G-8071 # ELDER © BALLADE TO THE MOON Music , nt eet JOE MILLER, EDITOR. BALLADE TO THE MOON WORDS AND MUSIC BY DANIEL ELDER FoR SATB VOICES AND PIANO ‘A WESTMINSTER CHOIR COLLEGE SERIES eee eer Ste 1,800.GIA.1358 + wow giamusic.coFrom the Composer “Ballade to the Moon” is the frst in a cycle of nocuunes for mixed chorus and piano, exploring ‘observational and psychological experiences associated with love, nature, darkness and light. The txts ae original and approach these themes indifferent ways; this piece depicts a moonlit walkthrough woods and fields, while exploring the love felt forthe narator's surroundings. The beauty of the text isin its obscusiy-the narrator could be referring to nature oF to a romante attraction. The night seems to call, “Come, dream in mel” Under deep forest coves, the narzator entreats the sas, “O shaze thy light!” und the ovinkling stars gleam in the open meadow, luring, “Come, sing with mel” Love forthe suszounding dusky beauty causes the narrator to weep with joy, with only the moon as ach stanza consists of four lines of iambic tetrameter followed by a separate four-word call, chen the final chree lines (the lat being a reftain). This recalls the form of the fourteenth-century ballades of French poet and composer Guillaume de Machaut, hence the title of this pioce. ‘On moonlight Inder ee, tay mid samc thongh of thee [ith midpiece beckoning ray heat towaed myc say Cnn, eons! How benef sign Je! And here, won he eet ne, weep thy Beneath tbe son ‘The pues dt befreey ht, tnd ye yet with pe eg ‘uo onsard rough he Backend va, beneath he acy ay 20 baghe shar typhi “These woods, thee weary wanderer soon neve eta wonder ose: ‘As the dened hoe es, shee tere Though heey hang myer wth ee, myer ene he (cere ‘The nig sy cass oth i ae (Glens seeeeeeterer 1 exp ih oy Denes the oon ‘A brief comment about the woods stanza (“These woods, their weary wanderer soon / in awe and. fearful wonder swoon”): This veers to the (Sometimes overwhelming) feeling of blanketed silence and darkness experienced by the pensive narrator while taveling along the sylvan path ‘Most sections of this piece may be taken with a sense of rubato—though never overdone. However, during the pisno interludes, a more romanticized interpretation is welcome. Slight tempo alterations usually imply changes of 10 to 15 beats per minute. In passages where the divs is uneven, parts may be re-voiced, —Dasiel Eider 0 OoA oO BALLADE TO THE MOON Daniel Elder (b. 1986) Adagio Misterioso J=66 sean ara ete — ——= ——= = == =a ot On moon-lit night T wan - der free, my mind to roam on thoughts of a G f f ae Le eee | in za en | Data SF = SSS | On moon-lit night 1 wan. der free, my mind toroam on thoughts of i ge _ mp pe © 201 by OIA Pliaos Ie. Al Rigs Reserved ce in USA | s a rea A CE GON ee te aE | Feproduston of tis puleaton witout msn of te bla sa naan ode ofa | G-8071 Ter wrch ts ressonabioindvdul er nsuton s suet To al poseceton Nvose cacao4 P poco alas pats —— v SSS thee With —mid-night dark-ness 2 poco alae. ae Se J vod a a thee. ‘With md-night dck-ness P co allan ‘ile i & thee > poco alo atempo mystic fan-ta-sy:— mys-tic fan-ta-syHow beau ~ tu ‘TempoT 7 ——— et # \ sight in June! And up - on the ——=—_ - ——— + agit June! And bere, upon the dune, i, And here, Up = on the dune,poco ‘weep with you be-neath the moon. poco rit tempo ‘weep with joy be-neath the moon. poco rt tempo "The path lies dark before my sight, and yet my feet with ais p —__» The path lies dark before my sigh, and yet my fet with— = == fon ward through the block-ened vale, oe = =: Fe - = feet tro ‘on - ward through the black-ened vale, pare ae ae i < neath the sarty sky so neath the tar=ry sky 50a fe co Pit Mosso, Poco Rubato mp These woods, their wea woods, their wea Pit Mosso, Poco Rubatomom p cS: one -_ PP oy wom awe and fearful awe and fer fal — —————— awe. and fear fal ——— =——» weep with joy be - neath the ——» weep with joy be - neath the —— a zs weep with joy be = neath. the won = der ‘Tempo IAnd as the dack-ened ———EE And as j= the darkened ‘And as the datk-ened 2 ——$— P poco aller ‘Though P pocoallars fee, ry heartbeats ev = et rapsid- ly ————— ‘my heat beats ev = er rap-id-ly—— Though poco aory. sis P ‘Though 5 poco lars ap. Z ‘Though poco liar,Oi pe heav = hang. my eyes with sep, ; ae, = oS SS Be essa is a tae He === — my soul, heavy hang my eyes with sleep, ‘ny aw i ——— ee ; wf hbeay-y ang my eyes with sleep, ly sou remo is at ——— x ie wy 0, my aging ut, ——— —— 2 == soul, my singing soul,soul, my singing soul, it cries to Sf my sing -ing soul, it cries to thee: 0. Meno Mosso, Doleissimo 4 P — op Come, sing with met PB. ‘Come, sing with metoa ‘The twin-Hling sky casts BP The twin-kling sky casts foc forth must leave thy charms so 0 must 1 eave thy charms s0