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Musical setting of the Maria White Lowell poem, "Song", meant to be sung from the perspective of Mount Auburn Cemetery’s many statues. The key of E Major was selected to represent the colors of the sky at dawn.
lyrics
SONG [Excerpts]
(By: Maria White Lowell)
O bird, thou dartest to the sun,
When morning beams first spring,
And I, like thee, would swiftly run;
As sweetly would I sing.
Thy burning heart doth draw thee up
Unto the source of fire;
Thou drinkest from its glowing cup
And quenchest thy desire.
O dew, thou droppest soft below,
And pearlest all the ground,
Yet, when the morning comes, I know
Thou never canst be found.
I would like thine had been my birth;
Then I, without a sigh,
Might sleep the night through on the earth
To waken in the sky.
[...]
For they are free, ye all are free,
And bird, and dew, and light,
Can dart upon the azure sea
And leave me to my night;
Oh, would like theirs had been my birth,
Then I, without a sigh,
Might sleep the night through on the earth
To waken in the sky.
credits
from
Mount Auburn: Spring and Autumn Suites,
released June 3, 2017
Composed and arranged by Mary Bichner. Performed by Evanangelia Leontis (soprano), Mary Bichner (mezzo/alto), and Mali Sastri (mezzo/alto).
Recorded and engineered by Antonio Oliart Ros at WGBH Studios in Boston, MA. Mixed and mastered by Peter Moore at Palace of Purpose in Malden, MA. Consulting by Xiao’an Li. Commissioned by The Friends of Mount Auburn and Mount Auburn Cemetery.
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