Days and Nights
Lori Laitman
About this work:
In 1994, composer Richard Hundley introduced me to soprano Melissa Coombs. Melissa requested a setting of Robert Browning’s poem Grow Old Along with Me for her upcoming 10th wedding anniversary. This setting subsequently became the first of the six songs in Days and Nights, which uses texts by four prominent nineteenth century poets, two of them women (Emily Dickinson and Christina Rossetti).
Along with Me employs repetition of musical verses, and rhythmic emphasis on the words “trust God,” to create a hymn-like quality. They Might Not Need Me is completely different in spirit and mood. The pervasive tango rhythms in the piano offer humorous counterpoint to the voice, which vacillates between the dramatic setting of the title phrase to the flippant, yet hopeful, setting of the words “but they might.” The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, a calm contrast, is divided into two parts, one a variation of the other. Reflecting the youthful playfulness of its text, Over the Fence has an off-balance humor achieved through the piano’s skipping, repetitive triplets and lighthearted, melodramatic vocal line. The piano grows more intricate in the middle section -- employing hand crossing techniques reminiscent of Rameau’s keyboard style -- while the voice warbles above, attempting to capture the marvelous imagery of God, as a boy, jumping over the fence to eat berries. The lyric Song uses dreamlike harmonies above a deliberately sustained piano pedal against the vocal line, nearly folk-like in its simplicity. Wild Nights begins explosively, with dramatic vocal glissandi and melismas. Extensive use of wide leaps and tango-inspired rhythms magnify the sexually charged impact of the text. A calmer mid-section portrays the “heart in port” but soon gains momentum, returning to the initial mood of unbridled passion. The four repetitions of the words “in Thee” are set progressively louder and higher, building to the final climactic moment, a descending octave glissando ending in a hissing, sibilant “s”.
This was recorded by soprano Phyllis Bryn-Julson and pianist Seth Knopp on my debut CD, "Mystery -- The Songs of Lori Laitman." {Albany Records, Troy 393). It is now published by Enchanted Knickers Music and available for sale through Classical Vocal Reprints at 1-800-298-7474.
Version: soprano and piano
Year composed: 1995
Duration: 00:12:35
Ensemble type: Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble:Solo Voice with Keyboard
Instrumentation: ,1 Piano soloist(s), ,1 Soprano soloist(s)
Instrumentation notes: several of these songs could easily be sung by a mezzo soprano