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Dale Trumbore
Dale Trumbore
Some October (from A Calendar of Light)
With a gorgeous solo for mezzo-soprano, this autumnal piece asks whether we’ve done enough to earn a beautiful life.
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A Calendar of Light
SATB Chorus & Mezzo-Soprano Solo
Autumn’s fleeting beauty prompts the narrator—represented in an expressive solo for mezzo-soprano—to take stock of their life, with all of its joys and sorrows. Some October 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 in 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.
-Dale Trumbore
Text
Some October, when the leaves turn gold, ask
me if I’ve done enough to deserve this life
I’ve been given. A pile of sorrows, yes, but joy
enough to unbalance the equation.
When the sky turns blue as the robes of heaven,
ask me if I’ve made a difference.
The road winds through the copper-colored woods;
no one sees around the bend.
Today, the wind poured out of Canada,
a river in flood, bringing down the brilliant leaves,
broken sticks and twigs, deserted nests.
Go where the current takes you.
Some twilight, when the clouds stream in from the west
like the breath of God, ask me again.
—Barbara Crooker
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