FRANK STEMPER, COMPOSER
Goodnight Moon (2020)
for singing cellist [16 mins.]
Written for Nathaniel Pearce, Singing Cellist
(or tenor and cello)
World Premiere 24 July 2021 at the Anchorage Chamber Music Festival - Alaska
Preview (virtual) at the First Congregational church, Ann Arbor Michigan
Opus 81 — A.S.C.A.P. work I.D. 910927633
SCORE
(or tenor and cello)
World Premiere 24 July 2021 at the Anchorage Chamber Music Festival - Alaska
Preview (virtual) at the First Congregational church, Ann Arbor Michigan
Opus 81 — A.S.C.A.P. work I.D. 910927633
SCORE
PROGRAM NOTES:
Goodnight Moon (2020) by Frank Stemper
I was inspired to write this music when I learned about Nathaniel Pierce, the “singing cellist.” Describing Nathaniel this way might paint him as an old vaudevillian or street musician, but I consider him a first-class artist. He performs his self-arranged versions of Schubert, Mahler, Webern, or even Wagner’s Ring, creating new interpretations of those works. Somehow, he divides himself in two – tenor and cellist. It must be very difficult. In my setting of Goodnight Moon, I exploit Nathaniel’s unique identity problem, making his job even more difficult. The story has many roles, and poor Nathaniel plays all the parts, by singing and playing the cello. Different roles are represented by speaking, acting, extending the technique of playing the cello, singing in falsetto, acting to the audience, word painting the text, and even yelling. HUSH!
To get you started with this confusion of role playing, please note that the piece opens with the cello making little noises. These represent the little bunny fidgeting and playing, making noises, and even dancing – rather than going to sleep as he is supposed to. Then the old lady tells the little bunny to HUSH. —What you see on the stage is Nathaniel actually telling his cello to be quiet! My piece is a bit confusing in regard to these various roles. It could be performed by two people or even five or six. But Nathaniel is doing it all.
Actually, the children’s book, Goodnight Moon, is an extremely simple story: a little child is going to bed. It was the ‘go-to’ bedtime book for my wife and me while raising our five children. In the book there are many characters. The child is actually a little bunny, and as he fidgets in his bed, a quiet old lady (a much older bunny) tells him to “hush.” As a father of five, I can tell you that a child doesn’t just get in bed and fall to sleep. There is a plethora of distractions, and it is those distractions that make up the bulk of Goodnight Moon. While some unseen narrator is telling the story and the old woman is whispering “hush,” the little bunny gets in and out of bed, dances a few times, and fidgets while taking inventory of everything in his bedroom, “the great green room:” there is a telephone, a balloon, a picture, bears, kittens, and mittens, a comb, some mush, clocks, and a young mouse — and many other things to distract him. The bunny’s imagination is excited by all these things, and sleep is nowhere to be found. But at some point, a parent has had enough and attempts to put a stop to the fidgeting, hence — HUSH! After that, the bunny’s fidgeting and distractions slowly twinkle into twilight, and sleep gradually takes over. The reality of being awake slowly dissolves, sliding into the surreal nonsense of the dreamworld. Often, the parent, here the old lady – actually more likely a grandmother – also dozes off.
So, as a much older man, I composed this simple scene. Although this was our favorite children’s book, I still wondered why. I mean – nothing happens. Then I remembered watching my young wife read the story to our young children. Then the older kids reading the book to the young ones. And now they are reading it to their own kids, and my wife is the grandmother. And I am still watching. And listening. And I find myself missing that telephone, the comb, and the mush. I would give anything to go back to that ‘great green room’ and read the story to my uncooperative child, fidgeting so much that I have to quiet him down. Or hear my wife utter, “hush.”
Goodnight Moon (2020) by Frank Stemper
I was inspired to write this music when I learned about Nathaniel Pierce, the “singing cellist.” Describing Nathaniel this way might paint him as an old vaudevillian or street musician, but I consider him a first-class artist. He performs his self-arranged versions of Schubert, Mahler, Webern, or even Wagner’s Ring, creating new interpretations of those works. Somehow, he divides himself in two – tenor and cellist. It must be very difficult. In my setting of Goodnight Moon, I exploit Nathaniel’s unique identity problem, making his job even more difficult. The story has many roles, and poor Nathaniel plays all the parts, by singing and playing the cello. Different roles are represented by speaking, acting, extending the technique of playing the cello, singing in falsetto, acting to the audience, word painting the text, and even yelling. HUSH!
