HFM09022 - Vocal Score

$1.75

What the Birds Said

SATB Choir and Wind Ensemble Words by John Greenleaf Whittier Music by Ronnie Sanders

HFM09021 - Conductors Score HFM09022 - Vocal Score HFM09022 - Rehearsal Score

Heartfelt! Music Company, www.ronniesanders.net

WHAT THE BIRDS SAID by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) The birds against the April wind Flew northward, singing as they flew; They sang, "The land we leave behind Has swords for corn-blades, blood for dew." "O wild-birds, flying from the South, What saw and heard ye, gazing down?" "We saw the mortar's upturned mouth, The sickened camp, the blazing town! "Beneath the bivouac's starry lamps, We saw your march-worn children die; In shrouds of moss, in cypress swamps, We saw your dead uncoffined lie. "And heard and saw ye only wrong And pain," I cried, "O wing-worn flocks?" "We heard," they sang, "the freedman's song, The crash of Slavery's broken locks! "O'er dusky faces, seamed and old, And hands horn-hard with unpaid toil, With hope in every rustling fold, We saw your star-dropt flag uncoil. "And sweet and far, as from a star, Replied a voice which shall not cease, Till, drowning all the noise of war, It sings the blessed song of peace!"

Notes by the Composer The vision behind this piece began as a sight-reading exercise for the Thomas Jefferson High School Varsity Honor Chorale in San Antonio, Texas. While I wanted to create a challenging sight-reading piece, I also wanted to write a piece that would work well for the concert stage. I came across a wonderful text written by John Greenleaf Whittier written shortly after the civil war. Here, the poet asks the birds flying from the south what they have seen. As they recount what they have seen, the reader understands that they have been witness to horrible war scenes. What is wonderfully redeeming about this poem is that the birds also hear a song - a song of freedom sung by those who have been set free from the chains of slavery. The opening clarinet motif and subsequent quotes are from a slave song Oh Freedom! The poem ends with the notion that the song of freedom is so loud, that the blessed song of peace drowns out the noise of war. February 19, 2009

What the Birds Said

VOCAL SCORE
Soprano

q b 4 &bb 4 b 4 &bb 4 ? bb 4 b 4

.
2

Words by JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER Music by RONNIE SANDERS

b b b

Instrument Reduction

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4

&b ?
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7

The

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bb . bb . bb bb
birds

j j .
sang, a - gainst

the

Ap - ril

wind Flew

north - ward, sing - ing

. .

j j

2 4 2 4 2 4 2 4

The

the

birds

a - gainst

Ap - ril

wind Flew

north - ward, sing - ing

13

14

15

b 2 &b 4

b 2 & b 4 4 . 4 as they

4 4 . -

They

j
"The land we

flew;

b 2 &b 4

as they

16

4 4 17 18 19

2 . j 4 20 . J Copyright 2009 Ronnie Sanders All Rights Reserved www.ronniesanders.net

flew; They sang, "The land we leave be - hind Has swords for corn - blades,

leave be - hind Has

. j . j

2 4 2 4

swords for corn - blades,

b 2 &b 4 b 2 &b 4 -

4 . 4 4 4 .
dew."

"O

What the Birds Said - page 2 of 8

blood for

j 2 bb 4 4 . .. & . 4 J 21 23 J 22
blood for dew." "O

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wild - birds, fly - ing

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saw

from the South, What

and heard ye,

J j

2 4 2 4

wild - birds, fly - ing

from the South, What

24

2 4 25
saw and heard ye,

b 2 &b 4 b 2 &b 4 - 26

4 . 4 4 4 .
down?"

gaz - ing

"We

F j . F j .
saw

the mor - tar's

up - turned mouth,

. .

The

j . j .
30

sick - ened camp, the

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2 4 2 4 2 4

b 2 &b 4 b 2 &b 4 b 2 &b 4 b 2 Vb 4 ? bb 4 2 b 2 &b 4 ? bb 4 2

gaz - ing

4 . 4 . 27

down?"

"We

saw

the mor - tar's

28

up - turned mouth,

29

The

sick - ened camp, the

blaz - ing

4 4 w 4 4 w 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

town!

w w . . . w .

f . . . .
35

j
the

blaz - ing

town!

"Be - neath

"Be - neath

the

bi - vouac's

bi - vouac's

31

32

33

34

What the Birds Said - page 3 of 8

bb

? bb b &b ? b b
36

star - ry lamps, We

.
saw

your march - worn

star - ry lamps, We

saw

your march - worn

2 4

37

> - ren child die; In shrouds of moss, in mournful . 2 2 J 4 4 . 4 4 > child - ren die; In shrouds of moss, in 2 4 2 4 4 4 . . . 2 4
38

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mournful

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2 4

4 . 4
39

40

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2 4

b 2 &b 4 b 2 &b 4 b 2 Vb 4 2 ? bb 4 b 2 &b 4 ? b 2 b 4

41

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

. . . . . .

F F F F

We

saw

. . . . ..

We

saw

cy - press

swamps,

We

saw

cy - press

swamps,

We

saw

p j > un your dead p j > un your dead p j > un your dead p J >
your dead un

2 4 2 4 2 4 2 4 2 4 2 4

cof - fined

4 4 w 4 4 w 4 4 w 4 w 4 4 4 4 4

lie.

cof - fined

lie.

cof - fined

lie.

cof - fined

lie.

j J

42

43

44

45

&

bb b b

47

. .

