The night is darkening round me, The wild winds coldly blow; But a tyrant spell hasSpellbound bound me And I cannot, SSAA A Cappella cannot go. The giant trees are Music By bending Their bare boughs weighed Abigail N. Lewis(ASCAP) wit h snow. And t he storm is fast descending , And yet I cannot go. C louds beyond clouds above me, Wastes beyond wastes below; But not hing drear can move me; I will This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Abigail Lewis (b. 2006) is a composer based in Dallas–Fort Worth, currently studying at the University of North Texas. Her works are a testament to nature and to human emotion. By the age of 19, Abigail has had 13 works premiered, including performances by ensembles such as Inversion Ensemble and the Choral Arts Initiative. Abigail’s first published piece was released at age 19, a milestone in her early career. For more information, visit her website, abigaillewismusic.com In “Spellbound,” Emily Brontë writes about feeling “bound” by a strange spell; and yet, she cannot go. Whether this is up to her own volition is up to reader interpretation, however, in this setting I have chosen to portray it as a reflection on the author's struggle with depression. Wind noises bookend this piece, symbolizing the speaker's continued immobility. You'll also hear whispers of, “and I will not, cannot go” something that the speaker hears from not only the wind, but herself. “But nothing drear can move me; I will not, cannot go.”
Spellbound
- Abigail N. Lewis, July 2025
abigaillewismusic.com
Emily Brontë
The night is darkening round me, The wild winds coldly blow; But a tyrant spell has bound me And I cannot, cannot go. The giant trees are bending Their bare boughs weighed with snow. And the storm is fast descending, And yet I cannot go. Clouds beyond clouds above me, Wastes beyond wastes below; But nothing drear can move me; I will not, cannot go.
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
© 2025 Abigail N. Lewis
Key Diamond-Shaped noteheads indicate wind sounds. These can be of varying pitch and vowel shape; they should mimic the sounds of wind in nature.
Cross-Shaped noteheads indicate spoken text. These are of unspecified pitch.
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Spellbound = 50
Text by Emily Brontë(1818-1848)
* Wind Sounds cresc. poco a poco
Soprano 1
* Wind Sounds cresc. poco a poco
Soprano 2
* Wind Sounds
Alto 1
Piano
10
Solo
S1
S2
A1
A2
10
Pno.
(for rehearsal only)
mm
* Wind Sounds
Alto 2
round me,
oo
oo
mm
oo
oo
oh
oh
*Diamond-Shaped noteheads indicate wind sounds. These can be of varying pitch and vowel shape; should the sounds of wind nature. This score is notthey licensed formimic performance. Please visit in MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies. ©2025 Abigail N. Lewis
mm
oh
oh
dark - 'ning
mm
The night is
Music by Abigail N. Lewis
The wild winds
2
18
Solo
S1
S2
A1
A2
S2
can - not
can - not
ah
can - not
go.
can
-
can
-
not
not
mm
go.
go.
has bound
me
bound
me
and
I
and
I
and
I
mm
The night is
The night is
me
bound
me
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
and
I
dark - 'ning
me
dark - 'ning
bound
bound
rant spell
mm
-
mm
go.
ty
can - not
a
mm
But
mm
ah
ah
25
Pno.
ah
can - not
A2
blow;
can - not
A1
cold - ly
25
S1
18
Pno.
Spellbound
round me,
oo
round me,
oo
32
S1
S2
oh
A1
A2
A1
A2
oh
bound
bound
me
bound
me
me
ah
and
I
and
can - not
can - not
can
and
I
cold - ly
The wild winds
me
The wild winds
ah
39
Pno.
cold - ly
bound
S2
39
S1
32
Pno.
Spellbound
I
and
I
can
-
-
blow;
can - not
can - not
can
not
can
-
-
go.
blow;
not
3
go.
oo
But
But
ty
oo
-
-
rant spell
has
rant spell
has
a
not
ty
not
a
mm
mm
mm
mm
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
4
45
S1
S2
accel.
mm
The
A1
A2
gi - ant
The
gi - ant
50
S1
S2
weighed
A1
50
Pno.
mm
trees are
mm
bend
trees are
bend
with
-
-
ing
The
gi - ant
ing
trees are
snow
Their bare boughs
bend
-
ing
weighed
with
snow.
mm
snow
mm
Their bare boughs
ing
mm
-
mm
bend
-
A2
45
Pno.
= 110
Spellbound
snow
oo
The
storm
is
fast
de
is
de
-
The
storm
fast
-
storm
The
is
fast
de
-
The
storm
is
fast
de
-
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
56
S1
scend
S2
scend
A1
scend
A2
scend
56
Pno.
-
ing.
-
ing.
-
S2
A1
A2
mm
Wild
Wild
5
winds
cold
winds
cold
mm
winds
winds
And
yet
yet
mm
mm
I
I
ly
blow;
mm
blow;
mm
And
ly
-
mm
mm
mm
-
mm
63
Pno.
Wild
ing.
Wild
ing.
-
63
S1
Spellbound
mm
can
-
mm
can
-
not
mm
go.
mm
not
go.
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
6
Spellbound
68
S1
S2
A1
mm
mm
And
yet
mm
mm
A2
yet
S2
A1
A2
*
74
Pno.
can
can
mm
-
mm
*
mm
mm
not
mm
I
mm
-
not
74
S1
I
And
68
Pno.
mm
go.
mm
mm
go.
mm
* Singers may sing the given notes at any time during the given frame, with no specified rhythmic value, and may also choose to pause or re-enter.
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
82
S1
S2
mm
A1
A2
82
Pno.
S2
oh
A1
A2
Pno.
Wastes be - yond
ah
Wastes be - yond
ah
wastes
wastes
mm
oh
mm
mm
90
90
S1
Spellbound
be - low;
= 100
Clouds be - yond
clouds
Clouds be - yond
clouds
be - low;
7
a - bove me,
oo
a - bove me,
oo
can
But no - thing drear
can
But no - thing drear
oo
oo
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
8
97
S1
move
S2
move
A1
A2
me;
move
me;
me;
me;
move
97
Pno.
Spellbound
cresc. poco a poco 102 *
Looser Rhythm
and I
will not,
and I
will not,
and I
will not,
and I
will not,
can - not
can - not
S2
A1
A2
102
Pno.
and I will not, can - not go.
cresc. poco a poco *
go.
go.
go.
25%
0%
S1
can - not
go.
can - not
and I will not, can - not go.
*
cresc. poco a poco and I will not, can - not go.
* Singers may speak the given notes at any time during the given frame, with no specified rhythmic value, and may also choose to pause or re-enter. The choir should join and then transform into wind sounds at about the same rate as the precentages displayed(ex. at the marking 75%/25%, 75% of the choir should be chanting while 25% should be making wind sounds, and at that point more people would join the wind sounds group so that at 50%/50% half of the choir is chanting and the other half making wind sounds.)This should create the effect that the words are fading in from the background, and then being blown away by the wind. This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
Spellbound
107
S1
S2
A1
A2
107
Pno.
117
S1
S2
A1
A2
Pno.
*
75%
100%
cresc. poco a poco
and I will not, can - not go.
100%
117
50%
9
75%/25%
This score is not licensed for performance. Please visit MusicSpoke.com to purchase performance copies.
100%
25%/75%
50%/50%