The Arrow and the Song was commissioned by the Lafayette High School Choirs (Lexington, KY) in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the choral program. It was premiered on May 20, 2014 at the Singletary Center for the Arts under the direction of Ryan Marsh. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem felt like a fitting text to honor this occasion. The first two stanzas share similar musical material, contrasted by the use of duple and triple meters. There is also subtle use of word painting; the phrases “I shot an arrow into the air” and "I breathed a song into the air" begin with an ascending line, both of which are followed by a descending line on the phrase “It fell to earth, I knew not where.” The uncertainty of the opening stanzas is reflected in shifting tonal centers, while the final stanza is more firmly grounded in C major as both the arrow and the song are “found.”
Scoring: SATB unaccompanied
Text: Henry Wordsworth Longfellow
Duration: 3:30
PERUSAL SCORE
LISTEN:
World premiere performance:
Text: Henry Wordsworth Longfellow
Duration: 3:30
Publisher: Hinshaw Music, HMC 2486
J. W. Pepper Editors' Choice
J. W. Pepper Editors' Choice
PERUSAL SCORE
LISTEN:
World premiere performance: