To the River Charles
INSTRUMENTATION
Flutes, Clarinets in Bb, Bass Clarinet(s) in Bb, Alto Saxophones, Tenor Saxophone(s), Baritone Saxophone(s); Horns in F, Trumpets in Bb, Trombones, Euphonium(s), Tuba(s); SATB Chorus
PERUSAL SCORE
To the River Charles (vocal score)
NOTE
“To the River Charles” was commissioned by the Office of the Arts at Harvard University for the morning exercises of Harvard’s 367th Commencement.
TEXT AND TRANSLATION
River! that in silence windest
Through the meadows, bright and free,
Till at length thy rest thou findest
In the bosom of the sea!
Four long years of mingled feeling,
Half in rest, and half in strife,
I have seen thy waters stealing
Onward, like the stream of life.
Friends my soul with joy remembers!
How like quivering flames they start,
When I fan the living embers
On the hearth-stone of my heart!
‘T is for this, thou Silent River!
That my spirit leans to thee;
Thou hast been a generous giver,
Take this idle song from me.
PREMIERE
May 25, 2017
Tercentenary Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Harvard University Band and Commencement Choir; Andrew Clark, conductor