I Write This Poem Out Of Darkness (SSA)... SEA-024-00 $3.00 I Write this Poem out of Darkness George Ella Lyon SSA (with soloists), flute, violin and piano 12 Vln Pno 3 3 3 mf

Elizabeth Alexander

Seafarer Presswww.seafarerpress.com

SEA-024-00 $3.00

I Write this Poem out of Darkness

George Ella Lyon

SSA (with soloists), flute, violin and piano

Growing Light

I write this poemout of darknessto youwho are also in darknessbecause our lives demand it.

This poem is a hand on your shouldera bone touch to go with youthrough the hard birth of vision.In other words, loveshapes this poem

is the fist that holds the chisel,muscle that drags marbleand burns with the weight

of believing a facelives in the stonea breathing word in the body.

I tell youthough the darknesshas been ourswords will give usgive our eyes, opened in promisea growing light.

George Ella Lyon

Copyright 1994 by George Ella Lyon. Reprinted by permission of the author.

George Ella Lyon grew up in the mountains of Kentucky, the daughter of a dry cleaner and a communityworker. She has written over 30 books for children and adults in the forms of poetry, memoir and novel, aswell as two plays. She maintains an active schedule leading writing workshops and giving talks at schools,arts programs, conferences and community events all over the country, making dozens of appearances everyyear. The mother of two sons, she makes her home in Lexington, Kentucky.

For more information, visit: georgeellalyon.com

Elizabeth Alexander spent her childhood in the Carolinas and Appalachian Ohio. Her passion for language,and in particular for modern American poems, is reflected in her catalogue of over 60 choral works, withperformances by over 1000 choirs. Reviews of her vocal music have commented on “the close personalresonance between the composer and the words,” her music’s “delicacy and sincerity,” and its “elegance,subtle, unexpected harmonic turns, and...freshness within a well-known language.” Her many commissionsinclude works for orchestras, chamber ensembles and choruses. Also the mother of two sons, Alexander livesin St. Paul, Minnesota.

For more information, visit: www.elizabethalexander.com

I Write This Poem Out Of Darkness was commissioned by Women’s Works of Ithaca, NY, with funding fromthe New York State Council on the Arts and Meet the Composer.

Front cover: Drawing by Jonathan Machen. Used by permission. www.haikutimes.com

(h = 36 - 40)

(h = 36 - 40)

Commissioned by Women's Works

I Write This Poem Out Of DarknessElizabeth Alexander

- for Ann Silsbee -

George Ella Lyon

Flute

Violin

S I

S II

A

Piano

(dark - ness...

sul G

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out of dark - ness....)

3

delicate, pellucid

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copyright 2000 by Elizabeth Alexander

