A collection of pieces by Andrea Clearfield

Andrea Clearfield's Works

This is the third movement of the cantata "Tse Go La" for SATB chorus and chamber orchestra.

This cantata is inspired by the composer's treks to the restricted and remote Himalayan region of Lo Monthang, Nepal, to study and document indigenous Tibetan music. The work incorporates 5 songs from the gar-glu (court) and tro-glu (common) traditions. Katey Blumenthal and Andrea Clearfield recorded over 130 songs that had not been previously documented. Their fieldwork is part of the World Oral Literature Project at the University of Cambridge.

Tse Go La (At The Threshold Of This Life)

Performed by Orchestra 2001 with James Freeman as the artistic director, and Gloria Justen as the soloist. For more information about this work, visit http://www.andreaclearfield.com/works/orchestral/romanza/.

Image credit: painting by Louise Clearfield http://www.stationgallery.net/LouiseClearfield.htm

Romanza (Excerpt)

Written by Andrea Clearfield
Commissioned by the Mendelssohn Club in honor of Alan Harler
Scored for SATB chorus

The score will be available for purchase from Boosey & Hawkes in Summer 2016. Prior to that, music may be purchased by directly contacting the composer.

To learn more about this work, visit http://www.andreaclearfield.com/works/choral/alleluia/

Image credit: painting by Louise Clearfield http://www.stationgallery.net/LouiseClearfield.htm

Alleluia

Written by Andrea Clearfield
Arr. for SATB chorus and piano by the composer

This song cycle, commissioned by Israeli soprano, Raya Gonen is set to texts by Sima Yashonksy-Feitelson, an inmate of the Kovno ghetto. The song cycle consists of three sings: “Farlorn Alemen” (Losing everyone), “Du bist Avek” (You are gone), “Mein Land” (My homeland), a poem that Ms. Feitelson wrote after having been liberated and immigrated to Israel.

Sima Yashonsky-Feitelson was 16 years old when she lost both her parents and sibling in the Kovno Ghetto, Lithuania, during World War II. Her young husband was taken to a forced labor camp near Kovno, in which all of the Kovno Ghetto Jews were shot. His job was to burn their bodies. Sima documented her life and experiences in the ghetto in a booklet of poems in Yiddish, which bears witness to the atrocities, her feelings of fear and loss, and her doubt as to whether she would ever see her husband again. She also documented her resistance activities in the underground movement, which was formed there against the Nazis.

Sima immigrated to Israel (with her husband, who survived the Holocaust) and reunited with friends from the Ghetto, including soprano Raya Gonen’s parents. As a token of their friendship, Sima gave an autographed copy of her poems to Raya’s parents. After reading the poems, Raya felt compelled to be able to sing them, and thus commissioned Andrea Clearfield to set these poems to music so that they could be included on Raya’s touring Holocaust songs program.

To learn more about this work, including how to purchase the score and parts, visit http://www.andreaclearfield.com/works/choral/farlorn-alemen-choral/

Image credit: painting by Louise Clearfield http://www.stationgallery.net/LouiseClearfield.htm

Farlorn Alemen

Music written by Andrea Clearfield
Text excerpted from "Song of Myself: No. 21" by Walt Whitman
Commissioned by The College of New Jersey Chorale; John Leonard, Artistic Director, "live" performance by The College of New Jersey Chorale, April, 2016
Scored for SATB chorus and piano

To learn more about this work, visit
www.andreaclearfield.com/works/choral…of-the-body/

To purchase the score, visit
http://seeadot.com/staff-view/andrea-clearfield/

———

I am the poet of the Body and I am the poet of the Soul,
The pleasures of heaven are with me and the pains of hell are with me,
The first I graft and increase upon myself, the latter I translate into new tongue.

I am the poet of the woman the same as the man,
And I say it is as great to be a woman as to be a man,
And I say there is nothing greater than the mother of men.

I chant the chant of dilation or pride,
We have had ducking and deprecating about enough,
I show that size is only development.

I am he that walks with the tender and growing night,
I call to the earth and sea half-held by the night.

Press close bare-bosom’d night-press close magnetic nourishing night!
Night of south winds-night of the large few stars!
Still nodding night-mad naked summer night.

Smile O voluptuous cool-breath’d earth!
Earth of the slumbering and liquid trees!
Earth of departed sunset-earth of the mountains misty-topt!
Earth of the vitreous pour of the full moon just tinged with blue!
Earth of shine and dark mottling the tide of the river!
Earth of the limpid gray of clouds brighter and clearer for my sake!
Far-swooping elbow’d earth-rich apple-blossom’d earth!
Smile, for your lover comes.

Prodigal, you have given me love-therefore I to you give love!
O unspeakable passionate love.

———

Image credit: painting by Louise Clearfield www.stationgallery.net/LouiseClearfield.htm

Poet.4.16.16

Poet of the Body and the Soul

Excerpted from Tse Go La (At the Threshold of This Life)
Written by Andrea Clearfield
Performed by the Michigan State University Musique 21 New Music Ensemble (2015)
Co-commissioned by the Mendelssohn Club and Pennsylvania Girlchoir

This is a 5 min. excerpt of a 32 min. work. For more information about this work, visit http://www.andreaclearfield.com/works/choral/tse-go-la/

To listen to the entire multi-movement work, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3EhYH17obY

Image credit: painting by Louise Clearfield http://www.stationgallery.net/LouiseClearfield.htm

Andrea Clearfield's Album

Tse Go La (Excerpt)

Composer of music for opera, orchestra, chorus, chamber ensemble, soloists and multimedia collaborations