Motion Studies
MOTION STUDIES
“The only sound...
As they work, their way up the mountain
Hoping to make it above the treeline
Before it’s too dark
Is their breath.
— Jena Osman from Justine F. Chen’s “Shallow Breath and Stealth”
Sunday, November 21 @ 5pm
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Crossing
Donald Nally, conductor
with
Matthew Levy, tenor saxophone
PROGRAM
Prologue
Grass that was moving (III. from We are the Saints, 2020) Gabriel Kahane
written for The Crossing
we were (2021) David Lang
written for The Crossing
world premiere
Act 1
Shallow Breath and Stealth (2021) Justine F. Chen
written for The Crossing
world premiere
0. Introduction
1. skimming
2. Her Heart
3. skimming.2/ad bits
4. She Feels
5. skimming.3/ad bits.2
6. The Only Sound
6a. But for their breath
7. Interrogation 1
8. skimming.4/Advertisement Final
8a. skimming.5
9. She Feels.2
10. Interrogation 2
11. Before it’s too dark
Act 2
watersheds (2018/rev. 2021) Nicholas Cline
world premiere of the revised version
Epilogue
the sense of senses (2021) Lang
written for The Crossing
reprise performance, premiered at The Month of Moderns 2021
prelude: water-witching
I. water borders
II. the lace-like fabric of streams
III. a method for finding
IV. to encourage the habits of industry
V. threads of the community fabric
VI. rain follows the plow
VII. the gentle rain which waters
*program art “Astronaut Terrier” (2021) by Sasan Pix
NOTES + TEXTS
Grass that was moving (III. from We are the Saints)
music by Gabriel Kahane
words by William Stafford
commissioned by The Crossing, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and Vocal Essence.
Grass that was moving found all shades of brown,
moved them along, flowed autumn away
galloping southward where summer had gone.
And that was the morning someone’s heart stopped
and all became still. A girl said, “Forever?”
And the grass: “Yes. Forever.” While the sky—
The sky— the sky— the sky
we were
words and music by David Lang
after The Song of Songs
co-commissioned by The Crossing and Donald Nally; Flagey, Brussels, for Vox Clamantis, Tallinn, Jaan-Eik Tulve, Director; and the Fisher Center at Bard College, New York
we were
we were there
we were
together
there
we
we were, in the vineyards
in the vineyard
in the vineyards
we were there, on the green
we were, under the cedar
under the fir
together, by the rose
by the lily of the valleys
by the lily
there, among the thorns
we were, under the apple
there, among the trees
we were, under the fruit
under the apples
we, behind our wall
there, among the flowers
we were, under the fig tree
under the green figs
under the vines
under the tender grape
we were, in the secret places
we were, under the vines
under our vines
under the tender grapes
there, among the lilies
we were, under the wood
under the pomegranate
there, among the lilies
we were, in the garden
together, by the spring
by the fountain
there, among the plants
we were, in the orchard
we were, under the pomegranates
under the pleasant fruits
there, among the trees
together, by the fountain
we were, in the gardens
together, by the well of living waters
by the streams
we were, in the garden
in the garden
there, among the pleasant fruits
we were, in the garden
together, by the rivers
we were there, on the bed of spices
there, among the sweet flowers
among the lilies
we were, in the garden
in the garden
there, among the lilies
we were, in the garden
there, among the fruits of the valley
we were, under the vine
under the pomegranates
under the wheat
there, among the lilies
we were, under the palm tree
under the clusters of grapes
under the palm tree
under the boughs
under the clusters of the vine
under the apples
we were, in the vineyards
we were, under the vine
under the tender grape
under the pomegranates
there, among the mandrakes
among the pleasant fruits
we were, under the pomegranate
under the apple tree
together, by the waters
by the foods
we, behind the wall
we were, under the cedar
we, behind the wall
we were, in the vineyard
in the vineyard
we were, under the fruit
we were, in the vineyard
we were, under the fruit
we were, in the gardens
Shallow Breath and Stealth
music by Justine F. Chen
words by Jena Osman
Commissioned by The Crossing and Donald Nally.