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Opal Palmer Adisa, poet B Margaret & George Alexander, parents B Yehuda Amichai, poet B Bjorn Arneson, generousweb designer B Scott Bates, poet B Abbie Betinis, composer/colleague B Dennis Blubaugh, music dealer B MichaeldeVernon Boblett, poet B Ray Bradbury, writer B Norbert Capek, visionary B e. e. cummings, poet B Philip Dacey,poet B Emily Dickinson, poet B Evelyn Dudley, poet B Rob Eller-Isaacs, minister/writer B Sophia Lyon Fahs, writer B Richard M. Fewkes, writer B Pesha Gertler, poet B Richard S. Gilbert, minister/writer B Jack Gallagher,composer/teacher B Paul Gerike, proofreader B Steve Harper, technical advisor B Steve Hawkins, generous webdesigner B Edie Hill, composer/colleague B Langston Hughes, poet B Mark Humphrey, piano technician B Karel Husa,composer/teacher B Kalidasa, poet B Garrison Keillor, storyteller B Denise Levertov, poet B George Ella Lyon, poet B Jonathan Machen, artist B Edna St. Vincent Millay, poet B J. David Moore, composer/colleague B Joan WolfPrefontaine, poet B Gerald Rich, poet B Carl Sandburg, poet B King Sigismund III, religious reformer B StevenStucky, composer/teacher B Rabindranath Tagore, poet B Howard Thurman, civil rights leader/writer B JohnGreenleaf Whittier, poet B Theodore Chickering Williams, poet B Daniel Winter, pianist/teacher B Nancy Wood,poet B Yehudi Wyner, composer/teacher B Paul Adams, technical advisor B Opal Palmer Adisa, poet B Margaret &George Alexander, parents B Yehuda Amichai, poet B Bjorn Arneson, generous web designer B Scott Bates, poet B Abbie Betinis, composer/colleague B Dennis Blubaugh, music dealer B Michael deVernon Boblett, poet B RayBradbury, writer B Norbert Capek, visionary B e. e. cummings, poet B Philip Dacey, poet B Emily Dickinson, poet B Evelyn Dudley, poet B Rob Eller-Isaacs, minister/writer B Sophia Lyon Fahs, writer B Richard M. Fewkes, writer B Pesha Gertler, poet B Richard S. Gilbert, minister/writer B Jack Gallagher, composer/teacher B Paul Gerike,proofreader B Steve Harper, technical advisor B Steve Hawkins, generous web designer B Edie Hill,composer/colleague B Langston Hughes, poet B Mark Humphrey, piano technician B Karel Husa, composer/teacher B Kalidasa, poet B Garrison Keillor, storyteller B Denise Levertov, poet B George Ella Lyon, poet B Jonathan Machen,artist B Edna St. Vincent Millay, poet B J. David Moore, composer/colleague B Joan Wolf Prefontaine, poet B GeraldRich, poet B Carl Sandburg, poet B King Sigismund III, religious reformer B Steven Stucky, composer/teacher B Rabindranath Tagore, poet B Howard Thurman, civil rights leader/writer B John Greenleaf Whittier, poet B Theodore Chickering Williams, poet B Daniel Winter, pianist/teacher B Nancy Wood, poet B Yehudi Wyner,composer/teacher B Paul Adams, technical advisor B Opal Palmer Adisa, poet B Margaret & George Alexander, parents B Yehuda Amichai, poet B Bjorn Arneson, generous web designer B Scott Bates, poet B Abbie Betinis,composer/colleague B Dennis Blubaugh, music dealer B Michael deVernon Boblett, poet B Ray Bradbury, writer B Norbert Capek, visionary B e. e. cummings, poet B Philip Dacey, poet B Emily Dickinson, poet B Evelyn Dudley, poet B Rob Eller-Isaacs, minister/writer B Sophia Lyon Fahs, writer B Richard M. Fewkes, writer B Pesha Gertler, poet B Richard S. Gilbert, minister/writer B Jack Gallagher, composer/teacher B Paul Gerike, proofreader B Steve Harper,technical advisor B Steve Hawkins, generous web designer B Edie Hill, composer/colleague B Langston Hughes, poet B Mark Humphrey, piano technician B Karel Husa, composer/teacher B Kalidasa, poet B Garrison Keillor, storyteller B Denise Levertov, poet B George Ella Lyon, poet B Jonathan Machen, artist B Edna St. Vincent Millay, poet B J. David Moore, composer/colleague B Joan Wolf Prefontaine, poet B Gerald Rich, poet B Carl Sandburg, poet B King

THIS PAGE HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.

(YOU KNOW WHY.)

A COMPLETE PERUSAL COPY MAY BE PURCHASED

FROM ELIZABETH ALEXANDER AT

Seafarer PressSeafarer PressSeafarer PressSeafarer Presswww.seafarerpress.com

A LOT OF HARD WORK &CREATIVITY

WENT INTO BRINGING

THIS MUSIC TO YOU...

...AND SOME OF IT WAS EVEN MINE.

50

S I

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(h = 54) (h=h.) *

(h = 54) (h=h.) *

66

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* The pace of the quarter notes in m. 66 should be exactlythe same as the pace of the previous measure's triplets.

70

S II

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82

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S I

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9



(YOU KNOW WHY.)





WENT INTO BRINGING



94 rall.

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a tempo

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S I

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11

101

meno mosso

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SoloIV

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104

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warmly: let your voice have some folk music inflection here

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108

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S II

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113

(h = 36) *

(h = 36) *

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S I

S II

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Pno

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bo dy.-

bo dy.-

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* The pace of the quarter notes in m. 115 should

be exactly the same as the pace of the previousmeasure's dotted quarter notes.

p

3

13

119

Vln

S I

S II

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Pno

I

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123

Fl.

S I

S II

A

Pno

p

3

though

the

dark

ness

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has

been

ours,

though

the

dark

ness

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has

been

ours,

though

the

dark

ness

-

has

been

ours,

14



(YOU KNOW WHY.)





WENT INTO BRINGING



136

Fl.

S I

S II

A

Pno

o

mf pened

- in

3pro

mise,

- a

grow

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a

mf

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ing

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139

Fl.

S I

S II

A

Pno

mf

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port. 3

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a

mf

grow

ing

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16

143

Fl.

Vln

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147

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3 p

3

dolce

mp

sempre

mp

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152

Fl.

Vln

Pno

pp

p

(out of dark - ness...)

ppp

17

Documents

I Write This Poem Out Of Darkness (SSA)... SEA-024-00 $3.00 I Write this Poem out of Darkness George Ella Lyon SSA (with soloists), flute, violin and piano 12 Vln Pno 3 3 3 mf