Deconstruct a chrysalis - Winikoff, Michael

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"For SAT semi-chorus and SATB choir. :''This piece is dedicated to Leanne,'' :''without whom it wouldn’t exist''. American poet John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) wrote in his poem Maud Muller: “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'”, and these sentiments are echoed here. The first thing that struck me when reading Leanne's poem, apart from its vivid imagery, was the almost unspeakable sadness evoked by the poem, and especially the regret, the “what-if” of a butterfly that “might have flown”. The poem is about the futility of using reductionism in an attempt to understand life, and the universe. It also highlights the violent nature of taking things apart to see how they work: pulling apart the gossamer, pulling apart the skin, the eyes. In setting the poem I have tried to capture the violence (“pull apart”), the horror (“take a look”), and the unspeakable sadness (“of a shroud that [once1] might have flown”). The climax of the work is the second repetition of “nothing inside” (third last line, bars 83-88)."

◈ Genre → Unknown

♯ Key A minor

⁄ Time Signature 4/4

♬ Voicing → SAT.SATB

◆ Difficulty

Elementary

↕ Range E2 – A5

¶ Language → English

Measures 107

Texture Homophonic

Parts 11

Instruments A cappella

Pages 13

CPDL # 32867

Editor Michael Winikoff

Posted 2014-09-06

License Personal

♫Pitch Ranges

Soprano Semi-chorus

D4 – A5

Alto Semi-chorus

A3 – E5

Tenor Semi-chorus

D3 – A4

Sopranos

A2 – F5

Altos

G3 – D5

Tenors

C3 – A4

D3 – A3

Basses

E2 – A3

E2 – F5

only)

E2 – A5

MusicXML Part

E2 – B4

¶Lyrics / Text

deconstruct a chrysalis unravel the twisted thread pull apart the gossamer take a look nothing inside but a shrivelled corpse no pulse, no beating heart no wings, perhaps the tiniest hint of a shroud that once might have flown now the gift is gone deconstruct the universe unravel the twisted mind pull apart the skin, the eyes take a look nothing inside but a shrivelled heart now pulled apart