at least a moment cycle of three songs for soprano and harp
Texts by Kenneth Koch
Dennis Tobenski
3
1. To You
I love you as a sheriff searches for a walnut That will solve a murder case unsolved for years Because the murderer left it in the snow beside a window Through which he saw her head, connecting with Her shoulders by a neck, and laid a red Roof in her heart. For this we live a thousand years; For this we love, and we live because we love, we are not Inside a bottle, thank goodness! I love you as a Kid searches for a goat; I am crazier than shirttails In the wind, when you're near, a wind that blows from The big blue sea, so shiny so deep and so unlike us; I think I am bicycling across an Africa of green and white fields Always, to be near you, even in my heart When I'm awake, which swims, and also that I believe that you Are trustworthy as the sidewalk which leads me to The place where I think of you, a new Harmony of thoughts! I love you as the sunlight leads the prow Of a ship which sails from Hartford to Miami, and I love you Best at dawn, when even before I am awake the sun Receives me in the questions which you always pose.
2. Permanently
One day the Nouns were clustered in the street. An Adjective walked by, with her dark beauty. The Nouns were struck, moved, changed. The next day a Verb drove up, and created the Sentence.
Each Sentence says one thing—for example, "Although it was a dark rainy day when the Adjective walked by, I shall remember the pure and sweet expression on her face until the day I perish from the green, effective earth." Or, "Will you please close the window, Andrew?" Or, for example, "Thank you, the pink pot of flowers on the window sill has changed color recently to a light yellow, due to the heat from the boiler factory which exists nearby."
In the springtime the Sentences and the Nouns lay silently on the grass. A lonely Conjunction here and there would call, "And! But!" But the Adjective did not emerge.
As the Adjective is lost in the sentence, So I am lost in your eyes, ears, nose, and throat— You have enchanted me with a single kiss Which can never be undone Until the destruction of language.
4
3. One Train [May Hide Another]
(sign at a railroad crossing in Kenya) In a poem, one line may hide another line, As at a crossing, one train may hide another train. That is, if you are waiting to cross The tracks, wait to do it for one moment at Least after the first train is gone. And so when you read Wait until you have read the next line— Then it is safe to go on reading. In a family one sister may conceal another, So, when you are courting, it's best to have them all in view Otherwise in coming to find one you may love another. One father or one brother may hide the man, If you are a woman, whom you have been waiting to love. So always standing in front of something the other As words stand in front of objects, feelings, and ideas. One wish may hide another. And one person's reputation may hide The reputation of another. One dog may conceal another On a lawn, so if you escape the first one you're not necessarily safe; One lilac may hide another and then a lot of lilacs and on the Appia Antica one tomb May hide a number of other tombs. In love, one reproach may hide another, One small complaint may hide a great one. One injustice may hide another—one colonial may hide another, One blaring red uniform another, and another, a whole column. One bath may hide another bath As when, after bathing, one walks out into the rain. One idea may hide another: Life is simple Hide Life is incredibly complex, as in the prose of Gertrude Stein One sentence hides another and is another as well. And in the laboratory One invention may hide another invention, One evening may hide another, one shadow, a nest of shadows. One dark red, or one blue, or one purple—this is a painting By someone after Matisse. One waits at the tracks until they pass, These hidden doubles or, sometimes, likenesses. One identical twin May hide the other. And there may be even more in there! The obstetrician Gazes at the Valley of the Var. We used to live there, my wife and I, but One life hid another life. And now she is gone and I am here. A vivacious mother hides a gawky daughter. The daughter hides Her own vivacious daughter in turn. They are in A railway station and the daughter is holding a bag Bigger than her mother's bag and successfully hides it.
