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Timothy Hoekman
Timothy Hoekman Music
The Last Invocation (Hoekman)
Walt Whitman’s famous poem about the moment when the soul leaves the body is given an expansive, mystical treatment in this song.
high voice and piano
Walt Whitman’s famous poem about the moment when the soul leaves the body is given an expansive, mystical treatment in this song.
Composer’s Notes
Walt Whitman’s famous poem about the moment when the soul leaves the body is given an expansive, mystical treatment in this song. The song was written for soprano Carla Connors in 1995 and was premiered by her with the composer at the piano at Florida State University.
Text
At the last, tenderly,
From the walls of the powerful fortress’d house,
From the clasp of the knitted locks, from the keep of the well-closed doors,
Let me be wafted.
Let me glide noiselessly forth;
With the key of softness unlock the locks—with a whisper,
Set ope the doors O soul.
Tenderly—be not impatient,
(Strong is your hold O mortal flesh,
Strong is your hold O love.)
— Walt Whitman
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