To Music
Michelle Areyzaga, soprano
Winston Choi, piano
Video by Cedille Records
Fourth Coast Ensemble
Bridget Skaggs, mezzo-soprano
Mark Bilyeu, piano
Video by SnoStudios
DURATION
4’40”
POET
Robert Herrick
YEAR COMPOSED
2020
COMMISSIONER
Cedile Chicago, NFP, dedicated to Henry Fogel
ORDERING SCORES
Theodore Presser Company
Click to view soprano purchasing option
Click to view mezzo-soprano purchasing option
PROGRAM NOTES
To Music was commissioned by Cedille Records and dedicated to Henry Fogel, who has devoted his life to the leadership of musical organizations. Henry has served as President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, President and CEO of the League of American Orchestras, Dean of the Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, and as a charter member and past Chair of Cedille Records’ Board of Directors. When Cedille Records President James Ginsburg approached me with a commission in Henry’s honor, we asked Fran Fogel, Henry’s wife, to suggest a suitable topic for the piece. Fran cited Henry’s deep love for music and I researched poems on the subject. I discovered two delightful such poems, both by the early English poet Robert Herrick (1591–1674). He titled both “To Music,” and I found the poems worked so well together that I combined them to create this art song.
-S.G.
TEXT
Music, thou queen of heaven, care-charming spell,
That strik'st a stillness into hell;
Thou that tam'st tigers, and fierce storms, that rise,
With thy soul-melting lullabies;
Fall down, down, down, from those thy chiming spheres
To charm our souls, as thou enchant'st our ears.
Begin to charm, and as thou strok'st mine ears
With thine enchantment, melt me into tears.
Then let thy active hand scud o'er thy lyre,
And make my spirits frantic with the fire;
That done, sink down into a silvery strain,
And make me smooth as balm and oil again.
First published in Hesperides in 1648; now in public domain.
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HELIOS • 4’30” • 2 tpts/flugelhorns, hn, tbn, tba
PROGRAM NOTES
In Greek mythology, Helios was the god of the sun. His head wreathed in light, he daily drove a chariot drawn by four horses (in some tales, the horses are winged; in others, they are made of fire) across the sky. At the end of each day’s journey, he slept in a golden boat that carried him on the Okeanos River (a fresh water stream that encircled the flat earth) back to his rising place. The cyclic journey of Helios is depicted in this short work for brass quintet. The first half is fast-paced and very energetic, while the second half is slow and serene, representing day and night.
-S.G.