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David von Kampen
David von Kampen
In the Long Grass
A lovely passage from O Pioneers! set with accessible dissonance and extended harmony.
SATB a cappella
This SATB setting of Willa Cather’s text is a great opportunity for a serious choir to show their harmonic and expressive chops. The poetic description of the speaker’s emotional connection to the midwestern landscape is translated into heartfelt and open-spaced music, with just a bit of darkness in the harmony.
Composer’s Notes
“After writing songs for a Willa Cather-themed ghost musical several years ago, I kept this text in mind for a choral setting. The piece was finished and sent off to Jackson Thomas and the KC VITAs chamber choir in the final days of December 2018. Choirs should enjoy the harmonic surprises – and be careful tuning those half steps.”
– David Von Kampen
Text
She had never known before
how much the country meant to her.
The chirping of the insects
down in the long grass
had been like the sweetest music.
She had felt as if her heart were hiding
down there, somewhere,
with the quail and the plover
and all the little wild things
that crooned or buzzed in the sun.
Under the long shaggy ridges,
she felt the future stirring.
– Willa Cather (1873-1947)
$2.00 per licensed PDF
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