SATB, unaccompanied
Published by J.W. Pepper
This setting of an extraordinary poem by Nanci Bern explores our longing to discover where we’ve come from, the nature of dreams, and our perception of consciousness and being. Filled with striking musical imagery, the work slowly creates a sense of our yearning for answers.
Duration: 5’ 40”
Libretto:
Before we are born an angel presses a finger to our lips
“Shush, forget the secret of the essence of your soul.
It is the mystery that you will chase your entire life.
It is the scent that you can smell in the distance.
It is the sweet perfume you long to wear.
Where does our longing come from that wakes us in the night.
The persistent pang that in the darkness sits us up from sleep.
We feel its presence like a ghost who is there but will not speak.
When we are alone it comes with prying fingers reaching for our dreams.
Our dreams shimmer with longing’s thrust.
Our souls wake to them.
What is the beat of a dream,
The undertone of pulse, a constant drum.
What is the tale of a dream,
The words that are barely said yet breathe with aspiration.
And what is the truth of our dreams when we are not reaching for morning.
When our spirits feel them like water over a fall.
Somewhere in the dark,
In the smooth sheet of sleep that coats the air slate cool
There is a deep pulse.
Somewhere in the dark,
In the restless grind of time that turns its dreams
There is a constant rhythm.
Somewhere in the dark,
In the deep wooded heart that is verdant moist
There is a beckoning beat.
Somewhere in the dark,
In the rustic shade of faith that holds the heat at bay
There is a steady pace.
There is a stroking wind.
Somewhere in the dark,
In the dark, in the dark we can only feel
The Night Cadence.