IMMORTALITY
Clare Harner
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Do not stand
By my grave, and weep,
I am not there,
I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints in snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle, autumn rain.
When you awaken with morning's hush
I am the swift upflinging rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the day transcending night.
Do not stand
at my grave and cry -
I am not there,
I did not die.
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This is a work in progress. The original lyrics above will be used in the final recording.
REVIEW
Classical Echoes | An Immortal Lament
Rooted in the spirit of classic Lieder, Immortality presents a somber orchestral palette that honours Harner’s contemplative text.
The layering of strings, woodwinds and delicate chime-like textures gently accentuates the poem’s meditation on death and the enduring self. The angelic soprano floats gracefully, bridging the realm betwixt the earthly and the eternal.
The pacing is deliberately measured and unhurried, this restraint serves the poen well. Sparse orchestration offers space for reflection, rather than mere dramatic gesture, its subtlety a strength: a deeply felt, quietly majestic evocation of immortality.
Eleanor Cavendish
Classical Echoes
Bourton-on-the-Water
1909-1977
Originally titled "Immortality," and first published in the December 1934 issue of The Gypsy poetry magazine. This poem has been long misattributed to Mary Elizabeth Frye.
~ Scored for Chamber Orchestra ~
Dent-de-Lion du Midi
Composer
Jeffri Lynn Carrington
Soprano
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