Elizabeth Alexander Seafarer Press SEA-061-02 $5.00 Sleep Song Ann Silsbee high voice and piano
Sleep Song
What I love is to slip late at night
into David’s room gaze secretly
down at the soft mask of sleep twitching
with no flush of rage no pout no glee
just the passing in and out of breath
delicately stirring his body
into a hint of motion by which
I know David is living within
safe to love with my whole watching self
Ann Silsbee
© 2002 by Ann L. Silsbee From Naming the Disappeared, published by Vista Periodista, Ithaca, NY
Reprinted by permission of Robert Silsbee
Poet, pianist and composer Ann Silsbee was the first woman to receive her doctoral degree in music
composition from Cornell University. Her output included over fifty works for solo, chamber,
orchestral and operatic forces.
Silsbee devoted her later creative years to poetry, publishing in many publications, including the
Seneca Review, Atlanta Review and Spoon River Poetry Review, as well as in the chapbook, Naming
The Disappeared. Her first book-length poetry collection, Orioling, received the Benjamin Saltman
Poetry Award. The book was published by Red Hen Press in August 2003, shortly before a
recurrence of cancer brought upon her death. Later that year, Ann’s second book, The Book of Ga,
was published by CustomWords.
Elizabeth Alexander’s passion for language and music is reflected in her catalogue of over 100
songs and choral works, which have received nearly twenty national and international awards and
been performed by over 2000 choirs. Reviewers have mentioned to “the close personal resonance
between the composer and the words,” as well as her music’s “delicacy and sincerity,” “elegance,”
"subtle, unexpected harmonic turns," and “freshness within a well-known language.” She has
received numerous state, national and international awards, including a 2011 McKnight Foundation
Composer Fellowship.
Ann and Elizabeth shared many wonderful lunches, walks and conversations during the decade they
both lived in Ithaca, NY.
For more information about Elizabeth’s music, visit www.elizabethalexander.com
Cover image: “Sweet Sleep,” by Janet Lavida. A self-taught artist and
native of Chicago, Lavida writes: “I try my best to capture the essence of
the individual and place it upon my canvas.” She lives Harper Woods,
Michigan, where she works in oil painting and pencil drawing.
More of Lavida’s art may be viewed at www.art-exchange.com and
www.fineartamerica.com
( q = 96) Gently rocking
Elizabeth Alexander
In memory of Ann: Poet, composer, mother and friend
copyright 2004 by Elizabeth Alexander
Ann Silsbeefor high voice and piano
Sleep Song
5
9
13
p
What
p
I
love,
What I love,
Seafarer PressSEA-061-02
17
21
25
29
senza misura
What I
love is to slip late at night
mp
in to-
Da vid’s- room,
playfully
mp
What
p warmly, sung all to yourself
I love
3
a tempo32
36
39
43
47
is to
p
gaze se cret- ly- down, se cret- ly,- se
pp
cret- ly-
down,
pp murmuring
down
p
at the
soft mask of sleep
gentle marcato
4
51
55
59
63
67
twitch ing- with no flush of
rage,
mf
twitch ing- with
mf espress.
no pout, no
glee,
f (but with lightness)
f
just
mp
the
mp
5
87
91
95
99 rallentando
de
p
li- cate- ly- stir ring,-
p
stir ring,-
stir ring- his bod y-
(poco crescendo)
in -
to
mp
a hint of mo tion,- - - - - -
7
Opal Palmer Adisa, poet B Margaret & George Alexander, parents B Yehuda Amichai, poet B Bjorn Arneson, generous
web designer B Scott Bates, poet B Abbie Betinis, composer/colleague B Dennis Blubaugh, music dealer B Michael
deVernon Boblett, poet B Ray Bradbury, writer B Norbert Capek, visionary B e. e. cummings, poet B Philip Dacey,
poet B Emily Dickinson, poet B Evelyn Dudley, poet B Rob Eller-Isaacs, minister/writer B Sophia Lyon Fahs, writer
B Richard M. Fewkes, writer B Pesha Gertler, poet B Richard S. Gilbert, minister/writer B Jack Gallagher,
composer/teacher B Paul Gerike, proofreader B Steve Harper, technical advisor B Steve Hawkins, generous web
designer B Edie Hill, composer/colleague B Langston Hughes, poet B Mark Humphrey, piano technician B Karel Husa,
composer/teacher B Kalidasa, poet B Garrison Keillor, storyteller B Denise Levertov, poet B George Ella Lyon, poet
B Jonathan Machen, artist B Edna St. Vincent Millay, poet B J. David Moore, composer/colleague B Joan Wolf
Prefontaine, poet B Gerald Rich, poet B Carl Sandburg, poet B King Sigismund III, religious reformer B Steven
Stucky, composer/teacher B Rabindranath Tagore, poet B Howard Thurman, civil rights leader/writer B John
Greenleaf Whittier, poet B Theodore Chickering Williams, poet B Daniel Winter, pianist/teacher B Nancy Wood,
poet B Yehudi Wyner, composer/teacher B Paul Adams, technical advisor B Opal Palmer Adisa, poet B Margaret &
