CANTUS: Wanting Memories by Ysaye M. Barnwell
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- čas přidán 27. 04. 2020
- Enjoy the eleventh performance from our COVID-19 Sessions recorded live March 17, 19, and 20.
Ysaye M. Barnwell’s "Wanting Memories" is a deeply moving text and composition, and it is a favorite within the ensemble and with our audiences. We’ve performed it the world over and even with Sweet Honey in the Rock® at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis back in the fall of 2017.
Ysaye Barnwell and Sweet Honey in the Rock® have been inspirations for Cantus for much of the ensemble’s history. Their commitment to social justice and relevant programming along with their incredible artistry are attributes that inform and inspire our own music-making.
Each time we perform this piece, it strikes us in new ways, and we hope it can be a moment of reflection and gratitude during this time of isolation.
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I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me,
To see the beauty in the world through my own eyes.
You used to rock me in the cradle of your arms,
You said you'd hold me till the pains of life were gone.
You said you'd comfort me in times like these and now I need you,
Now I need you, and you are gone.
I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me,
To see the beauty in the world through my own eyes.
Since you've gone and left me, there's been so little beauty,
But I know I saw it clearly through your eyes.
Now the world outside is such a cold and bitter place,
Here inside I have few things that will console.
And when I try to hear your voice above the storms of life,
Then I remember all the things that I was told.
I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me,
To see the beauty in the world through my own eyes.
I think on the things that made me feel so wonderful when i was young.
I think on the things that made me laugh, made me dance, made me sing.
I think on the things that made me grow into a being full of pride.
I think on these things, for they are true.
I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me,
To see the beauty in the world through my own eyes.
I thought that you were gone, but now I know you're with me,
You are the voice that whispers all I need to hear.
I know a please a thank you and a smile will take me far,
I know that I am you and you are me and we are one,
I know that who I am is numbered in each grain of sand,
I know that I've been blessed again, and over again.
I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me,
To see the beauty in the world through my own eyes.
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linktr.ee/cantussings - Hudba
THIS PERFORMANCE IS BEAUTIFUL AND INCREDIBLY MOVING... THANK YOU. YOU HAVE GIVEN THIS SONG LIMITLESS LIFE AND ENERGY AND I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THIS ENDING BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES. THANK YOU. YMB 8/14/2020
I have loved this song since you sang it with Sweet Honey in the Rock. Thank you, Dr. Barnwell, thank you, Cantus!
Thank you SO much for this wonderful, moving music, Dr. Barnwell!
I first heard it performed live in Minneapolis, at the most beautiful funeral I’ve ever attended. Its beauty haunted me for weeks afterward.
Now my mother has passed away and I find this lovely piece all the more comforting.
Thank you 💐
Thank you thank you thank you. Your song has inspired me for decades. Humble humble thanks to Cantus for bringing it to such beautiful life.
Absolutely beautiful & moving with tears reliving 81 yrs of precious memories! Thank you, thank you! 10/3/22
I have seen Sweet Honey in the Rock in concert many times and heard this song. This is the first time I have heard it performed my someone else.
Y'all did this song just beautifully 😊😊.
Thank you.
Opened me up real good. Thanks because I needed that. I'm away from my chorus during this.....I'm away from my tribe and I'm really struggling without our music.
We sang this a couple of years ago. It was the moment I knew this group was right for me. When we got it and took the notes on a page and made harmony with the world around us.........I knew it was the thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
so beautiful, like Angels. ! i watch this video everyday just to hear peace. thank you
Morristown High School. New Jersey. Class of 1977. (Same year as this recording). Amazing piece. We did not appreciate our ground breaking Director. Louise Sundstrom. Thank you. Thank you. Good for my soul.
Tuesday, April 5th is Saul’s birthday (he would have been 63). On Saturday, his friends are gathering to say our goodbyes…and today, I want to thank my dear, dear friend, my mentor, my teacher, and someone I can honestly say I loved - I truly loved.
Thank you, Saul, - I am sitting here as your memories waft around me - I thought that you were gone but now I know that you are with me.
