Back to index

Songs of Renewal (2021)

for SATB (divisi) choir and piano

Text: Ernest Dowson (1867-1900), D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930), Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), and Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967)
Duration: 15 minutes
Difficulty: 3/4

Commissioned by Da Camera Singers (Laura Hawley, dir.) in celebration of their 60th anniversary. First performed by Da Camera Singers in May 2022.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, I (like many other people) watched innumerable plans, performances, commissions, and opportunities melt away. Choirs were among the worst affected, with singing vilified and restricted across the globe. When Da Camera Singers commissioned this work for their 60th Anniversary, the choir had faced more than a year without public performances—and as they looked to the future with hope, the singers were drawn to the image of a phoenix rising from the ashes. This idea became the inspiration behind Songs of Renewal. In this piece, four poems from the late-19th and early-20th centuries draw a broad narrative of death, destruction, and rebirth. The first song (“Vitae Summa Brevis” by Ernest Dowson) uses simple a cappella textures and harmonies to evoke the central message: nothing lasts forever. The second song (“The Enkindled Spring” by D.H. Lawrence) is an explosive and energetic movement with aggressive piano writing and complex harmonies; through this destructive, fiery imagery, the music is both triumphant and troubled. The third song (“Haze” by Henry David Thoreau) is a sweet lullaby, invoking the phoenix itself towards the end of the poem. The final song (“Everyone Sang” by Siegfried Sassoon) is also the longest: a joyful celebration of unity in song, which we all craved so deeply through those difficult months.

NOTE: The third movement, “Haze”, is published separately and can be performed on its own. To perform the complete work, purchase the Full Set [not incl. #3] above, then order the third movement directly from ECS Publishing.

Click here to see the complete score.

The audio below is a live recording of the premiere performance by Da Camera Singers (Laura Hawley, dir.) in May 2022.

Full Text

1. Vitae Summa Brevis — Ernest Dowson (1867-1900)
They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,
Love and desire and hate:
I think they have no portion in us after
We pass the gate.

They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
Out of a misty dream
Our path emerges for a while, then closes
Within a dream.

2. “The Enkindled Spring — D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930)
This spring as it comes bursts up in bonfires green,
Wild puffing of emerald trees, and flame-filled bushes,
Thorn-blossom lifting in wreaths of smoke between
Where the wood fumes up and the watery, flickering rushes.

I am amazed at this spring, this conflagration
Of green fires lit on the soil of the earth, this blaze
Of growing, and sparks that puff in wild gyration,
Faces of people streaming across my gaze.

And I, what fountain of fire am I among
This leaping combustion of spring? My spirit is tossed
About like a shadow buffeted in the throng
Of flames, a shadow that’s gone astray, and is lost.

3. Haze — Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
Woof of the sun, ethereal gauze,
Woven of Nature’s richest stuffs,
Visible heat, air-water, and dry sea,
Last conquest of the eye;
Toil of the day displayed, sun-dust,
Aerial surf upon the shores of earth,
Ethereal estuary, frith of light,
Breakers of air, billows of heat,
Fine summer spray on inland seas;
Bird of the sun, transparent–winged
Owlet of noon, soft-pinioned,
From hearth or stubble rising without song;
Establish thy serenity o’er the fields.

4. Everyone Sang — Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967)
Ev'ryone suddenly burst out singing,
And I was filled with such delight
As prisoned birds must find in freedom
Winging wildly across the white orchards
and dark green fields
On, on, and out of sight.

Ev'ryone's voice was suddenly lifted,
And beauty came like the setting sun.
My heart was shaken with tears
And horror drifted away.
O but ev'ryone was a bird
And the song was wordless,
The singing will never be done.