SATB Choir. 3 mins.
Commissioned by the Arkansas State University Concert Choir.
Text by Kathryn I. W. Sparks.
Perusal Score
Score available for purchase. Please direct inquiries to Nell Shaw Cohen at nell@nellshawcohen.com.
Program Note
I Would Like was commissioned by the Arkansas State University Concert Choir for inclusion on a program of choral works by women. Director Ryan W. Sullivan invited me to set a poem by Kathryn I. W. Sparks in which the speaker paints a vision of the contentment they wish to feel at the end of their life. I sought to honor the emotional nuances of this reective text through moments of madrigal-esque word painting and the gentle tension of harmonic suspensions.
Text
I would like to die at evening
just as dusk darkens to blue
as the birds chant evensong and
meadow mist falls into dew
distant bells change-ring by lamplight
petals drop from heated blooms
while the hum of peaceful breathing
flows at ease through quiet rooms
I would like to die at evening
as the city goes to sleep
leaf and flowers’ perfumes lie down
in their moonlit beds to sleep
rise up as all else is settling
one last loving touch to wear
having feasted through my lifetime
then I’ll dissipate to air
Poem “I Would Like” Copyright © 2024 Kathryn I. W. Sparks. Used with permission from the author.
Performance History
Arkansas State University Concert Choir (Ryan W. Sullivan, Director), Music by Women Festival, Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, MS, 3/6/25.