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L'Aube (Dawn) (SATB divisi a cappella) - PDF Format
| Composer: | Rival, Robert |
| Voicing: | SSSAAATTTBBB a cappella |
| Type: | Secular |
| Series: | Pro Coro Canada Choral Series |
| Publisher: | Robert Rival Compositions |
| Item Code: | RRV001 |
| Language: | French |
| Text: | Victor Hugo |
| Category: | Print music (PDF format only) |
| Description: | Responding to a request from Michael Zaugg, Music Director of Pro Coro Canada, for a work using texts in French that address the theme "light and shadow", and a musical setting that would contrast the massed choir with a solo octet, I poured over countless French poems by various authors. I found myself returning again and again to those by Victor Hugo. Their vivid descriptions, raw emotion and dramatic flair remind me in some ways of Walt Whitman whose poetry I find equally arresting. I also noticed that Hugo routinely resorts to metaphors of light and darkness; the title of one collection, for instance, is Les Rayons et les ombres [Sunlight and Shadows]. Ultimately I settled on two poems as the basis for a musical diptych entitled L'Aube [Dawn]. The first, tranquil in mood and filled with wonderment, describes a simple scene: the rising sun illuminating the closed eyes of a sleeping baby girl. The second narrates the speaker's intended journey, from dawn to dusk and across a mountain pass, to meet someone who awaits him, perhaps a lover. But the narrative takes a devastating turn when we realize that the destination is the addressee's grave. The poem's autobiographical inspiration makes it that much more poignant: Hugo is mourning the death of a daughter who drowned as a young woman. By prefacing this heartbreaking poem with one that celebrates life I attempt to further dramatize the tragedy while embracing broader questions of life and death, and of parent-child relationships. Images of light and darkness permeate both poems, literally and figuratively, something I draw out by scoring for heavily divided choir (SSSAAATTTBBB) that makes frequent use of a variety of solo textures (up to ssaattbbb) Please note that this piece is available as a pdf download only. Once it is purchased, instructions will be given as to how to download the pdf. The customer agrees to respect the copyright for the piece and not share it illegally. 29 pages, approximately 9 minutes, difficult. |