Izzy Chen

Ships that Pass in the Night

2014

for unaccompanied SATB choir

Ships that Pass in the Night

BY PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR

Out in the sky the great dark clouds are massing;

I look far out into the pregnant night,
Where I can hear a solemn booming gun
And catch the gleaming of a random light,
That tells me that the ship I seek is passing, passing.
My tearful eyes my soul's deep hurt are glassing;
For I would hail and check that ship of ships.
I stretch my hands imploring, cry aloud,
My voice falls dead a foot from mine own lips,
And but its ghost doth reach that vessel, passing, passing.
O Earth, O Sky, O Ocean, both surpassing,
O heart of mine, O soul that dreads the dark!
Is there no hope for me? Is there no way
That I may sight and check that speeding bark
Which out of sight and sound is passing, passing?

Ships that Pass in the Night

for unaccompanied SATB choir
Composed by Izzy Chen
Words by Paul Laurence Dunbar

A
Andante q = 72 pp
SOPRANO

###C

&

I look far out in

to the

Oh...

###C pp
&

ALTO

Oh...

###Cmp
&

TENOR

Out

BASS

in the sky the great

mp
? ###C

Out

in the sky the great

dark

clouds are mass ing;

dark

clouds are mass ing;

look far out in

to the

Andante q = 72 pp

Piano

A for rehearsal only

###C

&

mp
? ###C

###
&
###
&

,
###

&

pre
gnant night, where I
,
? ###

pre

gnant

##
& #
? ###

night,

can

where I

can

j

,

hear

so - lemn

hear

booming

gun,

and

so - lemn

a2

#
J

booming

gun,

and

#
j
J

4
7

###

&
###
&

##
&#

catch

? ###

the

tells

me

that the ship I

gleaming

catch the

gleaming of

of

ran

dom

dom light

ran

light,

that

j
#
,

that

# j
? ###

n
#
J
##
& #

tells me that the

ship

B
10

###
&

mf

My

tearful eyes my soul's

deep hurt are glassing;

,
###
&

mf

My
3
###
U
& n

tearful eyes my

soul's

deep hurt are glassing;

Oh...
seek
is

pa ssing

is

? ### n 3

seek

is

pa ssing

is

pa - ssing.

pa - ssing.

Oh...

B
a2

###
&

,
mf

a2
3

? ### n U

5
14

### j
&

for

of

ships.

for

I would hail and check that

of

ships.

###
&

I would hail and

###
&

? ###

check that

ship

ship

stretch
my
hands
,I

im -

im -

stretch

my

hands

,
### j

&

? ###

17

###
& j

plo - ring, cry a - loud,

##
& # #j

plo - ring, cry a - loud,

###
J
&

? ### J

my voice

my voive

falls

dead a foot from mine own lips, but

n
#
falls dead a foot from mine own lips, but

its ghost doth reach that

its ghost doth reach that

##
& # #j # j

#

n
j
j

? ###

C
4
4

21

###
3
& n

2
4

O
ve - ssel pa- ssing, pa

Earth

ssing.

###
&

2
4
4 j 4 w
>

n
ve - ssel pa- ssing, pa -

. ssing.

Earth,
O
Earth

### n
&

2
4

4
4

Earth
O

? ###

2
4

4 j j
4

O
2. C
2
4>
4 j 4 w

a2

###
&

n
3

? ### n

27
### n>
&

2
4

Earth

1.

1.

J
J
J
f

w
4

4 w
J J

j

O

Sky; O Sky; O Sky

###
&

Earth,

Sky
O Earth

###
&

#j
O

j w

Sky
O Earth, O

? ###

#
O

### n> w
&
#J J
? ###

Sky

w
J w
#j
w

nj

Earth,

j
J
w
j
n w
nJ

7
f
32

###
&

###
&

####

Sky

####

Sky,

? ###

####

Sky,

1.
f

###
&

w
J

both sur - pa - ssing;

O - cean, O

####

Sky

##
&#

O - cean,

O - cean;

O - cean, O

O - cean;

O - cean, O

O - cean;

####

? ###

####

1.

a2

w
J

,
j >- - >- - >
J
J

37

####

&

Earth,

Sky;
f

O Earth,
O

####

&
O

####
&

? ####

O - cean,

,
>
j
j - -
- > J
#
>

O Earth,

ssing.

O
f

Earth,

Sky;

cean;

##
& # #

Ocean both sur- pa- ssing, O

> ,

j
-

O Sky,

Ocean both sur- pa- ssing, O

> ,

O
Ocean both sur- pa- ssing, O

? ####

O Sky,

>- - >- -
j
J
J
O Earth, O Sky, O
>-
j

- - J
J
O Earth,

Ocean both sur- pa- ssing, O

both sur - pa
f

O Sky,

>- -
J
>- -j

J
- -

>- - >

J
>- j >

-> J-

,

#
,

8
42

#### - - -
&
J #
heart of mine,

O should that dreads the dark!

#### - - j
&

heart of mine,

mf
decres. mp Ritard.
p a tempo
,
>.
###
. n. J # n j
Is there no hope for me? Is

n. . >.

there no way

That
p

###

O should that dreads the dark!

That

,
#### - - -
&

haert of mine, O
-,
? #### - -

n. . #
>.

###

###

should that dreads the dark!

. . >.

haert of mine, O

should that dreads the dark!

soft

#### -

&
-
? ####

n-
-

- j

J #
- ,

.
n
.
n .

.
n

.
.

mp

a tempo

Ritard.
,
>.
j
# # n j

J

.
#>.

46

###
p

###

mp

mf
###
&
I

may sight

and
mf

ding

bark?

ding

bark?

check that spee

###
&

check the spee

I
p

may sight

and

Whi - ch
mp

Which
mp

out

of

sight and

out

of

sight

is

mf

##
&#

I may sight

and
mf

check the

spee - ding

bark?

Which
mp

out

of

sight and

? ###

and

may sight

check the

spee -

###
&

mf

? ###

ding

Which
a2

bark?

out

J
of sight

J
is

J
J

J
J

9
try to avoid ending together
50

###
& n

gliss.

sound is

pa - ssing,

pa

gliss.

gliss.

- ssing,

pa-

ssing,

try to avoid ending together

###
&

gliss.
gliss.

gliss.

pa
pa -

ssing, pa

-ssing,

gliss.

pa

ssing.

ssing,

try to avoid ending together

##
&#

sound

gliss.

is

pa - ssing,

ssing,

pa

ssing,

gliss.

pa

gliss.

try to avoid ending together

? ### n

pa - ssing,

pa

##

& # n
J

J

? ### n #
J
J

gliss. n gliss. #

ssing,

pa ssing,

gliss.

pa

gliss.

ssing.

gliss.

gliss.

.
gliss

gliss.

gliss.

n gliss. #w

gliss.

gliss.

gliss.