Composer: Laurie Betts HughesDetailsFormat: Treble VoicesVoicing: SSASolo Requirements: SAccompaniment: instrumental ensembleInstrumentation: percussionviolinmandolinbanjodouble bassNotation: standardPerformance Length: 8:00 Study Scores & Audio FilesStudy Score & Audio Order Printed ScoresPublisher: DandelionMusicPress.com Texts & TranslationsLanguage(s): EnglishText Source: American Folk SongText: I Bright morning stars are risin' Day is a-breakin' in my soul Oh where are our dear mothers? Day is a-breakin' in my soul Oh where are our dear fathers? Day is a-breakin' in my soul Oh where are our dear children? They are up on the mountain a-singin! Day is a-breakin' in my soul Bright morning stars are risin' Day is a-breakin' in my soul II Oh watch the stars, see how they run The stars fall down at the setting of the sun Oh great big stars way up yonder Great big stars way up yonder Oh my little soul's gonna shine, shine All around the heavens, gonna shine, shine Oh watch the stars, see how they run Watch the stars, see how they run Stars fall down at the setting of the sun All around the heavens, at the setting of the sun Programming AidsPerformance Difficulty: moderateSeasonal Usage: Memorial ServicesDescriptive Terms: hopestarsAmericanfolkbluegrasscelebrationAllow Excerpts: YesComposer’s Notes: “Lights of the Western Sky” is a compilation of 3 celestial American folk songs, collected by Ruth Crawford Seeger, commissioned by Casper Children's Chorale to celebrate the 2017 total solar eclipse visible in Casper, Wyoming, in honor of Mick McMurray. The pieces are connected not only by the folk style and the star subject but also by tracing the course of a day, and by focusing on the connection of the outer world to the inner soul. I. Bright Morning Stars-- An additive processional on the ultimate theme of children singing. Though the traditional verses state that the fathers are "down in the valley a-prayin''' and the mothers have "gone to heaven a-shoutin'" (or vice versa), the lyrics have been freely adapted in the folk tradition of "floating verses" (adapting lyrics to personal experience) to describe the children's experience. The opening percussion motif is intended to evoke Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man." II. Oh, Watch the Stars-- "Oh, Watch the Stars" and "Great Big Stars," combined in unique ways. The two songs used, "Oh, Watch the Stars" and "Great Big Stars," are distinct in their own right. They have been fused together in this movement, borrowing the text from one and using the tune from the other, and modifying one to partner with the other when presented simultaneously. A fusion of two styles, this movement opens solemnly and culminates in a "hoedown showdown." Additional InformationDate of Completion: September, 2016Date of First Performance: Sunday, May 14, 2017Premier Performance Data: Casper Children's Chorale (Marcia Patton, cond), Venue Kelly Walsh High School Performing Arts Center, Casper, WYAdditional Performances: August 20, 2017: Wyoming Eclipse Celebration November, 2017: Women’s University Cub (Seattle)
