"White Nocturne" for Solo Voice and Piano

"White Nocturne" for Solo Voice and Piano
Composed by Jason Pano (2009)
Text by Conrad Aiken (1889-1973)
Performed by Sara Haugland (Soprano) and Samantha Arrasmith (Piano)
April 2011

Composer's Notes:
"White Nocturne" is the second vocal piece I wrote and it was premiered at Sara Haugland's senior recital in the fall of 2009. As I recall, I was jumping from poem to poem and hadn't quite made up my mind. However, I happened to come across a poem while working on excerpts for American art songs for a project one of my teacher was working on. It was Conrad Aiken's "White Nocturne." The poetry and the form of the text set me to work immediately in setting it for Sara's voice. To this date, I believe that Paul Nordoff and myself are the only two composers to set this text to music.
Since the poem has a particular line that is repeated, I decided to use that as a reoccurring melody between each verse. The harmonies used in this piece are also not very complex - though I utilized high tertian and pandiatonic aspects to enhance the flavor of the chords. Chromatic mediants were used to shift tonal centers rapidly and smoothly throughout the piece. This composition is also the first piece where I utilized piano. French Mélodie by Gabriel Fauré and English Art Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams assisted in modeling effective piano writing for this art song.

White Nocturne by Conrad Aiken
I would like to touch this snow with the wind of a dream,
With a sudden warmth of music, and turn it all
To petals of roses ... Why is it that I recall
Your two pale hands holding a bowl of roses,
Wide open like lotos flowers, floating in water?
I would like to touch this snow with the wind of a dream;
To hold the world in my hands and let it fall.
We have walked among the hills immortally white,
Golden by noon and blue by night.
I would like to touch this snow with the wind of a dream:
And hear you singing again by a starlight wall ...

Want to perform the piece? Please contact the composer for the scores.

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• Voice
• Piano
• Composition
• Solo (music)