Look Down, Fair Moon (SSA)

This nocturne is a setting of poetry contemporary with the American Civil War. With a prayerful tone, in imperative tense, Whitman pleads for calm and healing for those who are wounded or fallen. The images of moon, “nimbus” or rain clouds, and night are all relevant. During the night, the living recover from the stresses of the day; the rain falling from the sky is a metaphor for cleansing water or tears; and of course, the mysterious beaming moon is an unchanging source of spiritual nourishment. Every time we are made aware of the unspeakable carnage of war or terrorism, foreign or domestic, we are compelled to ponder our humanity and our mortality. In the spirit of elegy, I want to inspire further contemplation and call for the reconciliation and mending of our people.

“Look Down, Fair Moon,” in its original voicing, was commissioned by Texas Music Educators Association Region 2 and was premiered in November 2015 at Margo Jones Performance Hall at Texas Woman’s University by the All-District Treble Choir under the direction of Cheryl Wilson. The revoiced SATB version was commissioned by a consortium of thirteen ensembles in the United States and was premiered throughout the 2023-2024 concert season.

-Mari Esabel Valverde