I, Lover | SSAA | Marybeth Kurnat | MusicSpoke_perusal

Marybeth Kurnat

I, Lover

I shallnever have any fear oflove Not of its depth or uttermost height Its exquisiLe pain,or its terrible delighL I shallnever have any fear of love.

I shallnever hesitale Lo go down Into the fastness ofits abyss or shrink from iLs cruelty, nor iLs awfulkiss I shallnever have any fear of love.

Nevershall I dread love'sstrenglh Nor any pain it maygive Throughall of the yearsLhat I maylive I shallnever have anyfearof love.

I shallnever draw back from love Through fear of its fasL pain But makejoy in it and count it a.gain I shallnever have any fear of love.

I shall nevertremblenor flinch Fromlove'smoulding Louch, I have lovedLoo terribly and too much Ever Lo have any fear of love.

-ElraGidlow

Composer's Notes

Elsa Gidlow (1898-1986) was one of the first openly gayjournalists and poets inNorthAmerica..Throughout 1he 20th cenLury, she published several collections of LGBTQ prose andpoeLry. Her ranch in Muir\Voods, CA,was a. safe haven for arLisls, feminists and LGBTQ people from 1954 unlil her death. In a period of lime when LGBTQ people were either largely ignored or aggressively persecuted,Gidlow'spersistence and sLrong sense of identity lhroughout her longlife broughL visibility,safety andhumanity for her community.

I wrote this setting ofI,LoverLo submiL toTrue Concord's StephenPaulusEmerging Composer's CompetiLion. It was programmed in a concert cycle feaLuring poeLryandmusic by under-represented voices. Gidlow's words seem Lo serve as both a meditation and a. baLLle cry. Pa.iredwith lush and Lense harmonies,moments ofdeclaraLionandslillness,and intensedynamicchanges,one canexperienceall of the beauliful andpainfulstages of being in love.

aboutthe composer

Marybeth Kurnat (1987) is a rising voice in choral music in Lhe Chicago area. Her authenlic composiLional style, especially her harmonic language, is heavily influenced by her musical fou.ndalion as a.jazz saxophonist Her work,"I, Lover;" was the 2021-22\\Tinner of the Stephen Paulus Emerging Composer's Compelition. She was a 2023 Composilion Fellow for 1he PREMIEREIProjectFestival.

Marybeth holds a. B.M. in Music Educa.Lion from Northern Illinois University, and serves as a music educator in DeKalb, IL. She maintains an aclive performance schedule as a soloist and choralsinger with several Chicago-area choirs. www.marybeLh-kurnat..com

Winnerofthe2021-22StephenPaulusEmergingComposer'sContest

poetry by Elsa Gidlow

only)

Marybeth Kurnat (ASCAP}

Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook

I, Lover | SSAA | Marybeth Kurnat | MusicSpoke_perusal

Published on Feb 18, 2025

MusicSpoke

Elsa Gidlow (1898-1986) was one of the first openly gay journalists and poets in North America. Throughout the 20th century, she published several collections of LGBTQ prose and poetry. Her ranch in Muir Woods, CA, was a safe haven for artists, feminists and LGBTQ people from 1954 until her death. In a period of time when LGBTQ people were either largely ignored or aggressively persecuted, Gidlow’s persistence and strong sense of identity throughout her long life brought visibility, safety and humanity for her community. I wrote this setting of "I, Lover" to submit to True Concord’s Stephen Paulus Emerging Composer’s Competition, and it was the winning work. It was programmed in a concert cycle featuring poetry and music by under-represented voices. Gidlow’s words seem to serve as both a meditation and a battle cry. Paired with lush and tense harmonies, moments of declaration and stillness, and intense dynamic changes, one can experience all of the beautiful and painful stages of being in love.