Dr. Matthew Emery (b.1991) is a Canadian composer whose music has been performed in twenty-nine countries. He currently teaches at Carleton University, the University of Toronto, and Western University
Commissioned by the Chorus Niagara Children’s Choir. Amanda Nelli, director
The opening is densely woven, with lines weaving and clashing, these intermingling gestures slowly become clearer, gradually fading away into uncluttered statements; a metaphor for the poem, and for life in general during the pandemic. The main gesture of the work has a range of a 5th to accommodate all ranges of singers and tessitura. The theme is treated canonically at various points of intervals allowing for moments of togetherness, flourishing and tension.
Dark clouds become heavens flowers when kissed by light [249, Stray Birds] Rabindranath Tagore, in public domain
Commissioned by Dr. Jennifer Lang for the University of Saskatchewan’s University and Community Chorus
Text is an excerpt of a poem by Carl Sandburg, and freely adapted by the composer. The original poem is in the public domain.
text: “People singing; people with song mouths connecting with song hearts; people who must sing or die; people whose song hearts break if there is no song mouth; these are my people.”
This composition is inspired by the idea that what joins us in our humanity is our connection to song. Songs which fill us with hope, love, nostalgia — grief; songs connect our spirits and synchronize our heartbeats as we join together. During the pandemic, songs are potentially dangerous during the time of unsafe air and global instability. This piece is a quiet reflection for our time during the pandemic, and offers us a moment to remember that though we may be distantly singing, our hearts are filled with song.
“Song Hearts” incorporates a homophonic texture and an ABA structure. Moments of syncopation, and subtle texture changes with phrases out of the diatonic E major provide phrases of tension and motion.
Thanks go to David Almond and the Almond family for their financial contributions to this project, and to the Kirkland Choral Society (Kirkland, WA; Dr. Glenn R. Gregg, Music Director) which contributed to the project financially, and will give the USA premiere.
Notes from the composer:
“I Breathe” is a work for double choir, built on ideas of binaries: old and new, homophonic and polyphonic, stable and unstable; “I Breathe” incorporates an earlier work of mine: “Breathe”. The juxtaposition of styles, texts and gestures is highlighted throughout “I Breathe” through the use of both modern and past poetry, musical ideas inspired by past eras (Medieval, Baroque, and Renaissance), and juxtaposition of instrumentation: responsorial phrases between choirs, small groups and/or soloists. The work uses these layers of imagery and dialogue to capture the feelings of emotions ranging from hope to despair, and everything in-between that we are facing due to COVID 19. The commissioned poem by Natalie Fasheh exquisitely captures the atmosphere of both the unsettledness, and acceptance that we (I) face(ed) during these times. She both responds to the Petrarch text (used in “Breathe”), and then reaches beyond it.
Program note:
“I Breathe” is in a three part form.
Part one features responsorial phrases alternating virtuosic, florid lines, with block style homophony. There are phrases that may be sung as solos. Part one is a metaphor for the fear, strife and uncertainty of life exemplified through angular melodies, and an evocative, dissonant harmonic palette.
Part two sees the intersection of both choirs centred around “Breathe”. Choir one sings along side choir two, at times in unison, harmony or in juxtaposition. In some ways, the middle movement “Breathe” is an antidote to the tension and angularity of part one; a literal and metaphoric exhalation and collective breath of resolution (hope).
Note from the poet:
What are we faced with when one is suffering from an illness that is beyond our global knowledge and capacity of physical healing? How has society time and time again, in such situations, grappled with the moments of accepting death, versus fighting for life? What kind of hope does it yield? Inspired by David Almond’s story of him and his Mother’s COVID-19 experience. The moment in the story that stood out to me was when his mother did not want to fight for her life, contrary to what David and his family wanted. In this poem I attempted to empathetically explore the possible perspective of both the ill mother and her son, on pain, life, death, hope, love, and courage, in such moments of suffering from this mysterious deadly illness.
Poet biography: Natalie Fasheh is a Palestinian-Jordanian emerging singer, poet, community-engaged artist, and choral musician. She leads vocal ensemble experiences rooted in empowerment, cultural awareness, and activism. Natalie works with singing communities of varying ages and lifestyles as a choir conductor, teaching artist, and mentor for young people. She is the co-founder and co- director of Mosaic Music Collective: joining newcomers and long-standing residents through intergenerational, multicultural song. Natalie writes poetry on themes of cultural identity, nature, and humanity. She shares Arabic folk songs as a guest singer, clinician, and choral arranger. Natalie has most recently been entwining all aspects of her artistry in designing and leading social justice-based collaborative choral composition projects.
