Seven-part chorus (SSAATBB, div.), with texts from the Song of Solomon (7:11-13; 8:1, 4-7), 11 minutes. First performed by the Cantata Singers of Ottawa, Michael Zaugg, conductor.
Score
Download a pdf of the score below (for study purposes only):
For performance rights and materials, please contact the composer by e-mail at ch@christopherhossfeld.com.
Recording
Use the controls above to play a brief section of the piece, or download the full recording here:
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•asealuponyourheart.mp3 (10:08)
Michael Zaugg, conductor
Shades of Love / Tons d’Amour concert, 19 April 2009
Orléans United Church, Orléans, Ontario
Text
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1.Come, my beloved
Come, my beloved.
Let us go forth into the fields and lodge in the villages;
let us go out early and see
whether the vines have budded,
whether the grape blossoms have opened,
whether the pomegranates are in bloom.
There I will give you my love. -
2.Under the apple tree
If I met you outside I would kiss you,
and no one would despise me.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
do not stir up or awaken love till it is ready!
Under the apple tree I awaken you;
there your mother is in labor with you. -
3.A seal upon your heart
Set me as a seal upon your heart,
set me as a seal upon your arm,
for love is strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave.
It flashes of fire, a raging flame.
Many water cannot quench love,
neither can the floods drown it.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
do not stir up or awaken love till it is ready!
Program Notes
These texts from the Song of Solomon speak of love as both beautiful and terrible. We look for love, and once it is found, it is as if we have known our beloved since birth. Perhaps we always knew what we were seeking. Yet love is both beautiful and terrible: do not stir up or awaken love till it is ready!
Copyright ©2010 Christopher Hossfeld, All Rights Reserved
20 December 2008
A seal upon your heart
