LIFE IS BUT A DREAM
for mixed SATB choir
Written: 2010
Duration: 5'
Instrumentation: mixed SATB choir (a cappella with divisis, SSAATTBB)
Commissioned by the Chamber Choir of Europe, Nicol Matt, director
World Premiere: Chamber Choir of Europe, Nicol Matt, director, July 28, 2011, The European Festival of Church Music, Schwäbisch Gemünd, Germany.
Publisher: Bill Holab Music
PROGRAM NOTE
The text and initial melody for Life is But a Dream is derived from the English nursery rhyme Row, Row, Row Your Boat, a popular round sung by children all over the world. While working on this piece, I discovered that there quite a few variations—most of them humorous—as well as versions in various languages.
In Life is But a Dream, I use the English text in its entirety and also words and phrases from the German, French, Latin and Italian versions. Throughout the piece I superimpose different words and phrases, creating a kind of flowing, quilt-like dreamscape.
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Life is But a Dream*
Text taken from the English version of Row, Row, Row Your Boat, with additional words and text from versions in other Languages.
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.(German)
Fahr, fahr, fahr... Row, row, row...
Durch Wasser und durch Schaum Through water and through foam
Lass dich treiben, treiben, treiben, treiben Let yourself float, float, float, float(French)
Doucement, dans le courant Gently down the stream(Italian)
Va, va, lenta va Slow, slow, slowly goes
Lentamente va It slowly goes(Latin)
Laetulae, laetulae, laetulae, laetulae Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily*Based on Row, Row, Row Your Boat, attributed to Eliphalet Oram Lyte (1842 - 1913), The Franklin Square Song Collection (1881, New York). Text in the public domain.
Press Quotes
“[Life is But a Dream] is Paterson’s take on, or taking off from, “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” It is clever and delightful.”
“The two works [A Dream Within A Dream, Life is But a Dream] by the important living American composer Robert Paterson left an especially deep impression, with dynamically, thoroughly worked out clusters and rhythmically sophisticated, interwoven patterns. The audience responded to the performances in the crowded Franciscan church with long, sustained applause and standing ovations.”
“Paterson was personally present at the concert and received a lot of applause. [A Dream Within A Dream, Life is But a Dream] made use of homogenous phrases, but also clusters and dissonance which never hurt... his work contained a great variety of parts and voicing, in some case extended with soloists.”