0. Introduction
Up stealth
[to ward off the tracker] [to escape the sensor] [the reader] [the machine] [shallow breath] [stealth] [holding breath] [transponder] [skimming] [eavesdropping]
As they work their way up Shallow breath holding stealth
1. skimming
... -.- .. -- -- .. -. --.
[dit dit dit
Dah dit Dah
dit dit
Dah Dah
Dah Dah
dit dit
Dah dit
Dah Dah dit]
As they work their way up Shallow breath holding stealth
2. Her Heart
Her heart
Like swallows
leap
through the solar system
To Earth
Her heart
Like Swallows
Like energy
Leave her
A leap- through to Earth
In clothing…
Once attached…
3. skimming.2/ad bits
... -.- .. -- -- .. -. --.
As they work their way up Shallow breath holding stealth
In clothing,
…luggage,
… passports, credit cards… container ships… cattle!
Once … attached … ready … transfer … entire history … reader.
4. She Feels
She feels - an energy
A leap through the solar system
She feels - earth
She feels
- swallows
She swallows
…Skimming
…eavesdropping
5. skimming.3/ ad bits.2
In clothing,
In luggage,
In passports, credit cards, on container ships, in cattle!
Once attached, it’s ready to transfer its entire history to a reader
As they work their way up Shallow breath holding stealth
6. The Only Sound
The only sound…
As they work, their way up the mountain
Hoping to make it above the treeline…
Before Dark.
The only sound…
As they work
their way up
the mountain
Before it’s too dark
Is…
their…
(but for their) breath.
Shallow breath and stealth. Holding breath
But for their breath
7. Interrogation 1
Are the lights on in this room?
Are you now sitting down?
Did you ever make a promise that you had no intention of keeping?
Did you participate in placing that bomb near the road?
Did you
participate in
placing that bomb
near the road?
Once attached
Hidden
Ready
Embedded
Waiting
within
Tag
8. Skimming.4/Advertisement Final
Objects can communicate with each other, thanks to radio frequency identification tags.
Once a tag or transponder's attached to an object (or hidden within it), it's ready to transfer its entire history to a reader. It's an embedded sleeper cell waiting to be awakened!
The reader energizes the tag, the mesmerizing signal curve.
Object to object, reporting on the subject. Skimming and eavesdropping.
All it wants to do is send its information payload through the oscillating waves to the machine.
In clothing, in luggage, in passports, credit cards, on container ships, in cattle! all it wants to do is to send its information payload through the oscillating waves to the machine.
[shallow breath and stealth] [holding breath] [to ward off the tracker] [to escape the sensor] [the reader]
As they work their way up Shallow breath holding stealth
9. She Feels.2
She feels…
Her heart
She feels…
Like gulping
She feels…
Once attached
An energy
She feels… The reader energizes the tag
the solar system The mesmerizing
She feels…
the gulping swallows
10. Interrogation 2
[mesmerizing signal]
Are the lights on in this room?
Are you now sitting down?
Did you ever lie to take advantage of a friendship?
Did you ever blame someone for something you did?
Object to object
Did you plant that bomb near the road?
Mesmerizing signal curve
Did you ever bring shame upon yourself or your family?
[shallow breath and stealth] [holding breath] [to ward off the tracker] [to escape the sensor] [the reader]
11. Before it’s too dark
They work
Before it’s too dark to see
She feels her heart rate like gulp
Centrifugal twister
She feels her heart rate like gulping swallows down to the wristwatch
As they work their way up Shallow breath holding stealth
A leap through the solar system to the monitor on earth
Energy leaving her solar system
Once attached… it’s ready to transfer its entire history to a reader.
Before it’s too dark to see.
She feels her heart rate like gulping swallows down to the wristwatch.
