G-8071 * ELDER © BALLADE TO THE MOON Music , 3455.5 Wrest INSTER JOE MILLER, EDITOR BALLADE TO THE MOON WORDS AND MUSIC BY DANIEL ELDER For SATB VOICES AND PIANO ‘A WESTMINSTER CHOIR COLLEGE SERIES GIA Publications, Inc. + 7404 S. Mason Ave. + Chicago, IL 60638 1.800.GIA.1358 * www giamusic.comFrom the Composer “Ballade to the Moon” is the first in a cycle of noctusnes for mixed chorus and piano, exploring ‘observational and psychological experiences associated with love, navure, darkness and light. The texts are original and approach these themes in different ways; this piece depicts a moonlit walk through ‘woods and fields, while exploring the love felt for the narrator's surroundings. The beauty of the text is in its obscurity-the narrator could be referring to nature ox to a romantic attraction. The night seems to cal, “Come, dream in mel” Under deep forest cover, the narrator entreats the stars, “O share thy light” until the twinkling stars gleam in the open meadow, luting, “Come, sing with me!” Love for the surrounding dusky beauty causes the narrator to weep with joy, with only the moon as witness. Each stanza consists of four lines of iambic tetrameter followed by a separate four-word call, then the final three lines (che last being 2 refrain). This recalls the form of the fourteenth-cennury ballades of French poet and composer Guillaume de Machaut, hence the title of this piece. (On moonlit ight wander fe, ny id worm cm hgh of the. Wh idight dco beconing tay hear twas ya ty Come, dem in ml How bess hight in joel Ader, upon the ee ine, 1 wep wt joy bene the moos “The pth es th bey sight, tod yet my fect wth pe eg ‘rod aad ough be eee ae, ‘each he ay sy 0 igh saz igh "These woods, the wey wanderer s008 nave td fel wader 008 "weep with Benet the moon. Aad the dashed ou Be, tay her beats ever pi, Boag hear bingy eye wih sep 137 Hoping 0 oe to he: Conn ing wich nel “he twcking ky etn (rust eave hy charms soo? vee ty bene the mona A brief comment about the woods stanza (“These woods, their weary wanderer soon / in awe and fearful wonder swoon”): This refers to the (sometimes overwhelming) feeling of blanketed silence and darkness experienced by the pensive narrator while traveling along the sylvan path. Most sections of this piece may be taken with a sense of rubato—though never overdone. However, during the piano interludes, a more romanticized interpretation is welcome. Slight tempo alterations usually imply changes of 10 to 15 beats per minute. In passages where the divsi is uneven, parts may be re-voiced. —Daniel lierBALLADE TO THE MOON Daniel Elder (b. 1986) Adagio Misterioso J=: (On meon-lit night 1 wan = der free. of P Oa moonlit night 1 AP wan-der fee, my mind to roam (Oa moonlit night 1 wander free, P ry mind to roam on thoughts of On moonlit night ‘my mind to roam on thoughts of of ap — (On moon-it night 1 wander fee, ‘my mind toroam on thoughis of ‘conigh ©2011 by GIA Paicatn,In A Rihs Resend Pitdin USA Pigs inane esd “ry asi can ono 14 eprint he uesion wat semasen oi pula a aon dre US. Ceo oan Gs071 BGR Trapedehsoul er neta sauaeeto crea poneccn No ore een2 > rece ats avenge = Sj = 5 = = = | $ Z JSS ais thee With midnight dakonessbeck-On- in —my eat, my Bea ward 2 poco lars SSS ghey = a == = 2 ee we eee thee With mid-nigh dark-nesebeck-on-ing—— yea, my Heart ward tpg? : ae ¥ tempo P poco alos. aenpo re == he on ——_— ae == Gps 2 q = mystic fantasy mystic fantasy: Pe Come. Be.a ee sight in June! And f ‘And here, up = on the vel = vet dune, hee, ——— + June! en here, upon the vel - vet_dune, up - on the dune,ED poco rt ateapo weep with you be-neath the moon. poco rit avempo ‘weep with joy be-neath the moon, poco rt. tempo poco rt avenpo ye omy P mp, ‘The path lies dark before my sight, and yet my fet with is. —= » ‘The path ies dark before my sight, and yet my feet with‘Wodon- ward though the black-ened ‘onward through the Black-ened,=, co a Sa * “6 Pi Mosso, Poco Rubato their wea i Mosso, Poco RubatoSs weep with joy be weep with10 asthe darkened mp —— [And asthe davi-ened ———————d ‘And as the dark-ened mp B poco ala ry beat beats ev - er rap-id-ly.— Though ~~—$$— P poco lar hous fee, ‘my beat beats ev - er rap-id-ly—— Though ssp ‘Thoveh sn Thoughpoco accel. = tf heav = y hang my eyes with ‘eyes with eyes with my eyes with sleep, sleep, sleep, ep poco vee poco cee. ‘ny soul, poco accel sou,tf my sing - ing. soul, it eves to thee 2 ‘Come, sing with met 2 Come, sing with me! Come, sing with met sing -ing soul, it cries ‘Meno Mosso, DoleissimoPP ‘The twin-kling sky casts forth its BP ‘The win-Kling sky casts forth its B1 weep with joy ‘> Molto Meno MossoMusic fron VWVesTMINsTER JOE MILLER, EDITOR The Music from Westminster Choral Series consists of choral literature commissioned or selected for performance by the choirs at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey, one of the foremost centers in the United States for the study and performance of choral music. The series was created to introduce— or revive-innovative compositions into the choral literature and represents a variety of voicings, genres and levels of difficulty. G-8071 Code B16 7 Wl °