5
In offering to pick up the daughter's bag one finds oneself confronted by the mother's And has to carry that one, too. So one hitchhiker May deliberately hide another and one cup of coffee Another, too, until one is over‐excited. One love may hide another love or the same love As when "I love you" suddenly rings false and one discovers The better love lingering behind, as when "I'm full of doubts" Hides "I'm certain about something and it is that" And one dream may hide another as is well known, always, too. In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve may hide the real Adam and Eve. Jerusalem may hide another Jerusalem. When you come to something, stop to let it pass So you can see what else is there. At home, no matter where, Internal tracks pose dangers, too: one memory Certainly hides another, that being what memory is all about, The eternal reverse succession of contemplated entities. Reading A Sentimental Journey look around When you have finished, for Tristram Shandy, to see If it is standing there, it should be, stronger And more profound and theretofore hidden as Santa Maria Maggiore May be hidden by similar churches inside Rome. One sidewalk May hide another, as when you're asleep there, and One song hide another song; a pounding upstairs Hide the beating of drums. One friend may hide another, you sit at the foot of a tree With one and when you get up to leave there is another Whom you'd have preferred to talk to all along. One teacher, One doctor, one ecstasy, one illness, one woman, one man May hide another. Pause to let the first one pass. You think, Now it is safe to cross and you are hit by the next one. It can be important To have waited at least a moment to see what was already there.
All of the poems have been collected in The Collected Poems of Kenneth Koch, 2005 by Alfred A Knopf. Used with kind permission of the Kenneth Koch Literary Estate.
7 for Megan Sesma and Patricia Schuman
at least a moment 1. To You
Kenneth Koch (1925 - 2002)
q = 120 Exuberant f
Soprano
I
love
you
as
a
sher -
q = 120 Exuberant
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2008)
iff
search - es
for
a
wal -
nut
f
Harp
6
That will solve a mur - der
the
3
un -
solved
for
3
mur - derer
left
it
in
3
be - side a
Be
-
3
the snow
3
3
years
cause
11
3
case
win
-
dow
Through
3
© Copyright 2008 Dennis Tobenski. All rights reserved. "To You" from The Collected Poems of Kenneth Koch © 2005 Alfred A. Knopf. Used with the kind permission of the Kenneth Koch Literary Estate.
3
8
which
16
he
saw her
20
neck,
head,
For
shoul
3
we
3
love,
3
3
and
we
3
3
-
ders
by
a
3 3
we
are
q = 100
For
this
we live
a
q = 100
3
3
In - side a bot - tle, thank
3
3
not
be- cause we
3
3
live
3
love,
3
29
Her
3
with
this
ing
red Roof in her heart.
thou - sand years;
25
-
sfz
con - nect
and laid a
32
good - ness!
9
I
love
you
3
as a
Kid
search - es
3
3
3
3
goat;
3
for a
3
f 3 3
36
I amcraz- ier than shirt - tails
In
the
f
40
so
deep
and
The
big
blue
3
un
3
3
a
3
sea,
so
3
3
3
p sub.
3
I think I am
3
like us;
3
3
3
3 3
3
so
near,
3
3
3
3
3
you're
from
3
3
shin - y
blows
3
when
that
44
wind
wind,
sfz pp sub.
p sub.
3
10
49
3
bi - cycl - ing
a - cross
Af - ri - ca
fields
ff
When
f
3
f
p sub.
3
a
e
-
in my
3
and
al - so
3
3
I be -
3 3 3 3
3
side - walk
3
3
ven
3
3
p
3
3
3
3
as
you,
white
3
3
near
3
3
3
which swims,
that you are trust - worth - y
3
3
I'm a - wake,
to be
3
lieve
3 ff
3
ways,
3
and
3
3
Al -
3
f warm
3
heart
3
green
57
61
of
3
3
53
f
3
3
which
3 3
q = 80 f
molto rit.
65
3
leads me
to the place
where
I
ff
a- gain
think of you,
a
70
Har
-
mo - ny
of
3
75
leads
3
the
thoughts!
I
prow
Of
a
love
you
as the
3
sun - light
q = 120 as at the beginning
q = 120 as at the beginning f
f
new
fff 3 3 3 3 3
q = 80
molto rit.
11
ship that
sails
From Hart - ford
to
Mi -
12
q = 60
80
pp intimate
a - mi,
and
I
love
q = 60
you Best at
mf liquid
84
am
a - wake
the
sun
3
me
in
3
3
pp
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
the ques- tions which you al - ways pose.
