Sweet Briar Songs cycle of three songs for voice and piano
Texts by Patricia Valdata
Dennis Tobenski
1. Moore’s Garden Humid honeysuckle air unfurls hyssop buds, lulls us to shuffle feet in leaf litter, hear a bumblebee’s heavy winged hum, admire the blue leaves of hosta, sunlight shining a wood thrush’s rusty plumes. These gifts are real for us: frond and leaf, serenity of green and fragrant, but for the toad, fully imaginary, when we nearly step on it bleeding in the snake’s mouth.
2. Looking for Bivalve An osprey nest, prominent In a tree above the salt marsh The salt marsh, for miles Reeds, cattails, ice An oyster-packing plant, A rotting pier A sign pointing to Shellpile A single blue heron. This map must be wrong.
3. Fall Semester: First Frost
Saturday Chickadee hands from A pine cone, acrobatic, In its element. I watch from my window, cold Despite the wood-burning stove.
Sunday Sweetspire leaves become Wine-colored after one night’s Frost. They embrace the fall. In autumn, I am a wallFlower, reluctant partner.
Monday Locust tree leaflets Like confetti dot the grass Of the city park. Through my windows, pigeons watch My student take their exam.
Texts copyright © Patricia Valdata. Reprinted with the author’s kind permission.
for Pat Valdata, with affection
3
Sweet Briar Songs Songs on poetry by Patricia Valdata 1. Moore's Garden
Patricia Valdata
q = 76 Intimate, freely mp sotto voce
Voice
Hu mid
Piano
ho - ney - suck- le
3
3
hea - vy
feet
winged hum,
un - furls
in
ad
mire
the blue
lulls
lit- ter,
hys -sop buds,
3
leaf
3
us to shuf - fle
7
air
q = 76 Intimate, freely
4
3
3
DENNIS TOBENSKI
3
3
hear a bum- ble- bee's
3
leaves
Text © Patricia Valdata. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2007 Dennis Tobenski. All rights reserved.
3
of
hos - ta,
4 11
Sun - light
shin
-
ing
a
With more motion
13
3
the
3
step on it
toad,
3
3
3
-
full
y
3
im - ag - i - nar - y,
bleed - ing
3
se - re - ni - ty of green
3
for
3
3
frond and leaf
us:
but
Freely
when we near - ly
plumes.
3
y
20
and fra - grant,
-
rust
for
Freely
17
wood - thrush - 's
With more motion
Thesegifts are real
3
3
in
the snake's
3
mouth.
1'18"
barely a pause
5
2. Looking for Bivalve Patricia Valdata
Voice
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2007)
q = 116
q = 116
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
Piano
3
3
3
3 3
3
3
3
f quasi-parlando 5
3
An
3
os - prey nest,
3
3
3 3
q = 60
the salt q = 60
marsh for
in a tree
3
a- bove
3
the salt marsh
3
3
3 3 3 3 3 3 3
3
3
q = 116
3
miles, q = 116
3 3 3 3 3 3 3
3
3
3
3 3 3 3 3 3
3
3
3
pro - mi- nent
9
3
3
3
Text © Patricia Valdata. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2007 Dennis Tobenski. All rights reserved.
3
3
3
3
3
6 13
3
3
reeds,
3 3
3
17
3
3
3
plant,
a
3
3
3
3
20
a
3
3
3
3
3
oy - ster
3
3
3
point -
3
3
3
3
ing
to
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
Shell
3
3
3
3
3
pack - ing
3
pier
3
an
3
3
sign
3
3
3
3
3
3
rot - ting
3
3
3
ice
3
cat - tails, 3
3
pile
3
24
q = 60
sing - le
blue
3
he - ron.
3
3
3
3
map
3
This
3
ff a proclamation
31
3
q = 116
3
3
28
7
a
q = 60
q = 116
p
3
3
mf
must be
3
wrong.
3
57"
a pause
8
3. Fall Semester: First Frost
Patricia Valdata
Voice
q = 70 Easily
mf
4
3
3
6
I
watch
-
3
3
3
3
des - pite
the
Text © Patricia Valdata. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2007 Dennis Tobenski. All rights reserved.
e - le- ment.
cold
3
3
its
hangs
3
in
from my win - dow,
3
ba - tic,
3
3
3
ac - o
3
from a pine - cone,
3
3
mf
Piano
3
Sa- tur- day Chick - a - dee
q = 70 Easily
DENNIS TOBENSKI (2007)
3
3
wood -burn - ing
9
8
stove.
wine
-
co - lored
3
fall.
3
3
re - luc - tant
leaves
part
-
be -
come
3
In
au - tumn,
3
3
I
am a wall -
3
3
flower,
ner.
3
They em - brace
3
3
3
Sweet - spire
af - ter one night's frost.
3
the
12
3
day
3
3
10
14
Sun -
Mon - day
10
16
3
3
3
like con - fet - ti
dot
the
Lo - cust tree leaf - lets
3
18
3
grass of the
ci - ty
3
park.
3
21
3
geons
watch
3
pi -
3
Through the win dows,
my stu - dents take their ex - am.
3
24
3
rit.
3
3
3
3
3 3
3
rit.
1'30"