ATHABASCA_-_NISHIMURA_-_perusal_score

ATHABASCA
for SSA choir with piano
PERUSAL SCORE ONLY
words and music by
CAIT NISHIMURA
© CAIT NISHIMURA
Still is the air all around me,
easy to breathe in.
I wish I could stay,
make this my home,
just me alone.
Still, the moutains stand
all dressed in white.
I hold on tight
to the feeling of being here
beneath the trees,
the evergreens.
Still, the river flows
gently below the ice and snow.
I wish the river
would sweep me away
to never be seen again.
ATHABASCA was written at the shores of the Athabasca River in Jasper, Alberta,
Canada. It was late March, and the snow was just starting to melt enough to reveal
the fast-moving river beneath the ice. I spent the day hiking trails along the river,
and did not encounter another person the entire time; the text in this piece was
inspired by this sense of solitude. The flowing, graceful style of both the vocal and
piano parts imitates the motion of the river.
CN

PERUSAL SCORE ONLY
© CAIT NISHIMURA

Score
Soprano 1
Flowing (= 108)
2
ATHABASCA
3
4
5
6
words and music by
CAIT NISHIMURA
7 8
Soprano 2
Still
is
the
air
all ar-ound
me, ea-
sy to
breathe
in.
Alto
Piano
(rehearsal only until m.33)
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
S 1
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
S 2
I
wish I could
stay,
PERUSAL SCORE ONLY
© CAIT NISHIMURA
make this my
home,
just me
a
-
lone.
A
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Pno.
© CAIT NISHIMURA 2017

4 ATHABASCA
S 1
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
S 2
Still
the moun-tains
stand,
all dressed in
white,
I hold on
tight
to
the
A
Still
they
stand
in
white,
hold
tight
to
the
Pno.
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
S 1
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
feel
- ing of be-ing
here, be-neath the trees, the ev - er - greens.
S 2
A
feel
- ing here, be - neath the ev - er -
Pno.
25
© CAIT NISHIMURA
26
27
28
29
PERUSAL SCORE ONLY
30
31
Ah,
32
© CAIT NISHIMURA 2017

ATHABASCA
5
S 1
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
S 2
Still
the ri - ver flows gent - ly be -
low
the
ice and
snow.
A
greens.
Ri - ver flows be -
low
the
snow.
still
the
ri - ver flows be -
low
the
snow.
Pno.
33
(Play in performance)
34
35
36
37
38
39
S 1
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
I
wish
the
ri
- ver could sweep me aw - ay to ne - ver be
S 2
A
Pno.
40
I
I
wish
wish
41
the
the
PERUSAL SCORE ONLY
© CAIT NISHIMURA
ri
ver could
-
ri -
42
ver could
sweep
sweep
43
me
me
44
to
to
45
ne - ver be
ne - ver be
46
© CAIT NISHIMURA 2017

6 ATHABASCA
S 1
S 2
A
Pno.
S 1
S 2
A
Pno.
47
47
53
53
Still
Still
Still
seen
seen
seen
48
48
a
a
a
54
54
-
-
-
49
49
gain
gain.
gain.
Ped.
55
-
it
55
the ri ver
flows
flows
50
50
56
56
51
51
PERUSAL SCORE ONLY
© CAIT NISHIMURA
so
so
57
-
57
52
52
gent ly be - low
58
gent - ly be - low
the ri - ver flows
so
gent - ly be - low
58
the
the
the
© CAIT NISHIMURA 2017

ATHABASCA
7
S 1
S 2
A
Pno.
59
59
snow.
snow.
snow.
60
60
61
I
wish the
I
wish the
I
wish the
61
62
62
63
ri ver could
ri ver could
ri ver could
63
- sweep me a -
- sweep me a -
- sweep me a - way
64
64
way
way
S 1
S 2
A
Pno.
65
65
PERUSAL SCORE ONLY
© CAIT NISHIMURA
to
to
to
66 67
ne ver be
ne - ver be
66
67
ne - ver be seen
a -
- seen
a -
seen
68
68
ah,
69
69
gain.
gain.
oo
70
70
Oo
© CAIT NISHIMURA 2017

8 ATHABASCA
S 1
S 2
A
Pno.
71
71
72
72
74
73
Ne ver be
73
- seen I'll ne - ver be
74
Div.
75
75
S 1
S 2
A
Pno.
76
76
PERUSAL SCORE ONLY
© CAIT NISHIMURA
77
seen a gain.
77
78
78
79
79
80
80
81
81
- Ne - ver
be
© CAIT NISHIMURA 2017

ATHABASCA
9
S 1
S 2
A
Pno.
82
82
83
seen I'll ne - ver be
83
84
seen
84
85
a -
Still
Still
85
gain.
86
the moun - tains
they
86
(rehearsal only to end)
S 1
87
88
89
90 91
92
93
S 2
I
hold on
tight
to
the
feel
-
ing
A
stand
stand
all dressed in
in
white.
white,
I
hold
hold on
tight
tight
to
to
the
the
feel
feel
-
ing
-
Pno.
87
88
89
PERUSAL SCORE ONLY
© CAIT NISHIMURA
90
91
92
93
© CAIT NISHIMURA 2017

10 ATHABASCA
S 1
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
S 2
of be ing
- here, be - neath the trees,
- -
the ev er
greens.
A
Pno.
94
of be - ing here, be - neath the trees, the ev - er -
ing
95
here
96
be - neath the trees, the
ev - er -
97
98
99
greens.
100
S 1
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
S 2
Still
is
the
air
all
ar-ound
me, ea - sy to
breathe
in.
A
Still,
greens.
is
Is
the
the
air
air
'round
'round
me,
me,
to
to
breathe
breathe
in.
in.
Pno.
101
102
103
104
105
PERUSAL SCORE ONLY
© CAIT NISHIMURA
106
107
108
© CAIT NISHIMURA 2017

ATHABASCA
11
S 1
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
S 2
I
wish I could
stay,
make this my
home,
just me
a
-
lone.
A
Pno.
109
PERUSAL SCORE ONLY
© CAIT NISHIMURA
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
© CAIT NISHIMURA 2017