Barbara Harbach
VOCAL
VOCAL
Were You There, Vivace Press, 2014
Written in 1977, Were You There is a poignant arrangement of the spiritual with a plaintive evocation and subtle jazz chordings.
Click to view Were You There
Written in 1977, Were You There is a poignant arrangement of the spiritual with a plaintive evocation and subtle jazz chordings.
Click to view Were You There
Harriet’s Story for Soprano, Violin and Piano, Vivace Press, 2013
Harriet’s Story was inspired by the life of Harriet and Dred Scott whose legal struggles to obtain their freedom helped catapult the nation into the Civil War. The lyrics to the first two movements were created in the voice of Harriet and the quotes of Harriet Tubman’s were used in the third movement. Lyrics and Music by Barbara Harbach
I. Frontier Slave –
No rights, no rights. We have no rights.
No rights, no rights. We have no rights.
II. No Reason to Learn –
No reason to learn, No sense to learn,
Says the master to the slaves.
III. Sister Harriet Tubman – Lyrics by Harriet Tubman
I had crossed the line, I was free;
but there was no one to welcome me
To the land of freedom,
I was a stranger in a strange land.
Click to view I. Frontier Slave
Click to view II. No Reason to Learn
Click to view III. Sister Harriet Tubman
Harriet’s Story was inspired by the life of Harriet and Dred Scott whose legal struggles to obtain their freedom helped catapult the nation into the Civil War. The lyrics to the first two movements were created in the voice of Harriet and the quotes of Harriet Tubman’s were used in the third movement. Lyrics and Music by Barbara Harbach
I. Frontier Slave –
No rights, no rights. We have no rights.
No rights, no rights. We have no rights.
II. No Reason to Learn –
No reason to learn, No sense to learn,
Says the master to the slaves.
III. Sister Harriet Tubman – Lyrics by Harriet Tubman
I had crossed the line, I was free;
but there was no one to welcome me
To the land of freedom,
I was a stranger in a strange land.
Click to view I. Frontier Slave
Click to view II. No Reason to Learn
Click to view III. Sister Harriet Tubman
Emily! for Soprano, Trumpet and Piano, Vivace Press, 2008 also Art of Sound Music
Emily! for Soprano, Eb or Bb Trumpet and Piano is in three movements, based on the poetry of the great American poet, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) . The first movement, I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed, portrays a mystical state of experiencing the soul’s awareness, an awareness that is so overwhelmingly uplifting that she feels as if she had become intoxicated by drinking alcohol. The second movement, If You Were Coming in the Fall, is about love, time and separation, and addressed to someone who is away. The third movement, based on two poems Wild Nights! Wild Nights! and For Each Ecstatic Instant. Wild Nights! Wild Nights! is a poem of unrestrained passion and rapture. For Each Ecstatic Instant describes a relationship of joy and pain, and joy is inevitably paid for by suffering – joy is brief but the resulting pain lasts. The soprano, trumpet and piano intermingle and weave the melodies, each an integral part of the whole, forming a true trio.
Click here to view a page of the score of I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed
Click here to view a page of the score of If You Were Coming in the Fall
Click here to view a page of the score of Wild Nights! Wild Nights!
Click here to view a page of the score.
Emily! for Soprano, Eb or Bb Trumpet and Piano is in three movements, based on the poetry of the great American poet, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) . The first movement, I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed, portrays a mystical state of experiencing the soul’s awareness, an awareness that is so overwhelmingly uplifting that she feels as if she had become intoxicated by drinking alcohol. The second movement, If You Were Coming in the Fall, is about love, time and separation, and addressed to someone who is away. The third movement, based on two poems Wild Nights! Wild Nights! and For Each Ecstatic Instant. Wild Nights! Wild Nights! is a poem of unrestrained passion and rapture. For Each Ecstatic Instant describes a relationship of joy and pain, and joy is inevitably paid for by suffering – joy is brief but the resulting pain lasts. The soprano, trumpet and piano intermingle and weave the melodies, each an integral part of the whole, forming a true trio.
Click here to view a page of the score of I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed
Click here to view a page of the score of If You Were Coming in the Fall
Click here to view a page of the score of Wild Nights! Wild Nights!
Click here to view a page of the score.
Abigail for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble of Flute, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet/ Bassoon, Harp, Violin, Viola and Cello, Vivace Press, 2008
The four movements of Abigail tell the story of the love affair of Abigail and John Adams through their letters to each other. Miss Adorable! is the exuberant flush of first love; Lady Adams tells of her advocacy for education for women; Remember the Ladies warns men to be generous and let women vote; and My Heart is Light and My Spirits are Dancing is Abigail’s farewell to John after fifty-four years of marriage.
Abigail Smith Adams inherited New England’s strongest traditions, and what she lacked in formal education her keen intelligence and curiosity molded her into a formidable woman: farm manager, financial manager, letter writer, political advisor, diplomatic wife and First Lady. Her letters to John Adams, pungent, colorful and witty detail her life in times of the American Revolution. As an intellectually open-minded woman of her day, Abigail's ideas on women's rights, education, equal rights and the government would eventually play a role in the founding of the United States. Her marriage to John was a marriage of the mind and of the heart, lasting more than half a century, deeply enriched by time.
I. Miss Adorable
The lyrics for Abigail are taken from the letters that Abigail and John wrote to each other in 1762. John Adams called his
Abigail, Miss Adorable, and the first movement captures the effervescence and the dreams and hopes of young love.
II. Lady Adams
In 1776, Abigail wrote to John, “But if we mean to have heroes, statesmen and philosophers, we should have learned women.” Lady Adams tells Abigail’s views on education.