3
I
3
be - fore
3
3
e - ven
3
3
3
when
3
3
3
dawn,
3
3
mf liquid
88
Re - ceives
pp intimate
3
3
2'37"
13
2. Permanently Kenneth Koch (1925 — 2002) q = 84
f declamatory
One day
q = 84
sfp
Harp
ff
sfp
clus - tered in the street.
3
Ad jec - tive walked by,
9
with her rit.
An
The Nouns were struck,
were
dark
q = 100 Tango
beau - ty.
moved,
the Nouns
rit.
5
ff
changed.
q = 100 Tango gli ss.
Soprano
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2008)
The
© Copyright 2009 Dennis Tobenski. All rights reserved.s "Permanently" from The Collected Poems of Kenneth Koch © 2005 Alfred A. Knopf. Used with the kind permission of the Kenneth Koch Literary Estate.
14 13
next day
a
q = 110
18
p mysterious
and
cre - at - ed
q = 60
p
Verb drove up,
q = 60
mf saccharine, as though addressing very young children
the Sen- tence.
q = 110
mf
22
f
(spoken)*: "Although it was a dark, rainy day when the Adjective walked by, yearning, nostalgic
for ex -
mf
Each sen - tence says one thing–
am - ple:
25
I
shall
remember
p
the
pure
and
sweet expression on her face until the day I perish from
* - Suggestions for articulation are written above the text
(sung) f
the green effective earth."
27
Or,
30
3
"Will you q = 80
p sub.
please
f
37
3
f
5
q = 100 Tango
3
3
for ex- am- ple,
ff let ring
q = 100 Tango
fff
(spoken) pleasant, matter-of-fact
the
"Thank you,
sffz p sub.
"pink pot of flowers on the window sill has changed colors recently to a light yellow, due to the heat
Or,
rit.
close the win - dow, An - drew?"
(sung) ff recitative
(spoken) exasperated, for the tenth time....
q = 80
33
gl iss .
15
rit.
liss g
.
liss g
.
16
from the boiler factory which exists nearby."
39
42
grass.
the
"And!
fff
lay
lone - ly
pp sub
on
Con - junc- tion here and there
the
q = 80
si - lent - ly
3
3
3
3
would
call
3
3
3
(sung)
But!"
3
3
Sen - ten -ces and Nouns
3 3
3 3
(spoken) ff searchingly
3
51
ff
f
A
spring - time
3
46
In the
f
f lyrical
mf
q = 80
3
3
Butthe Ad - jec - tive
3
did
3
not
e-
3
merge.
3
3
3
3
56
3
As
3
mp
60
lost
in
your
the Ad- jec - tive
is
lost
in the sen tence,
So
eyes,
ears,
nose,
and
64
66
You
have
en
am
fff
I
throat–
3
3
17
-
-
chant
-
-
-
ed
me
18 68
with
a
sin
- gle
fff
70
Which can
nev
-
kiss
-
er be un - done
3
Un - til the de - struc - tion
of
74
lan -
guage.
s.
ffff
glis
q = 60
gliss.
q = 60
19
3. One Train May Hide Another Kenneth Koch (1925 - 2002)
Soprano
mp
q = 70 tranquil
3
In
q = 70 tranquil
5
when
one
you
are
one
line mayhide an - oth - er
wait - ing
to
cross
the
That
3
tracks,
© Copyright 2008 Dennis Tobenski. All rights reserved. "One Train May Hide Another" from The Collected Poems of Kenneth Koch © 2005 Alfred A. Knopf. Used with the kind permission of the Kenneth Koch Literary Estate.
3
train.
train mayhide an - oth - er
3
poem,
3
a cross - ing
is
at
a
3
As
3
line,
mp
Harp
9
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2008)
wait
20 12
14
to
do
it
af
ter
the
first
train
is
3
3
un - til you haveread
Wait
3
when you read
3
so
-
3
mf
the
p
first line
3
In q = 100
a
fa - mily
it is
q = 100 f energetic, recitative
3
Then
21
mf
least
And
gone.
