I Did Not Manage to Save

1996, rev. 1998 | baritone/doublebass or baritone/cello

poem by Jerzy Ficowski, translated by Keith Bosley

• Song 1 of cycle Holocaust 1944
• Song 1 of chamber opera Come to Me in Dreams

Errata

Some newer editions may already have these corrections.

• m. 13, remove the decrescendo in the bass part
• m. 15, the first chord in the bass should be written an octave lower than is printed. There should be a forte marked under that chord, and the diminuendo should be on the last three eighths.

I Didn't Dare — Young Leah's aria from Uncovered — Scene 1: The Wedding

2020 | soprano/piano or soprano/clarinet/violin/cello/piano

Libretto by Leah Lax On the evening of her Hasidic wedding, Young Leah has a dream vision of her true love, a woman named Ana.

Sheet music for sale through MusicaNeo (available through my homepage).

I gained it so

1997 | soprano/piano

Poem by Emily Dickinson

Song 1 of Between the Bliss and Me

Errata

Some newer editions may already have these corrections.

• m. 14 - LH piano — the A is a mistake. Please erase.

• m. 18 and m. 22, the decrescendo in the voice part should be removed.

• m. 27, the last note in the voice part should be a C SHARP.

• m. 35 — RH piano - the Bb should be tied throughout the measure. The last Db is tied over to m. 36 (the tie is there but isn't showing up properly spaced).

• The original poem has dashes in the poetry. I will include these in the next printed versions. For now, here's a copy of the poem.

I gained it so —
By Climbing slow —
By Catching at the Twigs that grow
Between the Bliss — and me —
It hung so high
As well the Sky
Attempt by Strategy —

I said I gained it —
This — was all —
Look, how I clutch it
Lest it fall —
And I a Pauper go —
Unfitted by an instant's Grace
For the Contented — Beggar's face
I wore — an hour ago —

I Grow to be My Grandmother

2002 | soprano/piano

Poem by Marjorie Saiser

Song 1 of Within These Spaces

Commissioned by The Nebraska Music Teachers Association.

Recorded on Within These Spaces.

• Click here for information about the album, including iTunes and Amazon links; or
• click here to hear an excerpt of this song or purchase the MP3 from Amazon.

Errata

Some newer editions may already have these corrections.

[None]

I Lie in This Coffin

2004 | baritone or mezzo-soprano/cello/piano

Poem by Vilna Ghetto survivor Abraham Sutzkever,translated by C.K. Williams

Song 1 of The Seed of Dream

Commissioned by Music of Remembrance, Seattle, WA.

Click here to see a YouTube video from a live performance at St. Katerine Catheral in Vilnius, Lithuania on Jan 27, 2009. It features baritone Stein Skjervold (Norway), cellist Tom Collingwood (UK) and pianist Sonata Zuboviene (Lithuania).

Errata

Piano, Left Hand, m. 54-56 — should be up 8va

I Looked for Reasons

2002 | baritone or mezzo-soprano/cello

Poem by C.G.R. Shepard

Song 1 of Long Pond Revisited

Commissioned by Dr. Adelaide Whitaker.

Click here to purchase an mp3 from Amazon.

I Never Saw Another Butterfly

Song cycle: The Butterfly; Yes, That’s The Way Things Are; Birdsong; The Garden; Man Proposes, God Disposes; The Old House

1996, rev. 2018 | soprano/alto saxophone; soprano/clarinet or soprano/bassoon

Poems by children who were killed in the Holocaust: Pavel Friedman; Koleba (Kosek, Löwy, Bachner); anonymous and Franta Bass. Approximately 18 minutes long.

To watch a video from October 10, 2018, with soprano Maureen McKay and saxophonist Gary Louie (for whom the piece was written), please click here. 

UPDATE:

After years of legal wrangling, I am happy to announce that I have regained my copyright for all versions of I Never Saw Another Butterfly. Any questions with regards to performance or recordings should be directed to me.

New editions for PDF download are for sale on my MusicaNeo site:

soprano with Eb alto saxophone

soprano with Bb clarinet

soprano with bassoon

Hard copies are available for purchase through Glendower Jones and Classical Vocal Reprints:

soprano with Eb alto saxophone

soprano with Bb clarinet

soprano with bassoon

ERRATA

Prior to February 16, 2020, there were two errors in the MusicaNeo voice and saxophone edition: the cover of the sax transposed part mistakenly said "voice and bassoon" - even thought the part was correct. My apologies.

More importantly, some tempo alterations were missing at the end of song 2. You can enter them into your score as such, or email me for a corrected copy if you have already purchased one through MusicaNeo. Thank you.

Details: corrections to Song 2

m. 83 - add poco rit

m. 85 - add slightly slower

m. 88 add a tempo

Past History — 

If you purchased sheet music to my work I Never Saw Another Butterfly and it includes a notice about a “performance license” required from “Empire Publishing”—please ignore the notice. Similarly, if you receive any demands for “license fees” from Empire Publishing in connection with the distribution of recordings or streamed performances of the work, please let me know and I will intercede. This organization has been claiming rights to the work which it does not have and has been making inappropriate demands on performers and recording labels.

Arsis Press and Empire Publishing:

In 1998, I signed a 4 sentence agreement with my friend Clara Lyle Boone, giving her the right to publish and sell a print version of my work I Never Saw Another Butterfly (under the “Arsis Press” label). Unlike many “publishing agreements”, this one did not transfer all rights to the work but simply outlined the economic split relating to the sale of the printed music and gave Clara the right to share in other royalties from the work. It did not give Clara/Arsis the right to control performances or recordings of the work; as the author of the work, I retained all such rights.

About three years ago, I was informed that Empire Publishing had “succeeded” to the rights of Clara/Arsis under the contract. Neither Empire nor Clara (who is now in her late 80s) has ever shown me a document relating to this, and my view is that the contract should not even be assignable. Nevertheless, Empire has been aggressive in making “demands” on performers and those who have recorded the work. It has distributed the printed music with a “notice” (which I have sought many times to remove) that anyone seeking to perform the work requires a “license” from Empire. This is a particularly ludicrous claim, given that the work is registered with BMI. Empire has also contacted some persons who have recorded the work, making equally dubious claims (for example, that online streaming of the recording is prohibited without Empire’s authorization).

At this point, I have had enough of Empire’s inappropriate behavior. My representative has sent a detailed letter to Empire outlining my legal position and insisting that Empire discontinue these activities. I intend to be vigilant about future violations and would appreciate a heads up if you are contacted by Empire with any demands. In particular, I want to ensure that Empire does not inhibit perfectly legitimate performances and recordings of the work — this is my “baby” after all, and I want it to be heard. For the most part, you are free, without authorization from anyone, to perform the work in a BMI-licensed venue (or to individually report the performance to BMI), and to record the work using the statutory “mechanical license” provisions of U.S. copyright law. However, if you require an authorization relating to the work, please contact me and I will be happy to provide it on reasonable terms.

I Saw My Father Drowning

2002, rev.2003, rev. 2010 | baritone/piano trio or mezzo-soprano with piano trio. There are also baritone and mezzo versions with flute instead of violin.

Poem by David Vogel

Song 6 of Fathers

Baritone version premiered by Music of Remembrance, Benaroya Hall, April 2003 and mezzo version premiered by Music of Remembrance in March 2010.

I Sit at my desk

1993, rev. 1994 | soprano/cello

Poem by Kenneth Rexroth

Song 1 of The Love Poems of Marichiko

Errata

Some newer editions may already have these corrections.

[None]

I Stepped From Plank To Plank

2010 | soprano/piano

Poem by Emily Dickinson

Song 2 of In This Short Life