15. Mars (a cantata of 4 numbers)

1. Waiting for rain

See/Hear/Download: Score(PDF)     MIDI (20 KB)     MP3 5.8 MB)     Sibelius5 (64 KB)     MusicXML (1 MB)

Text:
Waiting, waiting for rain...
Where there is no rain, there is no life.
Where there is no life, there is no death.
Where there is no death, there is no time.
Waiting, waiting for rain...
Waiting, waiting for time.

Musicians: SATB chorus (sometimes divisi), flute, and vibraphone.

Style: Renaissance requiem; Baroque homophony & canon.

Length: 6 minutes.

2. Roving the wasteland

See/Hear/Download: Score(PDF)     MIDI (18 KB)     MP3 (4 MB)     Sibelius5 (52 KB)     MusicXML (704 KB)

Text: The communications of 2 Mars Excursion Rovers are translated into English.

Musicians: T solo, S solo, flute, and piano.

Style: Greek dances.

Length: 4 minutes.

3. Spring upon the ice

See/Hear/Download: Score(PDF)     MIDI (71 KB)     MP3 (7 MB)     Sibelius5 (77 KB)     MusicXML (1.6 MB)

Text: The soloists represent a pair of astronauts, while the chorus represents the environment.

Musicians: B solo, S solo, SATB chorus, flute, piano, and vibraphone. The soloists should feel free to use microphones.

Style: A scene from an opera.

Length: 8 minutes.

4. A small golden plaque

See/Hear/Download: Score(PDF)     MIDI (20 KB)     MP3 (4 MB)     Sibelius5 (55 KB)     MusicXML (831 KB)

Text:
Old ones, forgive our footprints.
Forgive our cairns of trash.
Our noise and vapors swirl away
and leave these words at last:
We did not come for glory
or for material needs;
We came to learn your story
and carry home the seeds.

Musicians: SATB chorus (sometimes divisi), flute, and vibraphone. If string players are available at the concert, they should be asked to double the vocal parts in this finale.

Style: American primitive.

Length: 4 minutes.

Total length of this cantata: 22 minutes.