Composer: Julian David BrysonDetailsFormat: Mixed Choir - 5 voices or moreVoicing: SATBBAccompaniment: unaccompaniedNotation: standardPerformance Length: 2:30 Study Scores & Audio FilesStudy Score & Audio Order Printed ScoresPublisher: MusicSpokeOrder site / Alternate source of score: julianbryson.com Texts & TranslationsLanguage(s): EnglishText Source: Robert FrostText: Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice. Programming AidsPerformance Difficulty: moderateSeasonal Usage: WinterSummerDescriptive Terms: fireicedesirehatepeaceAllow Excerpts: Composition is a single movementComposer’s Notes: “Fire and Ice,” along with “Quibbles and Quirks” for wind quintet and “Conflictions” for brass quintet, began as exercises in counterpoint. Though I didn’t conceive of them as a set, upon further reflection, I see them as having remarkable similarities. All are for five voices, involve imitation, and represent conversations. “Fire and Ice,” in particular, takes the well-known poem by Robert Frost and weaves it into a dialogue—at times an argument—inviting both choir and audience to take sides. Because the text is so familiar, I didn’t concern myself with clarity in its setting, instead focusing on the similar vowel sounds central to key words. This leaves the conclusion up to the audience, even as late as the final chord, where both fire and ice sound simultaneously. Additional InformationDate of Completion: August, 2002Date of First Performance: Saturday, November 21, 2015Premier Performance Data: Triad: Boston's Choral Collective (Corey De Tar, cond), Harvard-Epworth UMC, Cambridge, MA