A Light Exists in Spring/Earth's Answer part 2

The third section of my Quaker cantata, Democracy. The electric bass player is Jorge Mesa. The text is by Emily Dickinson and William Blake, respectively.

A Light Exists in Spring-Emily Dickinson

A light exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period.
When March is scarcely here
A color stands abroad
On solitary hills
That science cannot overtake,
But human nature feels.
It waits upon the lawn;
It shows the furthest tree
Upon the furthest slope we know;
It almost speaks to me.
Then, as horizons step,
Or noons report away,
Without the formula of sound,
It passes, and we stay:
A quality of loss
Affecting our content,
As trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a sacrament.

Earths Answer (Pt. 2)- William Blake
From Songs of Experience

Does spring hide its joy
When buds and blossoms grow?
Does the sower
Sow by night,
Or the plowman in darkness plow?

Break this heavy chain
That does freeze my bones around.
Selfish! Vain!
Eternal bane!
That free Love with bondage bound.

The full lineup: Susan Erenberg-Soprano, Stefan Paolini-Tenor, Sam Sadigursky-Alto Sax/Flute, Peter Hess-Tenor Sax/flute, Barry Seroff-guitars, Carl Testa- double bass, Jorge Mesa-electric bass, Peter Wise-percussion, Ed Klinger-drumset. Premiered at Issue Project Room, Brooklyn, on March 25th, 2010.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Barry
• Seroff
• Democracy
• Quaker
• Cantata
• post-classical classical
• progressive
• rock
• fusion
• Anti-Social Music
• Issue Project Room
• IPR
• William
• Blake
• Emily
• Dickinson
• electric
• bass
• solo

[BarrySeroff]

Of all our conversations, Steve, I'll remember you defending my work here more than anything. I make it a rule not to acknowledge internet haters, I'm glad that there are people like you who do on my behalf. Thanks, and RIP.

[TatersChoice]

@sonicpsychiatry I also meant that "bad composer" as in this piece wasn't composed well. Did I word it badly? Yes. But my point remains the same. Maybe he does have other well composed pieces. This isn't one of them.

[TatersChoice]

@sonicpsychiatry There's a difference between "it isn't for me" and "I don't think this is good". I said that I don't think this is good because I believe that other people will share my same opinion. I don't like pop, but admit I can see why people like it. I just think this composition is bad.

I also don't know who anyone you mentioned except Rockwell is.

[sonicpsychiatry]

@TatersChoice You would have engendered a lot more respect if you simply said it isn't for me. How about you go listen to your extensive Yanni and John Tesh collection while waxing poetic over your Lanseer and Rockwell prints.

Truly, be bold, consummate the marriage of gray matter to the gullet. You may find a marked shift in your perceptual abilities and even hear all of subtleties to works that seemingly escape you. Of course, no offense. Just words of encouragement.

[sonicpsychiatry]

@TatersChoice "Good singer, bad composer"...W.T.F. You're basing this on one piece that "sounds like a shotgun to your 'brain'". Let's say that it is a bad piece of music, which it really isn't. How many great composers wrote bad pieces at one time or another? Even Bach had a few sub-par pieces in his immense cannon. The last person that I want to believe in me is some flake with a predilection for spouting insults at ppl brave enough to put their music on youtube.

[sonicpsychiatry]

@TatersChoice Well, James Joyce never won a Nobel. The Nobel committee doesn't often vote on quality on the quality of one's work. They often vote based on P.C. policy.Charles Wuorinen won a Pulitzer for Time's Encomium - a miserable electronic work. I've heard talentless graduate students write better electro-acoustic drivel than that piece. If you put your faith in these so-called judges, you have some serious issues. You can see the flaw in your train of thought, right?

[TatersChoice]

@sonicpsychiatry Oh, so the various judges that named her the winner and all of the choir teachers that use the song are wrong and the one-guy on the internet is right?

As I said, the Karen Ball composition is better, but if this guy works harder, he can get something really good. Good singer, bad composer. I believe in you!

[sonicpsychiatry]

@TatersChoice I think you've already put the shotgun to your "brain", pulled the trigger, didn't succeed in your efforts and subsequently lost a substantial amount of gray matter. Perhaps you can scrape the remnants off the wall, consume them and hope some semblance of discernment returns. It's a long shot, but worth the effort.

This sounds like late Cowell meets Frank Zappa, and it's original. Karen Ball is a post-modern hack of the highest order. She should have all of her pencils taken away!

[TatersChoice]

@BarrySeroff Unfortunately, I cannot find either the music or a video of it, but I know it was composed by Karen Ball.

[TatersChoice]

You're a fine singer and all, but the composition of the song was not good. Someone won a music contest by putting the same Dickinson poem to music and it sounds amazing when it's sung. This song sounds like a shotgun to my brain.