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Timothy C. Takach
Timothy C. Takach Publications
When You Are Old
An immediately accessible portrait of love and commitment.
SA(T)B a cappella
Included with purchase: A “Poetry in Music” assignment for deeper singer engagement.
This tender setting of Yeats’ famous poem brings the honesty of the lyrics to the forefront, and provides the perfect chance to study the text alongside the music. The form includes repetition of material, which allows for faster learning, and the tenor part is often in unison with the basses, splitting only for comfort of range. A great choice for the developing choir, “When You Are Old” also fits well in a festival or honor choir where note-learning time is at a premium.
Composer’s Notes
I usually stay away from “famous” poems, but here we are. Choosing this text came about because I let the students choose from the texts I recommended. And that is a great reason to set any poem, when the singers are ready to buy into it, even before any notes were written. I kept the form of the piece (and the content) simple, with some repetition, because I felt that it helped underline the honesty that is so present in these simple and straightforward words. Although the delivery of the poem itself takes some unpacking, even if you’re just reading it to yourself, that honesty is still there, and I didn’t want to lose that in the musical setting. The piece talks about love and old age, and it’s not that far of a stretch for singers to imagine the kind of love that would last a lifetime.
– Timothy C. Takach
Text
When you are old and gray and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face.
And bending down beside the glowing bars
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
– William Butler Yeats
$2.15 per licensed PDF
Music from Timothy C. Takach Publications
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The Longest Nights (String Parts)
Difficulty: 3Duration: 10–20 min.
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