Composer’s note
Composer’s note Poems of Love and War is a sequence of settings of nine poems from ‘Viking Poetry of Love and War’ by Judith Jesch. The war poems come first and are formal and celebratory, making vivid use of figures of speech known as “kennings”. The love poems are more direct, and sometimes playful. Howard Skempton October 2019 For more information about the texts, see: JESCH, Judith, ed., Viking Poetry of Love and War (The British Museum Press, 2013). for online perusal only
Poems of Love and War 1. ‘The earl bore his banner’ Arnor Thordarson (11th century) trans. Judith Jesch (b. 1954) HOWARD SKEMPTON q = c.92 mf ° SOPRANO & b 2 3 4 4 2 3 4 4 Œ ALTO œ ˙ ˙ œ ˙˙ œ œ œ ˙ œ ˙ œœ œ œœ The earl bore his ban - ner on to an - cient En - glish ground, his ? 2 3 TENOR ¢ b 4 œ ˙ 4 ˙ œ ˙ œ 2 œ 4 œ 3 œ BASS 4 ˙ œ ˙ œ œ Œ œ mf 8 ° &b 2 3 2 3 2 4 4 4 4 4 Œ ˙ ˙ œ ˙ œœ ˙ œ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œœ troop red - dened ea - gle’s tongue as he made flags ad - vance. ? 2 3 2 3 2 ¢ b ˙ ˙ œ 4 4 ˙˙ œ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ 4 ˙˙ ˙ 4 ˙ œ 4 Œ œ 16 ° 3 2 3 2 3 &b 4 4 ˙ 4 4 4 ˙ œ ˙˙ œ Œ ˙˙ œ ˙ ˙ œ œœ œ œ ? 3 2 3 2 3 ¢ b 4 ˙ œ 4 ˙ 4 ˙ œ ˙˙ œ 4 ˙˙ œ œœ œ œ ˙ 4 Œ œ 24 ° 2 3 &b œ 4 ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ 4 œ œœ ˙ œ ˙ ˙ Œ foe of boughs spewed smoke and threw light to - wards the sky. ? 2 3 ¢ b œ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙ ˙ 4 4 ˙˙ Œ for online perusal only Flames shot up; halls col - lapsed; his men made re - fu - gees; the 2 4 2 4 3 4 3 4 Music © Oxford University Press 2020. Text by Judith Jesch from ‘Viking Poetry of Love and War’, The British Museum Press © 2020 The Trustees of the British Museum. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, MUSIC DEPARTMENT, GREAT CLARENDON STREET, OXFORD OX2 6DP The Moral Rights of the Composer have been asserted. Photocopying this copyright material is ILLEGAL. Duration: 8 mins Printed in Great Britain
