Pashtun Songs

for soprano and piano

The texts for the Songs of Pashtun Women were compiled from translations of an oral form of poetry known as the landay. These are two-line (“landay” is Pashto for “short”) free verse poems, not necessarily rhymed, that can be written or improvised. The poetry of Afghan women is usually anonymous, often song to the beat of a hand drum, and is usually created together with other women during their various errands and duties.

Different themes are explored in the landays – chiefly love, honor, sorrow, and loss. This poetry provides Afghan and Arab women with a means of indirect expression that allows them to maintain their honor. While admissions and invitations to love and erotic passion are common themes in this poetry, curiously the husband is never addressed directly. Here he is referred to as “the small and awful one.”

In the words of translator Simone Fattal, “Westerners expect the Muslim women to be submissive, weak, and shy, hidden behind her veil. The poetry presented here reveals a woman whose discourse is bold. The Pashtun woman offers herself to her lover with pride, scolds him when he does not give her satisfaction, and despises him and sends him away if he does not fight for his country with courage….There is not a trace of sentimentality in this poetry. It is strong, often poignant, always proud, and passionate.”

Along with my Rumi Songs of Love for mezzo soprano that were commissioned at the same time, the Pashtun Songs were a kind of artistic response to the 9/11 attacks. Given the popularity of non-Western musical explorations by composers and other musicians in this postmodern era, the listener might find it curious that in setting this poetry I made no attempt to sound remotely Islamic, Afghani, or even generically “Eastern.” What struck me upon exploring this poetry was not its Pashtun, Afghan, or Islamic flavor, but rather its universality. So rather than trod the well-worn path of stylized musical orientalism, my impulse was to appropriate them entirely into my own compositional language, which is steeped in the rich traditions of Western classical music. In this manner I aim to provide both performer and audience with a more authentic experience of the poetry, one that emphasizes familiarity over exoticism.

SKU: BRL-001 Category: Instrumentation:

$14.95

Print orders are printed on demand and shipped by our printing partner, and can be expected to be processed with a few days of the order. Please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] to follow up.

Quantity

Explore More Music…

Filters Sort results
Reset Apply
Title
View
Voice
Duration
Composer
for soprano and piano
Soprano
3'30"
Originally written for the musical The Ghost of Wu, musical that tells the story of Wu Chao, the only female ruler in Chinese history, who ruled in the 8th Century, “The World Rolls On” is, quite simply, a lullaby.
More info & view score »
for baritone (voice), trumpet in C, and Organ
Baritone
Organ
Trumpet
7' 15"
A dramatic, contemporary setting of the Biblical passage “The Trumpet Shall Sound”, which was also used in Handel’s “Messiah”. The baritone and trumpet dialog throughout with the organ underpinning and expanding the harmonic structure. The trumpet begins and ends using a straight mute, but plays open in middle portions. It is appropriate for memorial services, […]
More info & view score »
for Mezzo Soprano, Viola, and Piano
Mezzo-Soprano
Viola
6'45"
The Over Journey gives voice to the über-Romantic yearnings of 19th Century German poet Novalis (Friedrich von Hardenberg). The poet’s fascination with death, art, and the loss of his young fiancee permeates this piece, as the poet dreams of one day reuniting with his lost love.
More info & view score »
for soprano and piano
Soprano
6'30"
I have a confession to make; my pieces come from a very personal, very private place. I know and admire many fellow composers who take a cooler, analytical stance towards their art and aesthetic, and I admire their craftsmanship and outward reserve. But that just doesn’t work for me (no judgement). From a technical standpoint, […]
More info & view score »
for soprano and piano
Soprano
16'
Silver Apples can be heard on the CD Currents by Soprano Ann Moss, available from iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon and other venus. Liam composed this enchanting song cycle for me and pianist Steven Bailey to premiere on CMASH’s second annual New American Chamber Music program in 2008. Liam and I selected the moon-themed poems together, […]
More info & view score »
for SATB chorus, soprano solo, & piano/organ or optional string quartet
Choral
Soprano
5'18"
For SATB chorus, Soprano solo, and Piano/Organ or optional String Quartet. The text of the Pie Jesu is taken from the final phrase of the Dies irae which can be found in the Requiem Mass. Many composers have famously set the Pie Jesu to music, most notably Gabriel Faure, John Rutter, and Andrew Lloyd Webber. In […]
More info & view score »
for soprano and piano
Soprano
13'40"
High and Low (2013) is four song cycle on poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay and John Grimmett that in its musical journey brings together several very different sound worlds. From the Laurel Canyon 60s folky opening number “Afternoon on a Hill” to the chilling operatic drama of “distance is crueler…” to the Schubert/ Iron Maiden […]
More info & view score »
for soprano solo, chorus and chamber orchestra
Choral
Orchestra
Soprano
25'
Completed and premiered in 1996, Cycle of Friends is  a lush, emotional journey through five texts taken from such diverse sources as Tang Dynasty poetry of China, Sappho and Emily Dickinson, each dealing in its own way with the universal theme of friendship. Cycle of Friends was commissioned and premiered by the Music Group of Philadelphia, Seán […]
More info & view score »
for soprano solo, and mixed chorus a cappella
Choral
Soprano
5'12"
Come Unto Me, for SSAATTBB and Soprano solo, was written for famed soprano of choral, oratorio, and opera repertoire, Jessica Beebe. The solo tessitura is quite high and should be sung with minimal vibrato. While this is written for eight choral parts, the ranges are conservative and move mostly by steps making this an accessible […]
More info & view score »
for soprano and orchestra
Orchestra
Soprano
2'
Chicago Songs is my attempt to musically recreate something of the spirit and people found in Carl Sandburg’s iconic poetry. Sandburg’s world is one filled with the grit of burgeoning industrialization, the earnest hope of immigrant settlers, and the heartache and beauty found in the everyday. His characters are larger than life, yet tragically human […]
More info & view score »
Shopping Cart