Shop for Music
VocalEssence Music Press
Cantos de Primavera (Songs of Spring)
Diana Syrse Valdés
A festive piece, dance-able, and of light character. It presents sounds of the jungle and various birds encouraging singers to play with various vocal sounds to emulate nature.
SATB a cappella
This is a festive piece, danceable, and of light character. It presents sounds of the jungle and various birds encouraging singers to play with various vocal sounds to emulate nature, and also to teach them the sounds of the morning in perhaps a different part of the world.
Composer’s Notes
This song was written for the Worthington High School choir in Worthington, MN, and is based on a poem by Nezahualcóyotl titled Cantos de Primavera (Songs of Spring). It is a festive piece, danceable, and of light character. As it opens, the song presents sounds of the jungle and various birds. The song was used as part of the ¡Cantaré! residency to encourage pupils to play with various vocal sounds to emulate nature, and also to teach them the sounds of the morning in a different part of the world. The song addresses one bird in particular: the pheasant, the spring singer. The pheasant represents the itinerant musician that goes door to door bringing joy, songs and dances to other locals.
– Diana Syrse Valdés
Text
En la casa de las pinturas
Los cascabeles se hacen oír,
A ellos responden
Nuestras sonajas floridas
Sobre las flores canta
El hermoso faisán,
Su canto despliega
En el interior de las aguas
Aél responden
Varia dos pájaros rojos:
Tú eres el cantor.
En el interior de la casa de la primavera
Alegras a las gentes
Flores que embriagan
Flores preciosas
Tú eres el cantor
En el interior de la casa de la primavera.
—Nezahualcóyotl (adapted by the composer)
In the house of the paintings
The bells are sounding,
And our flowery
Timbrels respond to them
Above the flowers a beautiful
Pheasant sings,
Its singing unfolds
Inside the waters
To him a variety of
Red birds respond:
You are the singer
Inside the house of the spring
You make people happy
Flowers that make us drunk
Precious flowers
You are the singer
Inside of the house of the spring.
—Translation by Diana Syrse Valdés
$1.50 per licensed PDF
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.