All the little fish (Maggie Furtak)
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- (Posted 2013-05-11) CPDL #29099:
- Editor: Maggie Furtak (submitted 2013-05-11). Score information: Letter, 11 pages, 3.41 MB Copyright: Personal
- Edition notes:
General Information
Title: All the little fish
Composer: Maggie Furtak
Number of voices: 6vv Voicing: TTBBBB
Genre: Secular, Unknown
Language: English
Instruments: A cappella
First published: 2013
Description: A sea chanty for three-part men's choir, with a little additional division here and there, to be sung a cappella. Rather dissonant. If I had to guess, this is going to be a bear to keep in tune. Get ready to hold on by your fingernails. The baritones get the worst of it. There is a short solo for tenor 1 to be sung straight-toned and as legato as possible. The piece as a whole is sort of a series of short vignettes. I'm not sure how it would best be described as far as form. If anyone is interested in performing this piece, please let me know and I'll let you know if you have the premiere! pateceramics@yahoo.com
External websites:
Original text and translations
English text
All alone on the green glass sea,
canvas full, pushed by a giant's thumb,
the great weight of air,
immensity of sky,
clear air.
All the little fish below me
slide past me, do not know me,
the welling deeps,
their springs outpoured,
hide rich and costly stores,
the last great mysteries,
slimy hoards,
are kept their at the ocean floors,
yet all the little fish below me,
slide past me, do not know me.
They know only the endless night,
they know only the endless cold,
as they shoulder the waves above,
and fear darker things below.
There is no starlight here,
there is no moonlight here,
only little flickering lights,
only little ghostly lights,
only little ghastly lights.
All alone on the green glass sea,
haul away, haul,
buckets full of silvered gems,
liquid fire and slicing fins,
riches of the underworld,
brought to the light to gasp and die,
flash with color, writhe and lie.
We balance on the line between sea and sky,
two floating worlds,
and we,
suspended between birds and waves,
all alone,
only strangers here.