Anthem for Doomed Youth - waitaki . otago . ac . nz

Anthem for Doomed Youth - waitaki . otago . ac . nz

Anthem for Doomed Youth
Text: Wilfred Owen
Music: Michael Winikoff
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Image:%22Anthem_for_Doomed_Youth%22_by_Wilfred_Owen_%28English%29.jpg
Performance Notes
The poem Anthem for Doomed Youth paints in vivid imagery the funeral of
soldiers in the great war.
Those who fall like cattle do not have the usual trappings of a funeral: passing
bells, prayers, bells, mourning voices, bugles or candles. Instead, they have
only the guns’ monstrous anger, and the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle. The
voice of mourning is that of the shrill demented choirs of wailing shells.
I have set this text as a funeral march which follows Wilfred Owen’s text and
paints the guns’ rapid rattle, the bugles, and the wailing demented choirs. The
march closes with a quiet a capella section, bringing peace to the fallen.
Like Owen’s poem, I hope this piece of music manages to evoke the horrific
nature of war, and perhaps encourage us all (and especially our leaders,
elected or otherwise) to try harder to avoid war and seek peaceful solutions
instead.
The piece was composed in 1995 and revised in February 2008
Performance notes:
The pianist should add octaves as appropriate to the acoustics and volume of
the choir.
In bars 18-21 each singer should freely repeat the words “rapid rattle” over
and over at their own individual speed until they cut off (at the start of bar 21
for sopranos and altos, and at the end of that bar for tenors and basses).
Michael Winikoff
February, 2008
Melbourne, Australia
Anthem for Doomed Youth
What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.
What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes.
The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.
Anthem for Doomed Youth
Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)
Grave,
Composed 1995, revised February 2008. Duration: approx. 5:10
p
= 52
2
4
Soprano
p
What pas - sing
bells,
for
die
for
these who die
2
4
Alto
What
pas - sing bells,
p
these who
as
cat - tle
2
4
Tenor
8
p
Bass
Michael Winikoff
What pas - sing
bells,
for
die
for
these who die
2
4
What
pas - sing bells,
these who
as
cat - tle
2
4
Piano
pp
simil.
2
4
7
f
as
cat - tle
as
cat - tle
as
cat - tle
of
the
of
the
of
the
of
the
f
as cat - tle
as cat - tle
as cat - tle
f
8
as
cat - tle
on - ly
the
mons - trous
an
-
ger
of
the
guns
f
as cat - tle what
http://www.winikoff.net/music
pas - sing bells
on - ly
the
mons - trous
1995 Michael Winikoff. All rights reserved.
an
-
ger
of
the
guns
winikoff@gmail.com
13
ff
3
3
guns
as cat - tle
on - ly the
3
3
stut -ter -ring ri -fles’
3
stut -ter -ring ri -fles’
rapid rattle ... ... rapid rattle ...
ff
3
3
3
guns
on - ly
on - ly the
3
3
stut -ter -ring ri -fles’
rapid rattle ... ... rapid rattle ...
stut -ter -ring ri -fles’
ff
3
8
3
on - ly
guns
on - ly the
3
3
stut -ter -ring ri -fles’
3
3
stut -ter -ring ri -fles’
3
3
rapid rattle ... ... rapid rattle ...
ff
3
3
guns
on - ly
20
on - ly the
stut -ter -ring ri -fles’
rapid rattle ... ... rapid rattle ...
stut -ter -ring ri -fles’
p
... rapid rattle ...
p
... rapid rattle ...
can
pat - ter out
can
pat - ter out
their has - ty
o - ri - sons
their has - ty
o - ri - sons
pp
p
8
... rapid rattle ... ... rapid rattle ...
their has - ty
o - ri - sons
no
pp
... rapid rattle ... ... rapid rattle ...
no
rit.
