Composer: John MuehleisenDetailsFormat: Mixed Choir - 4 voicesVoicing: SATBIncidental Divisi: S, A, T, BAccompaniment: unaccompaniedNotation: standardPerformance Length: 3:45 Study Scores & Audio FilesStudy Score & Audio Order Printed ScoresPublisher: Muehleisen Music JM-123 Order site / Alternate source of score: johnmuehleisen.com Texts & TranslationsLanguage(s): EnglishText Source: Elizabeth Barrett BrowningText: EXPERIENCE, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand, Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God’s will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors: Deathly colds Fall on us while we hear and counter-mand Our sanguine heart back from the fancy-land With nightingales in visionary wolds. We murmur,—‘Where is any certain tune Or measured music, in such notes as these?’— But angels, leaning from the golden seat, Are not so minded; their fine ear hath won The issue of completed cadences, And, smiling down the stars, they whisper—Sweet. Programming AidsPerformance Difficulty: moderateSeasonal Usage: Memorial ServicesFuneralsRemembranceAfterlifeMusic ThemeDescriptive Terms: musicmourninghopecomfortwomen poetsAllow Excerpts: Composition is a single movementComposer’s Notes: Perplexed Music was commissioned by Eric Banks and Seattle-based choral ensemble The Esoterics for a program made up entirely of musical settings of sonnets. When I read Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s beautiful poem, it appealed to me immediately with its surreal images and musical references woven throughout. Ironically it did not immediately elicit a musical reaction from me, thus I was faced with something quite unfamiliar to me: a case of writer’s block. It was not until a family tragedy struck that the poem resonated with me and my eyes were opened: our young niece and her husband lost their first-born child to a premature birth; he lived only five minutes. After receiving this news and allowing it to sink into our hearts, I returned to the text, and it came alive for me in a deeply poignant way. Rather than interpreting the text for the audience, I prefer to simply present the backstory and allow listeners to discover the meaning of the text for themselves, which I believe will yield a much more poignant experience of both the poem and the music. All that I will add is simply the dedication: Dedicated to the memory of Michael Christian Krueger, for whom the Angels whisper— SWEET Additional InformationDate of Completion: March, 2006Date of First Performance: Saturday, May 6, 2006Premier Performance Data: The Esoterics (Eric Banks, cond), Christ Episcopal Church, Tacoma WAAdditional Performances: The Esoterics • Eric Banks, cond. • May 7, 2006 • St Thomas Episcopal Church • Medina, WA The Esoterics • Eric Banks, cond. • May 13, 2006 • St Joseph's Catholic Church • Seattle, WA The Esoterics • Eric Banks, cond. • May 14, 2006 • Holy Rosary Catholic Church • West Seattle, WA Conspirare • Craig Hella Johnson, cond. • March 29, 2008 • St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church • Wimberley, TX Conspirare • Craig Hella Johnson, cond. • March 30, 2008 • Congregation Agudas Achim • Austin, TX The Esoterics • Eric Banks, cond. • April 12, 2008 • Trinity Lutheran Church • Tacoma, WA The Esoterics • Eric Banks, cond. • April 13, 2008 • St Thomas Episcopal Church • Medina, WA The Esoterics • Eric Banks, cond. • April 19, 2008 • St Joseph's Catholic Church • Seattle, WA The Esoterics • Eric Banks, cond. • April 20, 2008 • Holy Rosary Catholic Church • West Seattle, WA The Esoterics • Eric Banks, cond. • April 18, 2009 • Trinity Lutheran Church • Lynnwood, WA The Esoterics • Eric Banks, cond. • April 19, 2009 • Christ Episcopal Church • Tacoma, WA The Esoterics • Eric Banks, cond. • April 25, 2009 • St Joseph's Catholic Church • Seattle, WA The Esoterics • Eric Banks, cond. • April 26, 2009 • Holy Rosary Catholic Church • West Seattle, WA Central Washington University Chamber Choir • Megan McCormick, cond. • May 22, 2015 • Central Washington University Concert Hall • Ellensburg, WA Vox 16 • Markdavin Obenza, cond. • April 16, 2016 • Trinity Parish Church • Seattle, WA
