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Katerina Gimon
Katerina Gimon
That Word (medium voice)
A short, dramatic, and fiery feminist art song about a women’s decision to seek her own independence.
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That Word
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That Word
Medium voice and piano
That Word is a setting of American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay’s (1892 – 1950) “Oh, oh, you will be sorry for that word”, a powerful feminist poem about a woman’s decision to seek her own independence. From the offset of the poem, it’s clear the speaker is quite unhappy with her relationship with her husband, describing various ways in which she is continually oppressed and patronized by him. Ultimately, she declares that in the near future that she plans to leave her spouse to make a better life for herself and will no longer answer when he “whistles” for her.
That Word was commissioned and premiered virtually by soprano Chelsea Kolić on July 10, 2021, as part of the N.E.O. Voice Festival.
Vocal range:
High, F4 – A5
Medium, D4 – F#5
Low, C4 – E5
Text
Oh, oh, you will be sorry for that word!
Give back my book and take my kiss instead.
Was it my enemy or my friend I heard,
“What a big book for such a little head!”
Come, I will show you now my newest hat,
And you may watch me purse my mouth and prink! Oh, I shall love you still, and all of that.
I never again shall tell you what I think.
I shall be sweet and crafty, soft and sly;
You will not catch me reading any more:
I shall be called a wife to pattern by;
And some day when you knock and push the door,
Some sane day, not too bright and not too stormy,
I shall be gone, and you may whistle for me.
— Edna St. Vincent Millay [poem: Oh, oh, you will be sorry for that word]
$6.00 per licensed PDF
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