Music from my song cycle LINES.  The word "line" appears in each song (save one, more on that later) and very literally has a line of some kind contain within the narrative.  Each song also represents a metaphorical line which, if you don't get that, that's totally okay.  The idea is when you put them all back to back we start to map out the journey of the human experience from id, to ego, to super ego.  We discover that the things we want aren't always the things we should have, and that sometimes denying ourselves the immediate want will yield a longer lasting, more satisfying one later on down the... you get the idea.

LINES: A Song Cycle

little things

Live recording 2011 New York City.

Hannah Moon -vocals
Saul Rubin -guitar
Steve Ash - piano
Frank Levatino - drums
Corcoran Holt - bass

Fall 2011

Quiet Nights

Singing of Goose by Luo Binwang (619 – 687 CE) 
Song of Snow by Zhang Dayou (Middle Tang) 
Composition by Stephanie Chou

Singing of Goose is set for: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Erhu, Orchestra
Song of Snow is set for: Bass soloist, TTBB choir, Erhu, Orchestra

Singing of Goose by Luo Binwang (619 – 687 CE) 骆宾王 《咏鹅》
The poet, at the age of 7, wrote this short poem with simple words that paint a colorful picture and capture the child’s spontaneous delight at the sight of geese in a pond.

鹅,鹅,鹅,
曲项向天歌。
白毛浮绿水,
红掌拨清波。
Goose – Goose – Goose,
Necks arched, they sing to the sky, 
White feather floating on green water, 
Crimson webs paddling clear ripples.

Song of Snow by Zhang Dayou (Middle Tang) 张打油《咏雪》
A man named Zhang Dayou — an ordinary scholar by all account — was the first to come up with this style: something more like a limerick than a poem, strictly speaking. It is casual, seemingly simple and often humorous. Here he was describing a snow scene without ever using the word “snow”. In quick broad strokes he tells us the details within this white expanse. His style was later much copied and was named after him to become dǎyóushī 打油诗”.

                江上一笼统,
                井上黑窟窿。
                黄狗身上白,
                白狗身上肿。
The river is one sweeping sight; 
The well looks like a hole in the night. 
Yellow dog is covered with white; 
White dog looks swollen all right.

Chou added her own lyrics to the introduction of Song of Snow: 
大家看過來!
來~來~來~
我們來猜謎.
看誰能猜中!
誰能猜猜中?
大家專心了!
Everybody listen up! 
Gather round. 
Listen to my riddle. 
Let's see who can guess correctly. 
Who will guess right? 
Everyone pay attention!

Instrumentation
Goose: Soprano and Mezzo-Soprano
Snow: Bass solo and TTBB
Erhu
Symphonic Orchestra
Woodwinds 3332, Brass 4331, Timp+3 Perc, Piano, Harp, Strings

Composed June 2020, Steph Chou Music (ASCAP)

Recording is
Banlingyu Ban, voice(Goose)
James Wordsworth, voice (Snow)
Ravel Virtual Studios, orchestral rendering

Singing of Geese & Song of Snow - Demo

See the Unled Tit playlist for information about this band.

This song was recorded by Brian J. Sulpizio at Chateau Recording (http://chateaurecording.com).

Unled Tit - Electrxoxo

Invisible String - Cheng sisters version

Life Line: Negative

A track from my song cycle LINES, featuring Megan Masako Haley https://www.backstage.com/meganhaley/

Hem Line: Change

One of three transitions from the song cycle LINES.  Featuring Katy Holtkamp, Hansel Tan, Lizzie Hagstedt and Megan Masako Haley

Melody Line 1: Consuming

The prelude and opening to the song cycle LINES.  Featuring Katy Holtkamp, Danielle Gimbal, Hansel Tan, Rhys Gilyeat, EJ Zimmerman, Lizzie Hagstedt and TH)

Starting Line: I Want / Moved Past

A mini-agit-propera, written to be the centerpiece for the song cycle LINES.  Featuring Danielle Gimbal, Marc de la Cruz, Lizzie Hagstedt, TH, and Raymond J Lee

Through Line: Andy Pickets

From Peter and the Wave.  Featuring Daniel J. Edwards, Viveca Chow, Cathy Ang, Marina Kondo, Michael Hicks, Chris Tamayo, Helen Shen, Nic Rouleau and Marc de la Cruz,

Peter and the Wall

Monstrosity(feat. Daniel J. Edwards)

From a new musical Intruction Manual About "Myself"

自我

A cut song from the song cycle LINES, which I rewrote because I wanted my buddy Nick to sing it. 

Fishing line: Rainbow Trout

Composer.  Lyricist.  Asian dude.  Recent works include Peter and the Wall (Dramatist Guild Fellowship, Rhinebeck Fellowship) Costs of Living (2016 Richard Rodgers Award, 2012 Jerry Harrington Award, 2015 NAMT, 2015 New American Musical Award, 2012 ASCAP Musical Theater Workshop, 2012 BMI Master Class with Steven Sondheim, 2012 Weston New Musical Award Nominee) Timothy Huang: Chinese or Crazy?(NYTB), Missing Karma, (Prospect), Crossing Over (NAAP) Other works: LINES (NYMF ‘08), The View from Here (Top 10 Cast Albums of 2006) Death and Lucky (MacDowell Fellowship). Timothy holds an MFA from NYU/Tisch and is a 2013 Fred Ebb Award Finalist and Dramatist Guild Fellow for musical theater.  www.timothyhuang.net 

Through Line: Andy Pickets

Timothy Huang

Related tracks