The reader energizes the tag
Centrifugal twister
The mesmerizing signal curve
Like an energy leaving her
All they had to do was sign on the dotted line
And disappear into the sunset, onto the horizon, over the rainbow, into
complete silence.
Hoping… to make it above
Hoping… to disappear
… into the sunset
… into the mist
watersheds
music by Nicholas Cline
words by Mary Hunter Austin (1868-1934), John Muir (1838-1914), Paul Bergschneider (1901-1979), Rachel Carson (1907-1964), Charles Dana Wilber (1830-1891), Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), and from Winters v. United States, 207 U.S. 564 (1908)
a note from the composer:
Often those who turn to the ancient practice of divination do so not out of a belief that it will work, but that it must. A dry well is a crisis. “Water witching,” as it is known in rural America, is a way of coping with one’s environment under conditions of uncertainty and anxiety. The water witch – like the hydrogeologist – is concerned with imagining underground flows of water.
As the spaces which separate the flow of water, watersheds define the borders of this shared resource. The texts juxtapose varied and distinctly American attitudes toward water. The meditations of Muir and Thoreau convey a sense of permanence and power in water’s ability to shape and nourish the land. These observations are contrasted with the urgency that comes with too little water. Mary Austin describes the “destiny” of streams to become irrigation for crops. The Supreme Court decision known as the Winter’s Doctrine set the legal precedent for Native American water rights, citing the necessity of water for self-sufficiency. C.D. Wilber promotes the false propaganda that westward expansion would lead to increased precipitation: “rain follows the plow.” Rachel Carson warns that the health of the land, water, and all living things are inextricably bound.
Commissioned by Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music for the Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble and Donald Nally. Premiered on November 5, 2018.
prelude: water-witching
wordless
I. water borders
It is the proper destiny of every considerable
stream in the west to become an irrigation ditch.
It would seem the streams are willing. They go
as far as they can toward the tillable land.
–Mary Hunter Austin from The Land of Little Rain (1903)
II. the lace-like fabric of streams
Contemplating the lace-like fabric of streams
outspread over the mountains, we are reminded
that everything is flowing
–John Muir from My First Summer in the Sierra (1911)
III. a method for finding
Witching (or switching) for water is a method for
finding sand or gravel beneath the surface of the
earth. A live stick or wire held in the hands of
some people will have a downward pull.
–Paul Bergschneider from his notes (ca. 1950)
IV. to encourage the habits of industry
this diversion of water to which there is no
adequate remedy as water on portions of the
public domain dependent on its waters for
irrigation to encourage the habits of industry
it is essential and necessary that all the waters of
the river flow down the channel uninterruptedly
and undiminished in quantity and quality
they had command of the lands and the waters–
command of all their beneficial use, whether
kept for hunting or turned to agriculture and the
arts of civilization. Did they give up all this?
–Winters Doctrine 207 U.S. 564 (1908)
V. threads of the community fabric
So delicately interwoven are the relationships
that when we disturb one thread of the
community fabric we alter it all.
–Rachel Carson from “Essay on the Biological Sciences” (1958)
VI. rain follows the plow
No one can question or doubt the inevitable
effect of this cool condensing surface upon the
moisture in the atmosphere [...] A reduction of
temperature must at once occur, accompanied
by the usual phenomena of showers. The chief
agency in this transformation is agriculture. To
be more concise: Rain follows the plow.
–Charles Dana Wilber, The Great Valleys and Prairies of Nebraska and the Northwest (1881)
when all the rivers are used, when all the creeks
in the ravines, when all the brooks, when all the
springs are used, when all the reservoirs along
the streams are used, when all the canyon
waters are taken up, when all the artesian
waters are taken up, when all the wells are dug
that can be dug, there is still not sufficient water
to irrigate this arid region
–John Wesley Powell to the Los Angeles International Irrigation Conference (1893)
VII. the gentle rain which waters
earth after rain was bare (1861) almost forgotten
sound of rain on the roof (1856) on the horizon
the slate color of falling rain (1860)
The gentle rain which waters keeps me in the
house today. Though it prevents my hoeing, it is
of far more worth. If it should cause the seeds to
rot in the ground it would still be good for the
grass being good for the grass it would be good
for me.
