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Dale Trumbore
Dale Trumbore
Light of late November (from A Calendar of Light)
A colorful tone poem about the transition to fall and the bittersweetness that follows.
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A Calendar of Light
SATB div. a cappella
Light of Late November describes in vivid detail the simple beauty of an autumn evening. “It’s all we have, and it’s never enough.” This piece is excerpted from A Calendar of Light, a 75-minute work that takes the shape of a calendar and holds us accountable for our relationship with the earth, especially within the greater context of climate change. Ultimately, the piece calls for reflection and action.
Composer’s Notes
This work was commissioned by The Esoterics and is dedicated, with gratitude, to its Artistic Director, Eric Banks. A Calendar of Light was composed in part at the Tusen Takk Foundation, with thanks to Geoffrey Peckham and Patricia Melzer for their generous support. This movement, Light of late November, was originally premiered by The Singers—Minnesota Choral Artists, and composed in residence at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation.
-Dale Trumbore
Text
PRAISE SONG
Praise the light of late November,
the thin sunlight that goes deep in the bones.
Praise the crows chattering in the oak trees;
though they are clothed in night, they do not
despair. Praise what little there’s left:
the small boats of milkweed pods, husks, hulls,
shells, the architecture of trees. Praise the meadow
of dried weeds: yarrow, goldenrod, chicory,
the remains of summer. Praise the blue sky
that hasn’t cracked yet. Praise the sun slipping down
behind the beechnuts, praise the quilt of leaves
that covers the grass: Scarlet Oak, Sweet Gum,
Sugar Maple. Though darkness gathers, praise our crazy
fallen world; it’s all we have, and it’s never enough.
— Barbara Crooker
This piece sets Crooker’s poem “Praise Song.”
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