To get you started with this confusion of role playing, please note that the piece opens with the cello making little noises. These represent the little bunny fidgeting and playing, making noises, and even dancing – rather than going to sleep as he is supposed to. Then the old lady tells the little bunny to HUSH. —What you see on the stage is Nathaniel actually telling his cello to be quiet! My piece is a bit confusing in regard to these various roles. It could be performed by two people or even five or six. But Nathaniel is doing it all.
Actually, the children’s book, Goodnight Moon, is an extremely simple story: a little child is going to bed. It was the ‘go-to’ bedtime book for my wife and me while raising our five children. In the book there are many characters. The child is actually a little bunny, and as he fidgets in his bed, a quiet old lady (a much older bunny) tells him to “hush.” As a father of five, I can tell you that a child doesn’t just get in bed and fall to sleep. There is a plethora of distractions, and it is those distractions that make up the bulk of Goodnight Moon. While some unseen narrator is telling the story and the old woman is whispering “hush,” the little bunny gets in and out of bed, dances a few times, and fidgets while taking inventory of everything in his bedroom, “the great green room:” there is a telephone, a balloon, a picture, bears, kittens, and mittens, a comb, some mush, clocks, and a young mouse — and many other things to distract him. The bunny’s imagination is excited by all these things, and sleep is nowhere to be found. But at some point, a parent has had enough and attempts to put a stop to the fidgeting, hence — HUSH! After that, the bunny’s fidgeting and distractions slowly twinkle into twilight, and sleep gradually takes over. The reality of being awake slowly dissolves, sliding into the surreal nonsense of the dreamworld. Often, the parent, here the old lady – actually more likely a grandmother – also dozes off.
So, as a much older man, I composed this simple scene. Although this was our favorite children’s book, I still wondered why. I mean – nothing happens. Then I remembered watching my young wife read the story to our young children. Then the older kids reading the book to the young ones. And now they are reading it to their own kids, and my wife is the grandmother. And I am still watching. And listening. And I find myself missing that telephone, the comb, and the mush. I would give anything to go back to that ‘great green room’ and read the story to my uncooperative child, fidgeting so much that I have to quiet him down. Or hear my wife utter, “hush.”
Goodnight Moon
by Margaret Wise Brown
In the great green room
There was a telephone
And a red balloon
And a picture of -
The cow jumping over the moon
And there were three little bears sitting on chairs
And two little kittens
And a pair of mittens
And a little toy house
And a young mouse
And a comb
And a brush
And a bowl full of mush
And a quiet old lady who was whispering “hush”
Goodnight room
Goodnight moon
Goodnight cow jumping over the moon
Goodnight light
And the red balloon
Goodnight bears
Goodnight chairs
Goodnight kittens
And goodnight mittens
Goodnight clocks
And goodnight socks
Goodnight little house
And goodnight mouse
Goodnight comb
And goodnight brush
Goodnight nobody
Goodnight mush
And goodnight to the old lady whispering “hush”
Goodnight stars
Goodnight air
Good night noises everywhere
by Margaret Wise Brown
In the great green room
There was a telephone
And a red balloon
And a picture of -
The cow jumping over the moon
And there were three little bears sitting on chairs
And two little kittens
And a pair of mittens
And a little toy house
And a young mouse
And a comb
And a brush
And a bowl full of mush
And a quiet old lady who was whispering “hush”
Goodnight room
Goodnight moon
Goodnight cow jumping over the moon
Goodnight light
And the red balloon
Goodnight bears
Goodnight chairs
Goodnight kittens
And goodnight mittens
Goodnight clocks
And goodnight socks
Goodnight little house
And goodnight mouse
Goodnight comb
And goodnight brush
Goodnight nobody
Goodnight mush
And goodnight to the old lady whispering “hush”
Goodnight stars
Goodnight air
Good night noises everywhere