F F

What the Birds Said - page 4 of 8

.
heard

j
and

.
pain,"

j
I cried, "O

2 4 2 4 2 4 2 4

&b Vb

"And

and saw

ye

on - ly wrong And

F . . 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 F

heard

"And

saw

ye

on

ly

? bb &b b

"And

heard

and

and

saw

ye

on

ly

"And

heard

48

. j .
50

saw,"

"Oh

free

2 . j 4 2 4
"the

dom!

? bb

46

49

b 2 &b 4 b 2 &b 4 b 2 Vb 4

w
flocks?"

.
I

"We

.
heard,"

wing - worn

wrong and

pain

.
cried

they sang,

J j

.
heard,"

"the

. .

2 ? bb 4

"Oh

wrong and

pain

free - dom!

. .

"We

Free - dom!

. . .

they sang,

Oh

b 2 &b 4 4 4 2 ? bb 4
51

Oh

free - dom!

w . .
53

4 4

.
54

52

What the Birds Said - page 5 of 8

&b &b Vb

b b

freed -

man's song,

The

crash

of Slav - ery's

2 4

freed

? bb
Oh,

man's song,

. .

The

crash of

Slav - ery's

2 4 4 4 w -
of

brok - en

4 4 w -

locks!

w w #w w w #w w

free - dom!"

Crash,

crash

2 4 4 w - 4 2 4 4 w 4 bro - ken bro - ken

brok - en

locks!

locks!

&b

free - dom!

Crash,

? b b
55

2 4 j . 4 4 .
57 58

crash

of

locks!

56

2 4 . 4 4 w .
hands

59

b & b . b & b . b V b . ? bb .

p p p

"O'er

dusk - y fa - ces,

. J . J . J . J

old,

And

seamed and

old,

And

. . .

horn-hard

J J J J

with

2 4 rit.

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

with

2 4 2 4 - 2 4 2 4

un - paid rit.

"O'er

dusk - y fa - ces,

seamed and

hands

horn-hard

old,

"O'er

dusk - y fa - ces,

seamed and

And

with

un - paid rit.

hands

horn-hard

un - paid rit.

b & b .
60

"O'er

dusk - y fa - ces,

seamed and

old,

And

hands

horn-hard

with

un - paid

61

62

63

64

b 4 & b 4 . b 4 & b 4 .
toil,

With

.
hope

What the Birds Said - page 6 of 8

We

.
saw

J . J

2 4 2 4 2 4 2 4

in ev - ery

rust - ling

fold,

your star - dropt

b 4 V b 4 . ? bb 4 . 4
toil, toil,

toil,

With

hope

With

hope

in ev - ery

in

ev

ery

rust - ling

rust - ling

fold,

We

saw

your star - dropt

b 4 &b 4 ? bb 4 . 4
65

With

hope

j . .
in ev -

ery

rust

66

68

j . 2 4
ling

67

2 4

b 2 &b 4 b 2 &b 4 b 2 Vb 4
flag

un -

4 w 4 4 w 4 4 w 4
coil.

. . . .

"And

sweet

and

"And

fold,

un

sweet

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flag

2 4 . bb 4 . & 4
fold,

4 w 4

"And

and

coil.

sweet

and

"And

sweet

and

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69

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70

71

72

What the Birds Said - page 7 of 8

b dim. & b .
far, dim.

as

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far, dim.
73

from a

.
star,

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rit.

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a voice

which

far, dim.

as

from

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a

.
a

star.

Re - plied rit.

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77

shall

not

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

which

Re - plied rit.

a voice

shall

not

as

from

far,

as

74

star.

which

Re - plied rit.

a voice

shall

not

from

75

star.

Re - plied

76

a voice

which

shall

not

b 4 &b 4 w
a tempo

. . . .

F F

b 4 &b 4 w
a tempo

cease,

Till,

.
drown -

ing all

j j j

the

noise

of

war,

It

b 4 Vb 4 w
a tempo

cease,

F F

Till,

drown

. . .

ing all

the

noise

of

war,

It It

? b 4 w b 4
a tempo

cease,

Till,

drown

ing all

b b 4 .. & 4
cease,

? bb 4 4

79

. .

Till,

drown

. j . . J

ing all

the

noise

of

war,

the

noise

of

war,

It

78

80

81

b &b &b Vb b b

What the Birds Said - page 8 of 8

cresc.

the

bless -

ed

.
song

of

.
peace!"

of

sings cresc.

sings, cresc.

it

sings the

song, the

bless - ed

song

. . .

of

peace,

It It

It

it

peace!"

? bb

sings, cresc.

sings the

song, the

bless - ed

song

of

peace,

. .

of

peace!"

b &b
sings the

bless

ed

song

of

peace!"

It

? b b
82

the

83

84

85

b &b & bb
sings

rit.

. J
song

.
peace!

of

w w

sings

the

bless - ed rit.

Vb

. j . j . j . . J .

of

peace!"

w
peace!

bless - ed rit.

song

of

w w

w w w w

? bb

sings

the

bless - ed rit.

b &b ? bb

sings

the

87

song

of

peace!

bless - ed rit.

song

of

peace!

. w

u U w U w
90

86

89

88