Composer: Abbie BetinisDetailsFormat: Mixed Choir - 5 voices or moreVoicing: SSATBBIncidental Divisi: AAccompaniment: obbligato instrument(s)Instrumentation: fluteNotation: standardPerformance Length: 7:15 Study Scores & Audio FilesStudy Score & Audio Order Printed ScoresOrder site / Alternate source of score: www.abbiebetinis.com Texts & TranslationsLanguage(s): EnglishText Source: William BlakeText: Thou fair-hair’d angel of the evening, Now, whilst the sun rests on the mountains, light Thy bright torch of love; thy radiant crown Put on, and smile upon our evening bed! (Alleluia...) Smile on our loves, and while thou drawest the Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew On every flow’r in sleep. Let thy west wind sleep; Speak silence with thy glimmering eyes, And wash the dusk with silver. Soon, full soon, Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide, And then the lion glares through the dun forest... (Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!) Our flocks are cover’d with thy sacred dew: Protect them with thine influence! (Alleluia.) (text modified by the composer) Programming AidsSeasonal Usage: SolsticeDescriptive Terms: darknessironylightlovenaturepoetrysecularAllow Excerpts: Composition is a single movementComposer’s Notes: William Blake, born in London in 1757, penned “To the Evening Star” around the age of 20. One of the most famous British poets, Blake is known as a visionary mystic who proclaimed the supremacy of the imagination over the rationalism and materialism of the 18th-century. This musical setting, both intimately tender and fiercely vehement, is meant to depict our human vulnerability as we passionately encounter all of life’s beauty. Read more about the piece here: http://www.abbiebetinis.com/works/to_the_evening_star.html Note: the second alto part, at times quite low, may be augmented by tenors at the conductor’s discretion. Additional InformationDate of Completion: November, 2005Date of First Performance: Saturday, December 3, 2005Premier Performance Data: Nativity Choir (Matthew Culloton, cond), Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church, St. Paul, MinnesotaAdditional Performances: 11/22/2008: Blair Collegium Vocale (David Childs, cond)
