Shadows Over a Cradle

Shadows over a cradle... for SSAA choir

Melissa Dunphy Text by Lola Ridge

 3 min 2015 Commissioned for Ancora by the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir, Robert Geary Director.

Commissioned for Ancora by the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir Robert Geary Director.

(Shadows over a cradle... fire-light craning... A hand throws something in the fire and a smaller hand runs into the flame and out again, singed and empty... Shadows settling over a cradle... two hands and a fire.)  —From Sun-Up by Lola Ridge (1920)

Shadows over a cradle... Lyrics by Lola Ridge

Melissa Dunphy

= 50 Soprano 1 Sha dows,

sha dows o

ver a

cra

dle,

sha dows o

ver a,

Soprano 2 Sha dows,

tsss

tsss

Alto 1 Hmm

hmm

o

ver a

Hmm

hmm

o

ver a,

Alto 2

(ossia in brackets)

5 

 poco un poco cresc.

S1 sha dows,

tss

sha dows o ver a,

sha dows,

sha dows o

ver

a cra dle,

 poco un poco cresc. S2 Sha dows,

sha dows,

sha dows o ver a

cra dle,

sha dows,

a

cra

dle,

a

cra dle,

tsss

 poco un poco cresc. A1 cra

dle,

a

cra

dle,

sha dows,

sha dows,

tsss

A2 tsss

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tsss,

sha dows,

sha dows

Shadows over a cradle... 2

9 

S1 sha dows,

fire light,

sha dows,

sha dows o ver

a,

sha dows,

S2 Fire

light

cran

ing...

Sha dows,

sha dows,

sha dows,

A1 sha dows, sha dows,

sha dows o ver

a,

tsss

sha dows

A2 o

ver

a cra dle,

a

cra

dle,

13

a

cra

dle,

a

cra

dle,

a

legato

S1 sha dows o

ver a

cra dle,

sha

dows,

sha dows o

ver a

cra

dle,

ver a

cra dle, sha dows,

legato S2 sha dows o

ver a

cra dle, sha dows,

sha dows

o

A1 o

ver

a,

ha

ha

ha

ha

sha dows,

A2

cra dle, 17 

S1 fire

light

cran

ing...

A

hand

light

cran

ing...

light

cran

ing...

A

hand

fire

light

ing...

A

hand

throws

S2 fire

Sha dows,

sha dows o

ver a cra dle...

A1 fire

A2 cran

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throws

Shadows over a cradle... 3

22

S1 some thing in the fire,

some thing in the fire,

some thing in the fire,

S2 some thing in the

fire,

some thing in the

fire,

some thing in the

A1 some thing in the fire,

some thing in the fire,

some thing in the fire,

A2 some thing in the

fire,

some thing in the

fire,

the

25 

S1 some thing in the fire,

some thing in the fire,

some thing in the fire, and a smal ler

hand

S2 fire,

some thing in the fire,

some thing in the fire,

and a smal ler hand

A1 some thing in the fire,

some thing in the fire,

the fire,

and a smal ler hand

the fire,

and a smal ler hand

A2 fire,

some thing in the fire,

29 

S1 runs in

to

the

flame,

some thing in

the

fire,

runs in

to

the

runs in

to

the flame,

runs in

to

the

runs in

to

the flame

and

out

a

gain,

runs in

to

the flame

and

runs in

to

the flame

and

out

a

gain,

runs in

to

the flame

and

S2 some thing in

the fire,

A1

A2

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Shadows over a cradle... 4

32

S1 flame and

out

a

gain,

in

to

the flame

and out

a gain

out

a

out

a

S2 flame,

some thing in the fire,

and

out

a gain,

and out

a

gain

A1 out

a gain,

runs in to the flame and

out

a gain,

and out

a gain,

out

a

out

a gain,

runs in to the flame and

out

a gain,

and out

a gain,

out

a

A2

37 

S1 gain

singed,

singed,

singed

S2 gain

tsss

tsss

singed

A1 gain,

singed,

singed,

singed

gain,

singed,

singed,

singed

and

A2

46 

S1 Shad ows,

sha dows o

ver a

cra

dle,

sha dows

sha dows o

ver a

cra

dle,

sha dows o

ver a

cra

dle,

sha dows,

sha dows,

sha dows

S2 Shad ows,

sha dows,

A1 emp

ty.

A2 Sha dows, set

tling o

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ver a,

Shadows over a cradle... 5 50 

S1 set

tling o

ver

a

cra dle...

two

S2 sha dows,

sha dows set

tling o

ver

a

cra dle...

sha dows set

tling o

ver

a

cra dle,

two

A1 sha dows set

tling o

ver a

A2 set

tling o

ver

a

cra dle,

sha dows set

tling o

ver

a

cra dle,

54

S1 hands

sha dows,

sha dows,

sha dows.

S2 hands

tsss

A1 cra

dle,

a

cra

dle...

and a

fire.

cra

dle,

a

cra

dle...

and a

fire.

A2

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a