17
for one mo - ment at
7
sis - ter
to go on
one
safe
3
may con - ceal
an - oth - er,
pp
p sub.
3
read- ing
So,
mf
when
f 24
3
you are court - ing
it
is
21
3
best
in
view
5
to have them all
q = 70 mf
27
3
Oth - er -
wise
in
com - ing
to
find
love
an - oth
32
er.
one
7
3
fath - er
you
may
man,
if
you are
a
wo - man,
or
3
one
broth - er
may
hide
p
let ring
One
mf
whom
you
have
been
3
wait - ing
to
3
the
-
3
q = 70
29
22
34
love.
mf warm
3
37
3
3
of
some - thing
the
40
-
3
and
One wish may hide an - oth - er.
f
3
3
3 3
3
may hide
the re - pu - ta - tion of an
3
increasingly frantic
3
And oneper -son's re - pu- ta - tion
i - deas.
stand in front of
increasingly frantic 3
words
3
42
in front
f
3
ings
al-ways stand - ing
As 3
3
feel
3
3
So
oth - er
ob - jects,
3
3
3
3
3
45
3
oth
-
er.
One dog may con - ceal an - oth - er
3
on a lawn,
3 3
first one
3
you are not ne - ces - sa - ri - ly
oth
mp
3
er
and
55
a
p
lot of
may hide a
3
mf
tombs.
mf
one
love,
5
In
may hide an
on the Ap -pia An - ti - ca
3
li - lac
3
and
num- ber of
li lacs
One
3
then
3
you es - cape the
safe;
sfz
mp
tomb
gli
ss.
so if
3
p sweetly
3
51
3
3
3
ff 48
23
3
3
one
re -
24 3
58
proach
may
hide
an - oth - er,
One
let ring
3
61
5
One in jus - tice mayhidean - oth - er
3
f
3
3
small com - plaint
may hide a
3
great
one
co-lo - ni - almayhide an-oth -er,
3
One
3
3
oth - er, and an - oth -er,
One bath mayhidean- oth - er bath
an -
q = 70 mp sub., matter-of-fact
3
awhole co - lumn.
e = 70 ff melodramatic
blar - ing red u - ni - form
one.
64
As when, af - ter bath -ing, one
e = 70
q = 70
p
68
3
One i -
dea
3
may
mf
mf
3
walks out in - to the rain.
hide an - oth
3
-
er:
simply
lyrical
71
Life is sim - ple
Hide Life is in - cre - dib - ly com -plex,
as
in
the
3
3
3
of
Ger
-
trude
3 3 3 3
Stein
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
One sen -
tence
3
3
3
3
3
hides an - oth
er
3
is
an - oth - er as
3
79
One
in thelab-ora - to - ry
3
3
And
One
in - ven - tion mayhide an - oth - er in - ven - tion,
f
p intimate
3
e - vening mayhidean
-
3
oth - er,
3
one
shad ow,
p
3
a nest
3
of shad ows.
well.
3 3 3 3
and
f
76
3
3
prose
74
mf
25
26
mf warm
83
One darkred,
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
this
3
mp
3
One
un - til they
3
3
doub - les
or, some times,
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
One
3
oth - er.
3
3
93
And
3
3
May hide the
3 3
The
there!
3
i - den - ti - cal twin
3
3
there may be e- ven more in
3
ob - ste - tri - cian
3 3 3 3 3
these hid - den
3
like - ness - es.
3
3
mf
3
mf
3
pass,
3
3
by
3
3
p
90
3
waits at the tracks
3
is a paint - ing
3 3 3 3
some - one af - ter Ma - tisse.
3
3
or one pur - ple
or one blue,
mf warm
87
Gaz
97
-
es
the
hid
an - oth - er
life.
3
3
3
p
3
3
she isgone
3
and I
amhere.
3
big - ger
daugh -ter.
They
3
are
in
3
bag
3
a rail - way sta - tion
3
mp
and suc - cess - ful - lyhides it.
and the
3
than her moth - er's
3
The daugh-ter hides her own
3
in turn.
