A Winter Bluejay
Composed in 2013
For soprano, oboe, and clarinet
Duration: 6:00
Text: Sara Teasdale (public domain)
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Crisply the bright snow whispered,
Crunching beneath our feet;
Behind us as we walked along the parkway,
Our shadows danced,
Fantastic shapes in vivid blue.
Across the lake the skaters
Flew to and fro,
With sharp turns weaving
A frail invisible net.
In ecstacy the earth
Drank the silver sunlight;
In ecstacy the skaters
Drank the wine of speed;
In ecstacy we laughed
Drinking the wine of love.
Had not the music of our joy
Sounded its highest note?
But no,
For suddenly, with lifted eyes you said,
“Oh look!”
There, on the black bough of a snow flecked maple,
Fearless and gay as our love,
A bluejay cocked his crest!
Oh who can tell the range of joy
Or set the bounds of beauty?
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First Performance: 21 December 2015
St. James by the Sea, La Jolla, CA
Katina Mitchell, soprano;
Rachel Van Amburgh, oboe;
Afendi Yusuf, clarinet
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