( )
28
A little faster ( = 58)
3
4
( )
no
prayers
mf
2
4
bells
nor
nor
mf
2
4
3
4
no
prayers
bells
nor
nor
mf
3
4(
8
2
4
( )
)
no
mo - cke - ries
for
them
no
prayers
nor
bells
nor
mf
3
4
no
2
4
( )
( )
mo - cke - ries
for
them
no
prayers
nor
bells
3
4
2
4
3
4
2
4
nor
34
8
a - ny voice
of mour -ning
save
the cho - irs
a - ny voice
of mour -ning
save
the cho - irs
the shrill de - men -ted choirs of
a - ny voice
of mour -ning
save
the cho - irs
the shrill de - men -ted choirs of
a - ny voice
of mour -ning
save
the cho - irs
the shrill de - men -ted choirs of
Ah
f
42
3
8
Ah
Ah
f
3
8
wail
shells
ling
f
3
8
8
wail
ling
shells
f
3
8
wail
ling
shells
bu - gles
and
3
8
3
8
ff
50
5
8
3
4
3
8
cal - ling
bu - gles
cal
-
ling
ff
5
8
bu - gles
3
4
3
8
cal - ling
cal
bu - gles
-
ling
ff
5
8
8
bu - gles
3
4
3
8
cal - ling
cal
bu - gles
-
ling
ff
5
8
3(
8
cal - ling
and
3
4
)
bu - gles
5
8
3
8
5
8
3
8
cal
-
ling
3
4
( )
( )
3
4
tempo I ( = 52)
mp
60
p
3
4
2
4
cal - ling
for
mp
them
from
sad
shires
3
4
2
4
cal - ling
for
them
from
sad
as cat - tle
shires
mp
ra -pid
whispered
p
3
4
8
whispered
p
2
4
cal - ling
for
them
from
sad
shires
mp
as cat - tle
ra -pid
p
3
4
2
4
cal - ling
for
them
from
sad
shires
3
4
2
4
3
4
2
4
67
Ah
Ah
Spoken
rat - tle as cat - tle
rap - id rat - tle
as cat - tle
as
cat - tle rap - id rat - tle ra - pid rat - tle as cat - tle
as
cat - tle rap - id rat - tle ra - pid rat - tle as cat - tle
Spoken
8
rat - tle as cat - tle
rap - id rat - tle
as cat - tle
what
73
3
4
Ah
Ah
Sung
gradual cresc.
3
4
ra - pid rat - tle as cat - tle
ra -pid rat - tle ra -pid rat - tle
on - ly
3
4
ra - pid rat - tle as cat - tle
8
ra -pid rat - tle ra -pid rat - tle
gradual cresc.
3
4
pas - sing bells
for
these who
die
what
pas - sing
bells
3
4
3
4
79
2
4
3
4
3
3
3
2
4
3
4
on - ly
as cat - tle
stut - te -ring ri -fles’
on - ly the
as cat - tle ra -pid rat - tle
as cat - tle
mf
2
4
3
4
8
as cat - tle
and
bu - gles
2
4
3
4
for those who
2
4
3
4
2
4
85
as cat - tle ra -pid rat - tle
as cat - tle
die
3
4
as cat - tle
f
sp
3
8
as
cat - tle
of
the guns
f
sp
3
8
on - ly
as cat - tle
of
and bu - gles
the guns
f
sp
3
8
3
8
on - ly the
bu - gles
mons - trous
an
-
ger
of
the guns
sp
of
the guns
f
3
8
3
on - ly
on - ly on - ly the
mons - trous
an
-
ger
of
the guns
of
the guns
bu - gles
and
3
8
3
8
fff
92
ff
5
8
3
4
3
8
cal - ling
bu - gles
cal
ff
5
8
bu - gles
-
ling
fff
3
4
3
8
cal - ling
cal
bu - gles
-
ling
fff
ff
5
8
8
3
4
3
8
cal - ling
bu - gles
bu - gles
-
ling
fff
ff
5
8
cal
3(
8
cal - ling and
3
4
)
bu - gles
5
8
3
8
5
8
3
8
( )
( )
cal
-
ling
= 42
mp
102
3
3
4
2
4
what can -dles may be
mp
3
4
held to speed them
2
4
3
4
2
4
all?
shall
3
3
3
4
2
4
what can -dles may be
3
4
held to speed them
3
4
2
4
Not
all?
2
4
in the hands of
3
4
( )
eyes
boys but in their
3
4
2
4
2
4
3
4
8
2
4
mp
3
4
2
4
3
4
2
4
3
4
2
4
Mm
108
2
4
3
4
( )
shine
the
ho
ly
glim - mers of good
-
3
4
2
4
shine
the
ho
-
ly
glim - mers of good
-
6
4
byes
The
3
4
pal - lor
of
girls’
brows shall
6
4
( )
byes
The
3
4
pal - lor
of
girls’
brows shall
2
4
3
4
6
4
3
4
2
4
3
4
6
4
3
4
8
113
3
4
5
4
be
their
3
4
3
4
pall
their
5
4
be
their
3
4
3
4
shall
be
pall
117
be
3
4
flowers
of
pa - tient
3
4
their
pall
flowers
their
rit.
minds
and
each slow dusk
a
dra - wing
down
of
blinds
minds
and
each slow dusk
a
dra - wing
down
of
blinds
2
4
ten - der - ness
of
pa - tient
3
4
2
4
ten - der - ness
of
pa - tient
3
4
minds
Mm
minds
Mm
2
4
ten - der - ness
of
pa - tient
the
3
4
2
4
ten - der - ness
the
2
4
Slower
8
3
4
flowers
their
3
4
shall
the
2
4
( )
their
5
4
3
4
flowers
their
3
4
8
3
4
2
4
pall
5
4
3
4
2
4
the