Coyote
Anna Dembska
About this work:
For three treble voices. Lyrics from the Pima, trans. Frank Russell, 1917.
I read the poem Coyote in 1978 in a book of American Indian poetry collected and translated in 1917. Haunted by the powerful and mysterious words, I began to sing the poem as an improvisation. In 1992, I was inspired to add the woofs and howls for the a capella trio with whom I was singing. Thanks to the vocal experimentation of singers Mara Goodman and Karen Haight, Coyote became the trio it is today. It was performed at the 1996 Bang-on-a-Can Marathon at Alice Tully Hall by soprano Dora Ohrenstein, mezzo-soprano Karen Goldfeder, and me, Anna Dembska.
Year composed: 1992
Duration: 00:02:42
Ensemble type: Chorus, with or without Solo Voices:Chorus, Unaccompanied
Instrumentation: ,1 Soprano soloist(s), ,1 Mezzo-Soprano soloist(s), ,1 Alto soloist(s)
Instrumentation notes: The singers intersperse conventional singing with howl-like, woof-like, and yip-like singing. They also have some rhythmic freedom within the rhythmic structure from time to time.