Songs of Spring

SSSAA unaccompanied

Songs of Spring is a trio of love songs celebrating sisters and sisterhood, the joyful relinquishing of emotional burden, and the power of the natural world to inspire fearless female strength. It was commissioned for Esprit Singers of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada by choir member Trudy Blight in honour of her treasured sisters. My favourite commissioning projects are those based on relationships, personal connections, or links to the commissioning musicians. This project had all three of those elements and as a result, was a collaboration that deeply inspired me. I hope the resulting work, Songs of Spring, is a performance piece that inspires choristers to reflect on their relationships with each other, the sisters in their lives whomever they may be, and their personal journeys in search of a positive and confident sense of self.

  • Lyrics

    I. Sister of the Sky
    I went out on an April morning
    All alone, for my heart was high.
    I was a child of the shining meadow,
    I was a sister of the sky.

    There in the windy flood of morning
    Longing lifted its weight from me,
    Lost as a sob in the midst of cheering,
    Swept as a sea-bird out to sea.

    II. Fearless Heart
    The spring is fresh and fearless
    And every leaf is new,
    The world is brimmed with moonlight,
    The lilac brimmed with dew.
    Here in the moving shadows
    I catch my breath and sing–
    My heart is fresh and fearless
    And over-brimmed with spring.

    III. Sing Before Night
    Evening, and all the birds
    In a chorus of shimmering sound
    Are easing their hearts of joy
    For miles around.
    The air is blue and sweet,
    The few first stars are white,—
    Oh let me like the birds
    Sing before night.

    Sara Teasdale

Published by Oxford University Press

Songs of Spring cover image

Duration: 10 minutes
Published: 2024
ISBN: 9780193574281

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