. All too few pieces written today seem to have the text so firmly in mind, which is why I continue to champion this piece." Article in Choral Director Magazine: "Only the Best" by Drew Collins, Associate Director of Choral Studies at Wright State University (Dayton, OH)

"Opening almost as an art song, this work took full advantage of the chorus' wonderful pianissimo... Within a surprisingly short span of time, Alexander's work develops fully, touching on a range of emotions." Eugene Register-Guard (Eugene, OR)

"This is praise with a sharp purpose, reminding us that peace is no free gift, but a struggle against bloody impulse." Bruce Bush, Cantabile Chamber Chorale Notes (Piscataway, NJ)

Performers:

Dryden Community Choir / Elizabeth Alexander (Dryden, NY) * Premiere

American University Chamber Singers / Daniel Abraham ~ American University (Washington, DC)
Boulder Chorale / Timothy Snyder (Boulder, CO)
Cantabile Chamber Chorale / Rebecca Scott (Piscataway, NJ)
Cayuga Vocal Ensemble / Tim Newton (Ithaca, NY)
Choir of First Unitarian Church of Providence / Donald Dame (Providence, RI)
Choir of Jefferson Unitarian Church / Keith Arnold (Golden, CO)
Choir of May Memorial Church / Glenn Kime (Syracuse, NY)
Cleveland High School Choir / Steve Peter (Portland, OR)
Denison Chamber Singers / Bonnie Borshay (Granville, OH)
Doctoral Lecture-Recital / Drew Collins ~
University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (Cincinnati, OH)
Colorado State University Elderhostel Choir / David King (Pingree Park, CO)
Foothills Unitarian Church Choir / David King (Fort Collins, CO)
Hildegard Festival Choir / Daniel Afonso ~ California State University (Stanislas, CA)

Littleton Chorale / James Ramsey (Littleton, CO)
Michigan Youth Chamber Singers / Paul Rardin ~ University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
Oregon Repertory Singers / Gil Seeley ~ Waging Peace Through Singing Project, Oregon Bach Festival (Eugene, OR)
Sage Chapel Choir / Richard Riley ~ Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)
Syracuse Vocal Ensemble / Bob Cowles (Syracuse, NY)
Towson University Chorale / Arian Khaefi (Towson, MD)
University of Southern Indiana Chamber Choir / Daniel Craig (Evansville, IN)

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Genres:

Choral