Saul loved politics. When we first met, I made an off the cuff remark that he was “too political” he gave me that Sabú look of - what did you just say? His response shaped my vision and my social justice actions from that day forward and now I say the same thing when I am told that I am too political.
“I must be political. Once you leave the comfort of your home and close that door behind you, no matter what you think - you are being political. Simply being is political. Simply breathing is political. It’s all political.”
He was right. Mind you this was 1991 and we were in the middle of fighting Texas’ “no promo homo” law, we were in the midst of trying to save lives during the AIDS Epidemic. Instead of dealing with a public health issue, the Texas Legislature thought it would simply go away if we just stopped talking about it.
I will continue to condemn Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, but I will also remind my fellow Texans that it’s time to repeal the “No Promo Homo” law that is still on the books. It’s time for the Texas Legislature to follow the example of Arizona, North Carolina, and Utah and repeal this harmful and outdated law so Texas students can receive the healthy and supportive education they deserve.
I promise to continue to work towards a system that is more inclusive, supportive, and effective for ALL of us.
My favorite song. The sound just swirls, just stellar.
i love this group so much
Love this
I am proud to call myself a choice kid after watching this… absolutely heavenly!
Beautifully done. We perform this piece is nearly every concert, recently st the National Gallery of Art and last year for the composer.
❤️
So beautiful
Amazing!
What a beautiful setting, the space resonates in a lovely way. I love the main tenor voice and the little counter melody towards the end.
Grandiosi ....interpretazione top......bravi.complimenti..
❤️
Belíssimos, obrigada por seu canto MARAVILHOSO !!!!! Curiiba (Paraná) Brasil 🤩🤩🎶🎶❤❤
So beautifully done...
Oh THANK YOU FOR THAT STRETCH OF BEAUTY AND HARMONY !!! You blessed me good today😘💕
This is , imhopinion. The most beautiful song. #Truth
This is the song I found you guys through. Just awesome.
Wow, this sounds so beautiful
This is a stunning performance! It works really well as TTBB, just beautiful!
I am back again 😊😊
It's lovely to hear how the music builds up at some points during the performance. The crescendos were very well executed
spectacular, mahalo nui!
Interesting song. I first heard it on the documentary Spellbound
I am searching for the arrangement that Cantus uses but I only see SSATB available. Is there a way to get it in TTBB?! I love this more than I can possibly say.
Send us an email to info@cantussings.org and we can try and help!
I sing in an amateur choir in Japan.
Is it possible to buy TTBB sheet music for this song somewhere? I couldn't find it as far as I checked by myself.
Anyway, very nice poem, melody, and arrangement!
You can purchase the SATB music and sing in F#-
i loathe songs that throw away the basses with some useless doom doom dooms
tymd130 Thank you for your comment, but how else would you provide a heart beat in a cappella music? I look forward to your response.
YSAYE M. Barnwell pulsatility can be achieved by rhythm, syncopation, and flow. That way the bases can provide their lovely velvet undertones and join in on the fun!
@@tymd130 With all due respect to both comments, (especially to you Ysaye who composed this wonderful music) it needs to be put into consideration that this was arranged for Sweet Honey in the Rock which is an African-Amercian all-women a cappella group of which Ysaye is a part of. If you listen carefully, the "dooms" copy the common DJEMBE rhythms of African music. I believe these "dooms" give a consistent drive to the music. I don't understand why you suggest these pulsations to have rhythm, sycnopation, and flow when these three are very present in these "dooms". It remains constant and present while the music is building up rhythmically, harmonically, and range-wise, suggesting that these pulses are the memories that kept the narrator going through the ups and downs of life. These pulses are the sparks/remnants of the past that show while the narrator sits alone.
And this isn't one of those superfluous pieces that need a lot of movement from the basses or any singing part just to portray a certain emotion. "I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me to see the beauty in the world through my own eyes." The text speaks of self-reflection. What better musical material can you portray that line with than what Ysaye did?
And I hope you realize that this song was dedicated by Ysaye to her father when he passed away. If you can't respect the musical setting of the song and it irks you that the basses were just doing dooms, show some respect to the composer and the life she shares through her music.