–Henry David Thoreau from Walden, Solitude (1854) and The Journals
the sense of senses
words and music by David Lang
after The Song of Songs
Commissioned by The Crossing and Donald Nally; the Company of Music, Vienna, Johannes Hiemetsberger, Director; and the Fisher Center at Bard College.
I can see a door
I can see a wall
I can see a wall
I can see companions
I can see in you
I can see Jerusalem
I can see Lebanon
I can see my dove
I can see that
I can see the bed
I can see the coals
I can see the company
I can see the crown
I can see the doves
I can see the field
I can see the flowers
I can see the fountain
I can see the foxes
I can see the fruit
I can see the fruits
I can see the garden
I can see the garden
I can see the garden
I can see the gold
I can see the green
I can see the hair
I can see the horses
I can see the jealousy
I can see the jewels
I can see the joints
I can see the lions
I can see the marble
I can see the morning
I can see the mountains
I can see the pillars
I can see the pillars
I can see the roe
I can see the rose
I can see the studs
I can see the sun
I can see the swords
I can see the tents
I can see the thousand
I can see the top
I can see the vine
I can see the vineyard
I can see the vineyard
I can see the vineyard
I can see the vineyards
I can see the waters
I can see threescore
I can see Tirzah
I can see virgins
I can see you
I can hear her
I can hear the birds
I can hear you
I can smell the apples
I can smell the bed
I can smell the beds
I can smell the calamus
I can smell the camphire
I can smell the camphire
I can smell the frankincense
I can smell the garments
I can smell the lilies
I can smell the mandrakes
I can smell the myrrh
I can smell the myrrh
I can smell the myrrh
I can smell the myrrh
I can smell the myrrh
I can smell the ointments
I can smell the spices
I can smell the spices
I can smell the spikenard
I can smell the spikenard
I can smell the tender grape
I can smell the wheat
I can smell your good ointments
I can feel the banner
I can feel the day
I can feel the day
I can feel the desire
I can feel the dew
I can feel the fear
I can feel the north wind
I can feel the seal
I can feel the seal
I can feel the shade
I can feel the shadows
I can feel the shadows
I can feel the south wind
I can feel you
I can taste the apples
I can taste the best wine
I can taste the fruit
I can taste the honey
I can taste the honeycomb
I can taste the honeycomb
I can taste the liquor
I can taste the pleasant fruits
I can taste the pleasant fruits
I can taste the pomegranates
I can taste the spiced wine
I can taste the wine
I can taste the wine
I can taste the wine
I can taste you
I can taste you
I can taste your kiss
I can taste your kiss
I can taste your lips
I can taste your lip
I can taste your mouth
I can taste your mouth
I can taste your wine
TEAM
The Crossing
Katy Avery
Karen Blanchard
Steven Bradshaw
Aryssa Burrs
Abigail Chapman
Colin Dill
Micah Dingler
Meg Dudley
Ryan Fleming
Joanna Gates
Dimitri German
Dominic German
Steven Hyder
Michael Jones
Lauren Kelly
Anika Kildegaard
Kim Leeds
Maren Montalbano
James Reese
Daniel Schwartz
Rebecca Siler
Tiana Sorenson
Daniel Spratlan
Daniel Taylor
Matthew Levy, tenor saxophone
Donald Nally, conductor
Kevin Vondrak, assistant conductor
John Conahan, guest keyboardist
John Grecia, company keyboardist
Paul Vazquez, sound design
Ben Perri, production assistant
Henry Koch, sound assistant
Jonathan Bradley, executive director
Shannon McMahon, operations manager
Katie Feeney, grant manager
Elizabeth Dugan, bookkeeper
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