There is a solemn wind tonight - (2019)   

Katherine Mansfield

for mezzo soprano and piano

 for Nigel Potts

There is a solemn wind to-night
That sings of solemn rain;
The trees that have been quiet so long
Flutter and start again.

The slender trees, the heavy trees,
The fruit trees laden and proud,
Lift up their branches to the wind
That cries to them so loud.

The little bushes and the plants
Bow to the solemn sound,
And every tiniest blade of grass
Shakes on the quiet ground.

2 pages, circa 1' 45"

Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923)

 

A poet from Wellington, New Zealand, supplies the text for this short song, with its dedication to another born in Wellington, New Zealand. A solemn wind, one among the many, from Dorian blew across Mount Pleasant and the surrounding area, one mentions. For a Kiwi and a Brit now in the states, such solemn wind is among the many rich experiences of life and living.

  

 

An opening gesture rushes along for a moment, as a single harmony lingering across measures. Each repetition brings a shorter version, with strophic episodes, each rooted in a different tonal region.

 

 

The score is available as a free PDF download, though any major commercial performance or recording of the work is prohibited without prior arrangement with the composer. Click on the graphic below for this art song score.

 

There is a solemn wind tonight

8 1/2 x 11 edition