III. Remember the Ladies
In Remember the Ladies, Abigail expresses her hope for equal treatment of women. In letters to John in 1776, she writes him, “For, if man is Lord, woman is Lordess.”
IV. My Heart is Light
In My Heart is Light at the end of her life, Abigail tells John that she is sorry that she must leave her “dearest friend” and “please remember me with tenderest affection.”
Click here to view a page of the score of I. Miss Adorable
Click here to view another page of the score of Miss Adorable
Click here to view a page of the score of II. Lady Adams
Click here to view a page of the score of III/ Remember the Ladies
Click here to view a page of the score of IV. My Heart is Light
Click here to view a page of the score.
The four movements of Abigail tell the story of the love affair of Abigail and John Adams through their letters to each other. Miss Adorable! is the exuberant flush of first love; Lady Adams tells of her advocacy for education for women; Remember the Ladies warns men to be generous and let women vote; and My Heart is Light and My Spirits are Dancing is Abigail’s farewell to John after fifty-four years of marriage.
Abigail Smith Adams inherited New England’s strongest traditions, and what she lacked in formal education her keen intelligence and curiosity molded her into a formidable woman: farm manager, financial manager, letter writer, political advisor, diplomatic wife and First Lady. Her letters to John Adams, pungent, colorful and witty detail her life in times of the American Revolution. As an intellectually open-minded woman of her day, Abigail's ideas on women's rights, education, equal rights and the government would eventually play a role in the founding of the United States. Her marriage to John was a marriage of the mind and of the heart, lasting more than half a century, deeply enriched by time.
I. Miss Adorable
The lyrics for Abigail are taken from the letters that Abigail and John wrote to each other in 1762. John Adams called his
Abigail, Miss Adorable, and the first movement captures the effervescence and the dreams and hopes of young love.
II. Lady Adams
In 1776, Abigail wrote to John, “But if we mean to have heroes, statesmen and philosophers, we should have learned women.” Lady Adams tells Abigail’s views on education.
III. Remember the Ladies
In Remember the Ladies, Abigail expresses her hope for equal treatment of women. In letters to John in 1776, she writes him, “For, if man is Lord, woman is Lordess.”
IV. My Heart is Light
In My Heart is Light at the end of her life, Abigail tells John that she is sorry that she must leave her “dearest friend” and “please remember me with tenderest affection.”
Click here to view a page of the score of I. Miss Adorable
Click here to view another page of the score of Miss Adorable
Click here to view a page of the score of II. Lady Adams
Click here to view a page of the score of III/ Remember the Ladies
Click here to view a page of the score of IV. My Heart is Light
Click here to view a page of the score.
Pleasure Flow, Tender Mist for Soprano and Piano, Vivace Press, 2006
Wind • Tend • Mist • In the Calm in the Cool • Pleasure is flow This song cycle for soprano creates a gently stirring atmosphere that draws on the simple but pleasing lyrics. Each movement is distinct in its affect and harmonic structure yet together form a flowing organic whole. The moods range from gently nostalgic to playful.
Click here to view a page of the score.
Wind • Tend • Mist • In the Calm in the Cool • Pleasure is flow This song cycle for soprano creates a gently stirring atmosphere that draws on the simple but pleasing lyrics. Each movement is distinct in its affect and harmonic structure yet together form a flowing organic whole. The moods range from gently nostalgic to playful.
Click here to view a page of the score.
Light Out of Darkness, Soprano and Piano, 2006
Light Out of Darkness is an evocative work taken from Helen Keller’s own words. This inspiring work portrays some of the poignant realities of Keller’s world: “my fingers are wise” is lyrical and suggestive, “my fingers split the sands” evokes the play of the rippling music of the sea and the final sections capture the strong soaring spirit of the poet.
Click here to view a page of the score.
Light Out of Darkness is an evocative work taken from Helen Keller’s own words. This inspiring work portrays some of the poignant realities of Keller’s world: “my fingers are wise” is lyrical and suggestive, “my fingers split the sands” evokes the play of the rippling music of the sea and the final sections capture the strong soaring spirit of the poet.
Click here to view a page of the score.
Come Back, Oh Christ, Soprano and Piano, Vivace Press, 2006
Come Back, Oh Christ was written for Little Flower Church in Richmond Heights, MO for Christmas Eve 2006.
Come Back, Oh Christ was written for Little Flower Church in Richmond Heights, MO for Christmas Eve 2006.
Cherish - Caress for Soprano and Cello, Vivace Press, 2004
Cherish – Caress is a lyrical duet for soprano and cello. It is based on a warm and playful treatment of the etymology of charity. Barbara Harbach transforms these lyrics into a searchingly beautiful lullaby.
Click here to view a page of the score.
Cherish – Caress is a lyrical duet for soprano and cello. It is based on a warm and playful treatment of the etymology of charity. Barbara Harbach transforms these lyrics into a searchingly beautiful lullaby.
Click here to view a page of the score.
Pioneer Women: From Skagway to White Mountain for Soprano, Clarinet and Piano,
Vivace Press, 1994
Pioneer Women is a collection of four portraits of American women who helped to settle the wilds of Alaska. Taken from their diaries, letters, monographs, and journals, the texts chronicle their journeys throughout Alaska, from Skagway, the Southeastern entrance into Alaska, to White Mountain, near Nome, on the western coast of the Bering Sea.
Click here to view a page of the score.
Vivace Press, 1994
Pioneer Women is a collection of four portraits of American women who helped to settle the wilds of Alaska. Taken from their diaries, letters, monographs, and journals, the texts chronicle their journeys throughout Alaska, from Skagway, the Southeastern entrance into Alaska, to White Mountain, near Nome, on the western coast of the Bering Sea.
Click here to view a page of the score.