In
p
hides a gawk - y
daugh - ter is hold - ing a bag
but
3
3
wife andI,
3
And now
vi - va - cious daugh - ter
110
freely
3
my
27
let ring
A vi - va - cious moth - er
108
Slightly faster (q = 76) f recitative
105
3
3
One life
Weusedto live there,
101
Val- ley of theVar.
p
28 113
3
3
off - er - ing to pick up the daugh-ter's bag
one
mf
car - ry that one, too.
So
and one
3
mf warm
One
3
love
an-oth er
mf warm
an - oth - er
3
3
o - ver - ex - cit - ed.
3
or thesame love
ff
3
un - til one is
may hide
3
And has to
ff
3
3
3
may de - li - berate - ly hide
with the moth - er's
an - oth -er, too,
cup of coff - ee
3
118
one hitch - hik - er
mf
121
find's one - self con - front - ed
115
As when
"I
love you"
125
sud -den - ly
rings
as
when
known,
bet - ter
dream
as
3
sfz
mf bossa nova
3
is well
q = 92 . iss
In theGar - den of E - den gl
is
mf
3
thing and it
mayhide an - oth - er
"I'm cer - tain of some
3
q = 92
be -
ling ering
3
3
Hides
And one
3
love
3
29
3
3
al - ways, too.
The
3
that."
one dis - cov - ers
"I'm full of doubts"
132
135
hind,
and
3
false
128
30 139
3
A - dam and Eve
may hide the
real
3
to
let it
pass
148
At home,
no
In - ter - nal tracks
mat - ter
where,
3
there.
dan -gers,
is
pose
come to some - thing,
what else
3
3
so you can see
3
3
stop
may hide the
When you
ru - sa - lem
145
-
Je
Je - ru - sa - lem.
3
3
A - dam and Eve,
3
real
142
too.
one
3
152
3
me - mo - ry
cer tain-ly hides
155
e - ter - nal
Read - ing
160
ney
ties.
3
round
when you have
3
a-
it should be,
3
look
-
to see If it isstand - ing there,
a bout
fi -nished for Tris - tram Shan - dy,
is all
3
con - tem -plat - ed en - ti
3
3
of
Jour -
Sen - ti - men - tal
A
be- ing what me - mo ry
3
3
that
re - verse suc - cess - ion
157
3
3
The
an - oth - er,
31
strong - er
32 163
3
and more pro -
166
si - mi - lar chur ches
3
One
3
drums.
fff
ord.
mp
mf
3
3
pound -ing up stairs
hide
the
strike with palm
f
as
3
3
may hide an - oth
3
be hid -den by
side - walk may hidean - oth - er,
a
friend
q = 70
q = 70 mf
One
gl is
let ring
May
3
One song hide an - oth - er song;
beat- ing of
3
3
and
3
3
3
3
Mag - gio - re
in - side Rome.
whenyou're a - sleep there,
172
3
3
3
3
as San - ta Ma - ri - a
hid - den
3
169
andthere - to - fore
s.
found
3
-
er,
you
3
3
3
3
33
3 3
sit at the foot of a tree with one
and
176
3
3
3
you'dhave
pre -ferred
doc -tor,
186
to
all
a
talk to
3
3
ec - sta - sy,
one
ill - ness, one
long.
whom
increasingly irrational
teach - er,
one
rit.
f
3
wo - man, one
3
fff
3
3
One
man
3
a tempo mp
May hide an-oth - er. rit. a tempo
p
mf
pass.
You
-
Pause to let the first one
3
3
one
an - oth - er
f
mp
3
182
3
3
179
to leave there is
3
3
3
3
when you get up
3
3
3
3
3
think,
Now it is safe to
34
and
you
are
cross
197
can
be
im - por - tant
what
was
3
see
3
3
have wait - ed
at
least
3
a
mo -
3
ment
to
there.
al - read - y
the next one.
to
3
3
3
by
It
hit
3
194
191
Rit. al fine
Rit. al fine
14-24 September 2008 New York City
200
pp
11'03"
Â
For more works by Dennis Tobenski, please visit: www.dennistobenski.com