Seeking Joy
Words by William Henry Davies
TB Choir and Piano
Music by Daniel Malloy
A note from the composer :
Seeking Joy was written and dedicated to Camerata, the young men’s group I conduct with the New Jersey Youth Chorus. I wanted to write something that would be accessible to a small group of boys with voices in various stages of development. I also wanted to utilize a text that allowed us to sing about beauty and nature. I hope your choir enjoys singing this piece as much as my group did!
Musically, the phrases should carefully follow the word stress. Be careful not to overemphasize the diphthong in “joy.” The rests between “joy” and “I have found thee” in each of the verses are there to specify a glottal onset rather than a glide between the vowels.
I am eternally grateful for my collaborative pianist, Andrew Macirowski, for his assistance realizing the piano accompaniment for this piece.
Daniel Malloy (b. 1993)
Daniel Malloy writes music with singers in mind. His compositions have attempted to fill a need within his own ensembles, and he hopes that they will work for your singers as well. He received his Master of Music Education degree from Florida State University and his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from The College of New Jersey. He is the choir director at Newton High School in New Jersey where he also teaches AP Music Theory and music technology. Dan also works with the New Jersey Youth Chorus where he directs two boychoirs. He serves on the NJ-ACDA board as the High School Youth R&R Chair. Currently, Dan performs in a variety of professional choirs in the region and as an actor and music director in theatrical productions across North Jersey.
William Henry Davies (1871-1940)
Poet and writer William Henry Davies was born in Newport, Wales. His father died when he was three years old, and after his mother’s subsequent remarriage, Davies was raised by his grandparents. He attended school until age 14 and then apprenticed with a picture framer while attending night school. At age 22, with a small inheritance, he boarded a ship to New York and spent the following six years train hopping across the United States and Canada, supporting himself through casual labor and panhandling. After a March 1899 train hopping injury that necessitated the amputation of his right leg below the knee, Davies returned to Wales and then settled in London, where he devoted his time to writing poetry.
Bio from Poetry Foundation
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-h-davies
William Henry Davies (1871-1940)
Daniel Malloy
On sought world! On gold, and spent Joy, I the the ver Sil plea this how suresof thee! I how plea gold, this and of Sil Onthe world! sures thee! sought the I On I Joy, spent ver Flowing
my thee! Joy, was but thee! life oh, how how I sought how my life sought Oh was I sad! how eat,
earth, peo Back the to green ple green ma Mirth, not soft halls Where from ny, Mirth, to green soft have the Joy, earth, of ple Far soft Back the found earth, Where ma not peo the green to thee! Back earth, the green I soft are
Gently =70 rit. rit.
peo are I ple wers, findthee, I
clouds, I hours and and not; Joy, birds, hours thee,Joy, flo and Joy, find I are
find With in find thee,
clouds, not; With thee, find hours and and hours birds, and I
peo flo Joy, in Joy, wers, thee, ple
find thee, I Joy,
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rit. rit.
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