Natalie looks forward to continuing artistically celebrating humanity’s diversity and common- threads, expanding her understanding of vocal music’s place in sociocultural dialogue and bridge-building, and exploring the multifaceted relationship between community-engaged art and choral art.
Composer biography: Dr. Matthew Emery is a Canadian composer who “writes with an honesty which enchants” (Vancouver Sun). His music has been performed in twenty-six countries, and recent performance venues include the Great Wall of China, the White House and the Musikverein. Matthew has received over forty commissions and his music has been performed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Chamber Choir, Elmer Iseler Singers, National Youth Orchestra of Canada, National Youth Choir of Canada, European Union Youth Orchestra, Orchestra London, the Art of Time Ensemble, Rolston String Quartet, Dennis Wick Canadian Wind Orchestra, and the Bach Music Festival of Canada Orchestra.
Texts
Text by Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374): Trans. Thomas Wentworth Higginson, 1903
I saw how tears had left their weary traces Within those eyes that once the sun outshone, I heard those lips, in low and plaintive moan, Breathe words to stir the mountains from their places. Love, wisdom, courage, tenderness, and truth Made in their mourning strains more high and dear Than ever wove soft sounds for mortal ear; And heaven seemed listening in such saddest ruth The very leaves upon the bough to soothe, Such sweetness filled the blissful atmosphere.
I Breathe
Written by Natalie Fasheh
Commissioned by Chronos Vocal Ensemble for the 2020-20201 project “Breathe”. Dedicated to David Almond, his mother, family, the world’s suffering COVID-19 patients, living and
Text Francesco Petrarca [1304-1374], in the public domain. VI [excerpt, adapted by the composer]
I saw how tears had left their weary traces Within those eyes that once the sun outshone, I heard those lips, in low and plaintive moan, Breathe words to stir the mountains from their places. Love, wisdom, courage, tenderness, and truth Made in their mourning strains more high and dear Than ever wove soft sounds for mortal ear; And heaven seemed listening in such saddest ruth The very leaves upon the bough to soothe, Such sweetness filled the blissful atmosphere.
Notes on piece
This composition alternates homophonic chorale-like writing with a melody and accompaniment type writing in a ABAB form. The juxtaposition of these gestures alludes to the world at the time of composition; a world filled with uncertainty, chaos, strife, hope, compassion and love. At times the music is at odds with the dissonance or angularity of the musical phrase, at other times the music is lush, warm, and settled. The piece is a reminder that in the midst of turbulence and unknowns, may we hold dear the value of love, wisdom, courage, tenderness and truth.
Be Still, My Heart SATB A Cappella 2 min duration Rabindranath Tagore text
Pavane Publishing 2023 [to be released yet]
“Be still, my heart, these great trees are prayers”
Commissioned by Dr. Mark Ramsay for the Exultate Chamber Singers, and the Western University Choirs
“Be Still, My Heart” is a work for mixed chorus. A few measures long, it is enough to temporarily transport, and uplift us away to a place of warmth and comfort. The music came to me one morning, as I began my writing day for what I thought was going to be a canonic piece for treble voices. I began to improvise on what is the opening phrase; it’s as if the music harnessed my conflicting emotions of hope, longing, despair, worry and grief. I came back to this opening phrase throughout the day, and for a few days straight, sculpting away like statue taking shape from stone. The music was my own personal hymn for peace and stability during the oncoming second wave of COVID-19. The poetry came second, a short fleeing thought by Rabindranath Tagore that looking back now, fit perfectly on many levels. Looking out my window in rural Ontario, I see pastures, forests, and streams. I find moments of calmness and stability while surrounded by nature as if its purpose is to comfort, to inspire; to cleanse.
COMMISSIONED BY CHRISTOPHER LEE AND DENIS SAVELYEV WITH ASSISTANCE FROM THE CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS
Where Branches Tangle the Sky
This composition for Flute, Alto Flute and Piano mixes polyphonic flute writing with more homophonic chorale-like textures in the piano. The harmonies in the piano are both stable and unstable at the same time. There is a tension in the work created by balancing various voicing of added note sonorities in both the harmony and melodic gestures. These contemporary idioms bring both a modern freshness to the traditional phrasing and structure of the work. The music frequently uses thirds and sixths taking inspiration from O Canada. Where Branches Tangle the Sky evokes images of life during COVID-19; moments of fragility, hope, anger, tension, passion, questioning, meandering – all inspire the gestures in this composition. The title is a recontextualization of a line from a usually unsung verse from Canada’s national anthem: where pines and maples grow; the evocative title alludes to the imagery of Canada’s rich landscape and natural beauty, as well as opening possibilities for reflection and reconciliation.
