Image 1 of 1
Song of the Open Road
This piece for SATB choir (with divisi) is an expression of Walt Whitman’s masterful “Song of the Open Road”:
Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.
Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.
The earth, that is sufficient,
I do not want the constellations any nearer,
I know they are very well where they are,
I know they suffice for those who belong to them.
(Still here I carry my old delicious burdens,
I carry them, men and women, I carry them with me wherever I go,
I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them,
I am fill’d with them, and I will fill them in return.)This is a text that I connected with immediately upon first read (see below) and I hope that you and your singers will take note of Whitman’s expression of excitement towards the path ahead. In particular, his statements describe a person who is self-assured and sure footed. They don’t need anything else to begin their quest but the earth beneath them.
I believe that most SATB choirs will find plenty to sink their teeth into, both musically and through Whitman’s lovely prose.
Composer’s Notes
Song of the Open Road, written during my final undergraduate year at East Carolina University, is a piece that will always be near and dear to my heart. Written originally for my senior music composition recital and then performed live at the ECU School of Music graduation ceremony, I searched and searched for a poem about forging ahead into the unknowns of the real world. At first read of Whitman’s text, I knew I had found the one!
The opening statements of the piece showcase the determination of the first line, “Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road… Healthy, free, the world before me…”. These words found resonance with me at the time, when, as young, healthy, vibrant 22-year-old I saw the vast expanse of the world as a blank canvas just waiting to be painted. I felt unstoppable (who doesn’t when they’re in their early 20’s). “The long, brown path before me leading wherever I choose” - Yes! As a young music student who was hungry for life and adventure, about to run away to graduate school, I felt as if I was the master of my destiny; “leading wherever I choose”.
In between these statements of confidence, which recall the opening material each time, the journeyman, the traveler, the young, adventurous soul that is the voice of the poetry, has short moments of reflection. “The earth, that is sufficient. I do not want the constellations any nearer…”, to me, is Whitman expressing the sentiment of mindfulness, of grounding oneself, knowing you’re about to embark on something big.
Still, even though our young traveler is ready and willing to hit the open road before them, there’s an acknowledgment that they are not free from the burdens and experiences of their past. “Still here I carry my old delicious burdens… I carry them with me wherever I go.” “Delicious burdens”? What an exquisite turn of phrase!
I found myself writing lines to Whitman’s text that are constantly pairing one voice, or pair of voices, against another as one voice holds and another voice moves up or down around them. In this way, the lines grant a motion to the work, even with rhythmic interest is not as dense. The work dances around the key of A Major but never loses its footing in the key from whence it began. There’s a lot of room for choirs to sing with full voice and enough contrasting, more reflective moments that give singers the opportunity be expressive at lower dynamics.
While, of course, I hope that singers and audiences alike enjoy the music, I mostly find myself wanting others to connect to the text in the same way that I did so long ago.
Even as we grow older, more experienced with life, and hopefully wiser, may we never lose that sense of adventure that propels us ahead.
This piece for SATB choir (with divisi) is an expression of Walt Whitman’s masterful “Song of the Open Road”:
Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.
Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.
The earth, that is sufficient,
I do not want the constellations any nearer,
I know they are very well where they are,
I know they suffice for those who belong to them.
(Still here I carry my old delicious burdens,
I carry them, men and women, I carry them with me wherever I go,
I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them,
I am fill’d with them, and I will fill them in return.)This is a text that I connected with immediately upon first read (see below) and I hope that you and your singers will take note of Whitman’s expression of excitement towards the path ahead. In particular, his statements describe a person who is self-assured and sure footed. They don’t need anything else to begin their quest but the earth beneath them.
I believe that most SATB choirs will find plenty to sink their teeth into, both musically and through Whitman’s lovely prose.
Composer’s Notes
Song of the Open Road, written during my final undergraduate year at East Carolina University, is a piece that will always be near and dear to my heart. Written originally for my senior music composition recital and then performed live at the ECU School of Music graduation ceremony, I searched and searched for a poem about forging ahead into the unknowns of the real world. At first read of Whitman’s text, I knew I had found the one!
The opening statements of the piece showcase the determination of the first line, “Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road… Healthy, free, the world before me…”. These words found resonance with me at the time, when, as young, healthy, vibrant 22-year-old I saw the vast expanse of the world as a blank canvas just waiting to be painted. I felt unstoppable (who doesn’t when they’re in their early 20’s). “The long, brown path before me leading wherever I choose” - Yes! As a young music student who was hungry for life and adventure, about to run away to graduate school, I felt as if I was the master of my destiny; “leading wherever I choose”.
In between these statements of confidence, which recall the opening material each time, the journeyman, the traveler, the young, adventurous soul that is the voice of the poetry, has short moments of reflection. “The earth, that is sufficient. I do not want the constellations any nearer…”, to me, is Whitman expressing the sentiment of mindfulness, of grounding oneself, knowing you’re about to embark on something big.
Still, even though our young traveler is ready and willing to hit the open road before them, there’s an acknowledgment that they are not free from the burdens and experiences of their past. “Still here I carry my old delicious burdens… I carry them with me wherever I go.” “Delicious burdens”? What an exquisite turn of phrase!
I found myself writing lines to Whitman’s text that are constantly pairing one voice, or pair of voices, against another as one voice holds and another voice moves up or down around them. In this way, the lines grant a motion to the work, even with rhythmic interest is not as dense. The work dances around the key of A Major but never loses its footing in the key from whence it began. There’s a lot of room for choirs to sing with full voice and enough contrasting, more reflective moments that give singers the opportunity be expressive at lower dynamics.
While, of course, I hope that singers and audiences alike enjoy the music, I mostly find myself wanting others to connect to the text in the same way that I did so long ago.
Even as we grow older, more experienced with life, and hopefully wiser, may we never lose that sense of adventure that propels us ahead.
Minimum 10 copies per purchase