• The Bear/Tracks, for SATB chorus, soprano solo, piano, text by Beatrix Gates
  • Delight/Simple Gifts, SATB text trad. Shaker
  • Dreaming, tenor, 2 sopranos, piano
  • Earthly Light, SATB divisi chorus and chamber ensemble, text by Anna Dembska
  • Full Fathom Five, SATB, text by William Shakespeare
  • Life Is But A Dream, SATB, text trad.
  • Longing (Psalm 42)
  • ¡Mira! (New York Harasses Sor Juana), SATB, text by Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz with commentary from New Yorkers and NYC media
  • Sonnet 43, SATB, text by William Shakspeare
  • Stop Thinking, treble trio and string quartet, text by Anna Dembska
  • Tao Te Ching Songs, various voicings for 3 or 4 singers or chorus, also to be sung together on Zoom
  • Woody, SATB, lyrics trad.

Dreaming (tenor, 2 sopranos, piano)

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Lyrics by Anna Dembska

(voices chant improvised stream-of-consciousness dream stories)

In my dream, my dream the house has a basement.
I am going down there into the basement
The basement is crowded
full of leftover junk 
and people,
strange people in the basement. 
people wearing masks: 
Christ—hello!
devil, rabbit, fairy—hello hello
wolf, witch, Faust!—hello  
They scare me 
hello 
I love them 
hello, 
hello, 
hello… 
I am climbing, climbing out. 

In my dream
outside the house
I am lying facedown in the mud,
facedown in the muddy road, 
mud in my mouth 
I taste the mud, I taste a green leaf! 
The world is green, green and lush, lush after the rain. 
In my dream my friend grabs my hand, pulls me, 
pulls me up into the damp, into the damp green woods. 
In my dream my friend shouts, "let's go!"
Fast, holding hands, we fly,
fly into the air, 
we fly fast over the world. 
I am singing.
The world is wet and green. 
I am singing.

!Mira! (New York Harasses Sor Juana) (SATB)

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Lyrics by Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz and and street language from NYC

Quéjase de la suerte: insinúa su aversió a los vicios, y justifica sudivertimiento a las Musas

— Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz


En perseguirme, Mundo, ¿qué interesas?
¿En qué te ofendo, cuando sólo intento
poner bellezas en me entendimiento
y no mi entendimiento en las bellezas?

Yo no estimo tesoros ni riquesas;
y así, siempre me causa más contento
poner riquezas en mi pensamiento
que no mi pensamiento en las riquezas.

 

Y no estimo hermosura que, vencida,
es despojo civil de las edades,
ni riqueza me agrada fementida,

teniendo por mejor, en mis verdades,
consumir vanidades de la vida
que consumir la vida en vanidades. 

An approximate translation:

She laments her fate, hints of her aversion to vice, and justifies her diversion with the Muses

— Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz

 

In persecuting me, World, what interests you? How do I offend you, when my only intention
is to put beauty into my understanding
and not put my understanding into beauties.

I don't appreciate treasures or wealth
and thus I am always more content
to put riches into my thoughts
and not put my thoughts into riches.

 

And I don't care for beauty that, conquered,
is the civil plunder of the ages
nor do treacherous riches please me

believing it better
to exhaust the vanities of life
than to exhaust life with vanities
palabras de Nueva York

— de la gente y los periódicos de Nueva York


¡Mira! (etc.)

 

¡gane buen dinero!
¡llame ahora!
¡venta explosiva!
¡invierta su dinero sabamiente!
¡escucha! ¡escuchame!
¡ganga!

¡que bonita!
¡dichosos los ojos!
¡escucha!
¡mira, chica! ¡mira, chula!
¡qué guapa! ¡qué guapa eres!

cuando to emperifollas, te ves bellisima.
¿qué mosca la habra picado?
¡embellezca su vida con una cirugía plastica!
¡qué linda! 

New York remarks

— from New Yorkers and NY newspapers

 

Look! (etc.)

 


make good money!
call now!
explosive sale!
invest your money wisely!
listen! listen to me!
buy!

how pretty!
fortunate the eyes! (to be looking at you)
look, cutie! look, foxy lady!
how good-looking! how good-looking you are!
when you decorate yourself, you look so pretty. what bug bit her?
beautify your life with plastic surgery!
what a pretty girl!

Longing (Psalm 42) (SATB)

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