Composer

:

John Corigliano

Genre

:

Vocal

Compose Date

:

2011

First Performance

:

September 30, 2011

Average_duration

:

16:35

Movement_count

:

4

Movement ....

One Sweet Morning is a choral work composed by John Corigliano in 2011. It was commissioned by the University of Texas at Austin for their 100th anniversary celebration. The piece was premiered on April 14, 2011, by the University of Texas Chamber Singers and the Austin Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Peter Bay. The work is divided into three movements, each of which is based on a poem by a different author. The first movement, "One Sweet Morning," is based on a poem by Walt Whitman. The second movement, "The White Election," is based on a poem by James Agee. The third movement, "The End of the Parade," is based on a poem by Mark Doty. The first movement, "One Sweet Morning," is characterized by its lush harmonies and soaring melodies. The choir sings Whitman's words, "One sweet morning in May, I'll see my friends again," with a sense of longing and hope. The orchestra provides a rich accompaniment, with strings and woodwinds weaving in and out of the choral texture. The second movement, "The White Election," is more somber in tone. The choir sings Agee's words, "The white election of death is here," with a sense of foreboding. The orchestra provides a sparse accompaniment, with dissonant chords and eerie harmonies. The third movement, "The End of the Parade," is the most complex of the three. The choir sings Doty's words, "The end of the parade is the beginning of something else," with a sense of resignation and acceptance. The orchestra provides a driving accompaniment, with percussion and brass adding to the sense of urgency. Overall, One Sweet Morning is a powerful and moving work that showcases Corigliano's skill as a composer. The combination of choral and orchestral textures creates a rich and varied sound world, while the use of different poems in each movement adds depth and complexity to the work.

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