Birding in Winter<\/em> is for SATB chorus, with a soprano divisi passage and brief solo passages near the end, which could be sung as a section. Level is somewhat difficult. Although intended to be acapella, you can use supporting doubling with piano, in full or just occasional supporting notes.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been enchanted by Susan\u2019s poem for years. It expresses so well the cold necessities of birding in wintertime, with a subtle undercurrent of why we birdwatchers would put up with winter cold for the thrill of a sighting, whether it\u2019s an unusual bird or an ordinary bird found in a special place.<\/p>\n A taste of the Susan Edwards Richmond’s poem:<\/p>\n “Empty yourself of expectation, Leave behind pencil and list. Mostly, the music follows the rhythm of the spoken words. My setting alternates between big declarative moments and textures to evoke a mood. The declarations might slip in and out of unison\/octaves (\u201cmaster the cold…\u201d). The textural sections vary between almost modal with chromatic inflections (for example, \u201cnothing but patterns,…\u201d) and more chromatic (the descending version of \u201csilk sheath for ice…\u201d). In the end, the snow and ice and feelings of cold dissolve in a musical texture of shimmering light.<\/p>\n Preview score<\/strong> Click the big button to download a free perusal score. The watermarked PDF is disabled for printing.<\/p>\n\n\n\tDownload “Birding in Winter, SATB, preview”\tpjm-birdinginwinter-preview.pdf\t\t– Downloaded 5639 times\t\t– 378.86 KB<\/small>\n<\/a>\n\n Birding in Winter<\/strong> was premiered in November 2019 in Somerville and Cambridge, MA, USA by Triad: Boston\u2019s Choral Collective<\/a>, conducted by Charles Turner.\u00a0 Watch a video of the Triad performance, with Pam’s photos of ice and snow, on the Lucid Streaming online concert<\/a><\/strong>, a pandemic project by Eastman alumni.<\/p>\n Birding in Winter<\/strong> is part of Project : Encore<\/a>, which promotes subsequent performances for choral music that has been premiered. You can preview scores and listen there too.<\/p>\n Or download the preview score above, and listen here:<\/p>\n
\nthe flutter of common creatures.
\nNothing will be close.<\/p>\n
\nBut keep the book.
\nBe sure your layers match the earth\u2014”<\/p>\nView and listen<\/h2>\n