George Alexander, parents B Yehuda Amichai, poet B Bjorn Arneson, generous web designer B Scott Bates, poet B
Abbie Betinis, composer/colleague B Dennis Blubaugh, music dealer B Michael deVernon Boblett, poet B Ray
Bradbury, writer B Norbert Capek, visionary B e. e. cummings, poet B Philip Dacey, poet B Emily Dickinson, poet
B Evelyn Dudley, poet B Rob Eller-Isaacs, minister/writer B Sophia Lyon Fahs, writer B Richard M. Fewkes, writer
B Pesha Gertler, poet B Richard S. Gilbert, minister/writer B Jack Gallagher, composer/teacher B Paul Gerike,
proofreader B Steve Harper, technical advisor B Steve Hawkins, generous web designer B Edie Hill,
composer/colleague B Langston Hughes, poet B Mark Humphrey, piano technician B Karel Husa, composer/teacher
B Kalidasa, poet B Garrison Keillor, storyteller B Denise Levertov, poet B George Ella Lyon, poet B Jonathan Machen,
artist B Edna St. Vincent Millay, poet B J. David Moore, composer/colleague B Joan Wolf Prefontaine, poet B Gerald
Rich, poet B Carl Sandburg, poet B King Sigismund III, religious reformer B Steven Stucky, composer/teacher B
Rabindranath Tagore, poet B Howard Thurman, civil rights leader/writer B John Greenleaf Whittier, poet B
Theodore Chickering Williams, poet B Daniel Winter, pianist/teacher B Nancy Wood, poet B Yehudi Wyner,
composer/teacher B Paul Adams, technical advisor B Opal Palmer Adisa, poet B Margaret & George Alexander, parents
B Yehuda Amichai, poet B Bjorn Arneson, generous web designer B Scott Bates, poet B Abbie Betinis,
composer/colleague B Dennis Blubaugh, music dealer B Michael deVernon Boblett, poet B Ray Bradbury, writer B
Norbert Capek, visionary B e. e. cummings, poet B Philip Dacey, poet B Emily Dickinson, poet B Evelyn Dudley, poet
B Rob Eller-Isaacs, minister/writer B Sophia Lyon Fahs, writer B Richard M. Fewkes, writer B Pesha Gertler, poet
B Richard S. Gilbert, minister/writer B Jack Gallagher, composer/teacher B Paul Gerike, proofreader B Steve Harper,
technical advisor B Steve Hawkins, generous web designer B Edie Hill, composer/colleague B Langston Hughes, poet
B Mark Humphrey, piano technician B Karel Husa, composer/teacher B Kalidasa, poet B Garrison Keillor, storyteller
B Denise Levertov, poet B George Ella Lyon, poet B Jonathan Machen, artist B Edna St. Vincent Millay, poet B J.
David Moore, composer/colleague B Joan Wolf Prefontaine, poet B Gerald Rich, poet B Carl Sandburg, poet B King
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A LOT OF HARD WORK &CREATIVITY
WENT INTO BRINGING
THIS MUSIC TO YOU...
...AND SOME OF IT
WAS EVEN MINE.
Songs of Elizabeth Alexander
* The Eternal One (Ralph Waldo Emerson, adapted) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-093-00
Die Gedanken Sind Frei (16th c. German protest song, arr.) [duet] alto, baritone, piano . . . . SEA-087-01
A Garret of Old Playthings (Carl Sandburg) soprano and piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-028-00
I Write This Poem Out of Darkness (George Ella Lyon) SSA trio, flute, violin, piano . . . . . SEA-024-01
* A Love Like That (Hafiz, translated/adapted by Daniel Ladinsky) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-094-00
* I’ll Tell You a Story, then... (Nancy White) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-069-00
Jó! (The Edict of Torda) SSA trio or ensemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-092-00
My Aunt Gives Me a Clarinet Lesson (Gregory Djanikian)
soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-053-00
No One Gets a Program (Riff on a Dutch proverb) [duet] low voice, medium voice, piano . SEA-095-07
* Oath Taking (Opal Palmer Adisa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-073-00
On the Edge of the Water (E. Alexander) low voice, piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-083-00
So Many Corners (Rose Ausländer) soprano, piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-040-00
So Many Corners (Rose Ausländer) soprano, chamber orchestra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-040-01
* Sleep Song (Ann Silsbee) soprano, piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-061-00
* The Gospel Isn’t Written In the Bible Alone (E. Alexander) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-082-00
Three Rose Auslander Songs (R. Ausländer) soprano, strings, percussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-040-05
Trouble in a Minnesota Town (Neal Bowers) baritone, piano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SEA-047-00
* Titles without specific voice type exist in multiple voicings (low, medium and high).
For a complete catalog of vocal, choral, piano, chamber and orchestral music,
including recordings and score excerpts, visit:
Seafarer PressSeafarer PressSeafarer PressSeafarer Presswww.seafarerpress.com