Product Description:
PDF score of Perfect Listening
Please note: 10 copy minimum. Please purchase one copy per member of your choir.
Please note: 10 copy minimum. Please purchase one copy per member of your choir.
Performance Note:
Perfect Listening was inspired by the words of Dan Dickinson, a dabbler of verse and person who wondered in wild places for over 60 years. This particular verse came from a small collection that he wrote while exploring the Redwoods in Northern California and was published in a book of collected poems from the East County Poetry Group in 2019. Though he never got the chance to hear his words set to music, Dan was so excited that his experience was being reimagined through music. As he told me while I was just beginning this piece, “if there is a song there, bring it on.” I hope that the song I brought forth honors both his words and his memory.
The piece speaks to oneness with nature and being present in the world around us. In a world so full of industry and noise, I hope that this piece will serve as a reminder to seek out and protect the calm and quiet places left in this world, slow down, and really, truly listen.
As you listen to this piece, you may hear the whispers of wind through tree branches, the howling of wolves, and birdsong echoing through the forest canopy.
The piece speaks to oneness with nature and being present in the world around us. In a world so full of industry and noise, I hope that this piece will serve as a reminder to seek out and protect the calm and quiet places left in this world, slow down, and really, truly listen.
As you listen to this piece, you may hear the whispers of wind through tree branches, the howling of wolves, and birdsong echoing through the forest canopy.
Instrumentation:
SSAATTBB unaccompanied choir
Recording:
Score:
Text:
Perfect Listening
I stand alone in a mighty forest,
arms stretched above me
as though a fir,
and scream.
All my sound is absorbed
without waste,
just as is the song of the sparrow,
the bubbling rushing of the brook,
the howl of the wolf.
Is this not perfect listening?
-Dan Dickinson (1951-2025)
I stand alone in a mighty forest,
arms stretched above me
as though a fir,
and scream.
All my sound is absorbed
without waste,
just as is the song of the sparrow,
the bubbling rushing of the brook,
the howl of the wolf.
Is this not perfect listening?
-Dan Dickinson (1951-2025)