| Composer | David Bedford |
|---|---|
| Format | piano and vocal score(download) |
| Publisher | David Bedford Music |
| Instruments | soprano, alto, tenor, bass and organ |
The Soft Stars that Shine at Night was commissioned by Making Music in 2006. "The texts have been selected to suggest a journey through life.
The poem in Part 1 is intended as a welcome to life for a new baby.
In part 2, the baby has reached maturity and there are settings of poems by Kenneth Patchen, whose poems I've been settings on and off for more than 40 years. The first poem is a lover's lullaby, the second a cry of despair at all the cruelty on the earth 'for all the world is dying, and I have no place to take thee'. The third is an expression of longing for a place where there is no hurt. 'There must be some such place somewhere, but I never heard of it.'
In part 3, there is a setting of a poem by Tony Harrison about losing a loved one, and in Part 4 the hope of a ind of future life after death, although not in the conventional sense. 'Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there. I do not sleep. I am the thousand winds that blow... I am the gentle autumn rain... I am the soft stars that shine at night'.
The final section is dedicated to my sister-in-law Margie in memory of my beloved brother Peter." - David Bedford, 2006
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