Lori Laitman

Compositor

Lori Laitman

Lírico

Joyce Sutphen

Editora

Enchanted Knickers Music

Gênero

Clássico / Canção

Instrumentação

Piano, Barítono

Composição para

Solo, Piano de Acompanhamento

Tipo de composição

Partitura piano-vocal

duração

3'15"

idioma

Inglês

dificuldade

Medium

Ano de composição

2012

descripção
Building a House is based on the poem “Homesteading” by the American poet Joyce Sutphen, the current Poet Laureate of Minnesota. This poem seemed perfect for the opening of Opera America’s new National Opera Center — as it addresses the possibilities of the human mind and how ideas can transform into reality.

The opening piano sets the mood of distant memory and contains a personal meaning: I use a variant of a secret technical exercise, passed down to me by my childhood piano teacher, Mr. Levinson, who in turned learned it from his teacher, Rafael Joseffy (who perhaps learned it from his teacher, Franz Liszt).

The vocal line was composed first, and the melody emphasizes what I consider to be the most important words. Meters and tempi change frequently, adding a bit of an improvisational feel. Word painting is used: the texture thins under “clearing a spot”; the musical line travels up the keyboard, painting a “road,”; the bumpiness of a prairie journey is mimicked by the piano jumping about; the voice’s “had to learn” motif is captured by the piano and repeated, emphasizing the role repetition plays in learning; arpeggios portray the “reins” and both piano and voice depict “stitching” with sequenced musical loops. The word “possibility” is accompanied with more adventurous harmonies and ultimately, the singer gets to choose from a variety of notes for the last iteration of this word, further underscoring its meaning. I have crafted versions of this song for all voice types, as its message is universal.

You can hear the premiere recording with Jennifer Check and Lori Laitman, track 5 at this link on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1i9S5Hd7rEpOGCQATBboGe

data de postagem

26.01.2023