Program Note: “There is nowhere else but ‘here’” makes use of sustained tones, gentle melodic flourishes, homophonic textures, and contrasts of range and timbre to evocatively bring forth a calming musical lullaby. The music ebbs and flows, like a soft flame from a dwindling campfire. Phrases gently blossom, melodies intermingle with diatonic distances agains the hushed sustained sonorities. The work is inspired by the image of looking to what exists, the ordinary, the unremarkable and finding inspiration and meaning there. During the global crisis of COVID-19 our worlds were withheld, restricted and shattered; we looked to our immediate surroundings for everything. This piece is a mediation on the idea of ‘here’.
2 min SATB A cappella Text by Carl Sandburg (Public Domain Canada) Email for score
Commissioned by Dr. Joseph Ohrt. Central Bucks West Choir, for the Toronto Composition Summit 2018, Toronto Canada
THE BUFFALOES are gone. And those who saw the buffaloes are gone. Those who saw the buffaloes by thousands and how they pawed the prairie sod into dust with their hoofs, their great heads down pawing on in a great pageant of dusk, Those who saw the buffaloes are gone. And the buffaloes are gone.
email for score excerpt and mock up audio *as of August 2020, this work is unperformed. Contact me if you are interested in the premiere
Emery_Matthew_202011_DMA_thesis
“Change” is a 16-minute composition for soprano soloist and orchestra. It uses shifting timbres, colours and the cyclic use of motives and harmonic ideas to evoke notions of the resiliency of human spirit. “Change” sets Raymond Knister’s poem of the same title, which is in the public domain. The orchestral instrumentation comprises of: piccolo, two flutes, two oboe, three clarinets (third double bass clarinet), three bassoons; four horns, two trumpets in B flat, two tenor trombones, bass trombone, tuba; timpani, three percussion (bowed vibraphone, bass drum, tubular bells, bowed crotales, glockenspiel, marimba, handbells); harp, and strings (suggested 16 14 10 10 6). “Change” uses a linear form in seven sections (relating to the structure of the text). The work in some sense is one large blossoming and decaying musical gesture; the composition slowly develops into a full tutti musical gesture which then gradually decays away into similar music to that which opened the work. “Change” explores various changes in orchestration and colour with most sections of the work exploring a variation in timbre or instrumentation. The music moves from hushed delicate gestures to a darker rich harp and marimba colour, and then to a full shimmering brass hue. The music shifts away from the brass texture to a more sparse colour; glissandi trombones, delicate string writing on harmonics with fleeting flute flutterings and lip bends above. Then the music beings to combine instrumental families as it builds to tutti writing for the orchestra. A chorale melody begins to drive the music to the climactic phrases. The piece ends in a similar style as it began, with delicate, hushed gestures, though developed through inversion and slight variations in retrograde: motifs are re-interpolated and transformed as if upon reflection they have grown and evolved, akin to how humans grow and reflect at certain stages in our lives; we may continue to live a similar life as we did years ago, but we change and reorientate ourselves. The music is left open-ended, peacefully evaporating into nothing, it’s as if moments of our life pass us by and are now only a memory.
Emery_Matthew_202011_DMA_thesis
Instrumentation
Instrumentation
Piccolo 2 Flutes 2 Oboes 3 Clarinets in B flat (3rd doubling Bass Clarinet) 3 Bassoons
4 Horns in F 3 Trumpets in B flat 2 Tenor Trombones Bass Trombone Tuba
Soprano Soloist Strings (suggested 16 14 10 10 6) Score in C
Emery_Matthew_202011_DMA_thesis
Text
Text
“Change” Raymond Knister The poem is in the public domain and is found on page 332 of The Midland 8.12 (Dec, 1922).
I shall not wonder more, then, But I shall know.
Leaves change, and birds, flowers, And after years are still the same.
The sea’s breast heaves in sighs to the moon, But they are moon and sea forever.
As in other times the trees stand tense and lonely, And spread a hollow moan of other times.
You will be you yourself, I’ll find you more, not else, For vintage of the woeful years.
The sea breathes, or broods, or loudens, Is bright or is mist and the end of the world; And the sea is constant to change.
I shall not wonder more, then, But I shall know.
Raymond Knister (1899-1932)
John Raymond Knister was born in 1899 at Ruscomb, near Stoney Point, Lake St. Clair, where he drowned while swimming in August 1932. He wrote about the everyday rural farm life of Southwestern Ontario. His images are immediate and clear, they elevate the unremarkable. He wrote several collections of poetry and prose.
Dr. Matthew Emery 