I would live in your love

Purchase this score at:
G. Schirmer, Dale Warland Choral Series
Hal Leonard item number: 50486939
ASCAP title number: 394109678

Performance Notes:
I would live in your love is taken from Sara Teasdale’s second collection of poetry, Helen of Troy and Other Poems, published in 1911. Teasdale’s style bridged the gap between the poetry of the Victorian age and 20th century free verse. Throughout her career, she chose to write in metered verse and use regular rhyme scheme long after it had become passé. This poem, however, is an example of her exploration of poetic development in the 20th century. While it uses the elements of rhyme and meter, the rhythm of the text is uneven and flowing and the lines do not fit neatly into couplets. Teasdale paints images of profound beauty that reveal a woman who wished to balk Victorian tradition and marry for true love. Teasdale’s own marriage to businessman Ernst Filsinger in 1914 was mostly an effort to please her parents. She divorced in 1929 and committed suicide four years later.

I chose to set the text using rich harmonic language and a thick texture to reflect the poet’s desire to be completely consumed by love. The first stanza of the poem draws a metaphor between sea-grass surrounded by ocean waves and the poet surrounded by love. Throughout the piece, the pervasive melodic content is a minor third (G – B-flat) filled in by the middle note (A). This motive symbolizes the ocean surrounding the grass and, ultimately, the feeling of being consumed by love. I incorporated my love for the music of Robert Schumann at the climax of the piece by referencing the first movement of his Op. 17, for piano which he wrote for Clara Wieck. Here, he uses a recurring theme that signifies, “Clara;” a descending 5-note scale. At the climax, on the words, “your soul”, I use this motive that cascades through the voices. The piece should be performed with sensitivity and flexibility, allowing punctuation to guide phrasing and breathing.

Media

Youtube
February 21-22, 2008
Westminster Choir
Dr. Joe Miller, conductor
Central American Choral Directors Association convention
Grand Rapids, MI

Youtube
January 18, 2008
Oklahoma State University Concert Chorale
Dirk Garner, conductor
Oklahoma Music Educators Association State Convention
Tulsa, OK

Youtube
October 31, 2008
University of North Texas
A Cappella Choir
Dr. Jerry McCoy, conductor
National Collegiate Choral Organization National Convention
Cincinnati, OH

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