Cecilia McDowall Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo

for upper voices, SATB, solo violin, and piano Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo tells the extraordinary story of Nujeen Mustafa, a Kurdish teenager with cerebral palsy forced by war to flee her home and embark on an arduous journey to Europe with her sister. It sets a specially-written text by Kevin Crossley-Holland and is in five movements: 'Orphans of the World' is centred on Nujeen's life in Aleppo; 'Thousands milling at the border', 'I had never seen the sea before', and 'A lost tribe pushed from border to border' depict a refugee's perilous route across borders and waters; and 'Everyday Wonders', in which the teenager reflects on the 'everyday' joys of her new life. In response to the vivid text McDowall employs a wealth of musical effects, including chorales, rhythmic spoken sections, body percussion, and a solo violin part infused with Middle Eastern flavours. The prevailing mood of Nujeen's story is embodied by the final line of a chorale that opens and closes this unique concert work: 'singing the song of life itself.' Find out more: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/everyday-wonders-the-girl-from-aleppo-9780193522589

watch a performance on

watch a performance on Commissioned by the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain in celebration of its 20th anniversary Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo 1. Orphans of the World Kevin Crossley-Holland (b. 1941) CECILIA McDOWALL SOLO VIOLIN UPPER VOICES & ° ¢ & Expressive q = c.72 3 4 ‰ œ j > œ œ j œ j œ j œ bœ œ j ‰ œ œ j # œ œ j œ ˙ œ j œ œ œ bw > > > > > > 4 f impassioned, exaggerated, in Middle Eastern fashion ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ SOPRANO ALTO ° & 4 ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ TENOR BASS ? ¢ 4 ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ PIANO Expressive q = c.72 4 & ∑ ∑ ∑ { ? 4 for online perusal only ∑ ∑ ∑ Œ Œ in the manner of a hammered dulcimer 3 3 3 3 3 3 > œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœœ mf mp > ˙ ˙ con Ped. sempre 5 & ‰ > œ œ j œ > œ # œ œ œ œ j œ œ œ > b j 3 # œ j œ ˙ ‰ œ j > 3 5 # œ œ œ œ ‰ œ j œ œ œ œ œ & { ? www w w Œ Œ > œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœœ mf > ˙ ˙ 3 3 3 3 3 3 mp www w w Music © Oxford University Press 2018. Text © Kevin Crossley-Holland 2018. Printed in Great Britain OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, GREAT CLARENDON STREET, OXFORD OX2 6DP. The Moral Rights of the Composer have been asserted. Photocopying this copyright material is ILLEGAL.

8 8 & œ j 3 bœ œ œ ‰ œ j œ œ > > œ > œ œ # œ j œ œ j & { ? œœœ w w # > œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ mf mp œ www w w 10 & # œ œ. œ 3 3 ‰ bœ nœ œ j # œ œ œ ˙ ˙ w & { ? www w w www ˙ ˙ Œ f resonant 3 j œ œ > œ > œ Œ w w œ œ bœ mf œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 13 & A œ for online perusal only Œ Ó ∑ Ó ‰ > > f œ j œ j bœ 3 œ j S. A. ° ¢ & ° & UPPER VOICES ∑ mf dolce mf espress. Ó ‰ œ j œ œ bœ j œ œ Œ Is what we have, Œ œ # œ œ # # w œj œ ˙ ˙ ˙ Œ T. B. ? ¢ & { ? A Œ w # w w This wreath of # mf dolce words œ œ œ w œJ # œ ˙ ˙ Œ w w # > œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # œ œ bœ mf w w œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ ˙˙ mp Œ