first winter rain (SATB)
PDF score of first winter rain from Three Basho Haiku for unaccompanied SATB choir.
Price: $1.00/print ($1.00 per singer in your choir)
Length: 3 minutes
Difficulty: Medium Advanced
Program note:
When I was growing up, my uncles John and Ken made constant
trips back and forth to Japan. One trained in Zen Buddhism while the other
studied Chinese Philosophy, married my Aunt Yoko, and began their family in
Toyohashi. This was before the email age so we wrote letters back and forth and
it was always an exciting day when an envelope arrived with an international
stamp on it. When they returned to the states, they taught us Japanese phrases,
played VHS recordings of their favorite Japanese movies and TV shows, and my
Aunt dressed us up in her kimonos and taught us how to make sushi, fold
origami, and eat with chopsticks. This introduction to Japanese culture led me
to explore the great haiku writers such as Matsuo Basho, Yosa Buson, and
Chiyo-ni
I was drawn to these three haiku by their emotional content and
striking natural imagery. "harvest moon" conjures the image of a
large, orange moon rising in the autumn sky. "first winter rain"
gently likens the ending of the year with the waning of life, prompting the
search for the comfort of companionship. "this fragrance" relates the
experience of a particular scent awakening emotions and memories. Thanks to my
Uncle Ken and Aunt Yoko for helping me with the translations.
Three Basho Haiku is the winner of the 2021 Iowa Composers
Forum/Iowa Choral Director's Association Composition Competition
Texts by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), English translations by Lisa
Neher with the assistance of Ken Harvey and Yoko Yamada
Text:
just for today
let's grow old together
first winter rain