Get all 13 American Modern Recordings releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Matters of Time, The Indianapolis Quartet: Robert Paterson - String Quartets 1-3, In Real Life, Claremont Trio - Spheres: Music of Robert Paterson, Eternal Reflections, Winter Songs: Vocal Music of Robert Paterson, Wood And Forest, Six Mallet Marimba: Works by Robert Paterson, and 5 more.
1. |
||||
|
I. duchenp fled
duchenp fled; cens Overtanc
ruralso Yea; political arofun
1782, guilded; icserve incredulous
alfari weeps; Devillu noun
|
||||
2. |
||||
|
II. Henry folutch
Henry folutch
meitcha who
officers ispelec
cruel Otauten
capture mancisea
captured iturnp
blood hreerdi
Ancipart glass
cemaeve armed
varialla approaching
invasion essiGen
people toxless
odomentr power
higoopa 666
|
||||
3. |
||||
|
III. youJusto nicely
youJusto nicely
position. patchedi
Cherry iscibili
yenvis touching
Erectheum avoional
Fillatio founded
sfunclu gigantic
pectsOR weighty
Feervid LENGTH
appears Flackl
Improper ericsia
galord short
consequence veybord
WhenRus comes
riahot face
bring towels
|
||||
4. |
||||
|
IV. Voix gustroor
Voix gustroor
voice niionss
MUSICAL alengus
harmonic nstryfl
lieder riousMos
irohom songs
songs, wsxfolot
buglehorns uldogne
shown pothead
cranial cialArc
calumny alsolo
toIndit conduct
cantsak ACTING
called awspes
Sinfonie ngtinPe
mezzo rtsFUS
Dreamland ernowbt
dream sppoll
|
||||
5. |
||||
|
V. Secretary metadon
Secretary metadon
she cartell
AND usedmeni
admitted splense
WILLIAM workorse
octache barbarous
rapedat treason
thou Crustop
lawastty REBECCA
courcte expression
operations naturE
TIRESOME ostpter
Petsra has
orsrans charcoal
Pesistri charcoal
heckdin soul
orypeue Robert
Wslykmi Robert
oongled ROBERT
idDirct ROBERT
apparently cDumber
Inviews thee
ranentri pronounces
SEVEN atthats
respecting tusMore
uropley END.
Texts by CAPTCHA (2012-13) via Project Gutenberg.
Arranged by Robert Paterson. Texts in the public domain.
|
||||
6. |
||||
|
I. Icicles filled the long window
from Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird
Wallace Stevens
VI
Icicles filled the long window
With barbaric glass
The shadow of the blackbird
Crossed it, to and fro.
The mood
Traced in the shadow
An indecipherable cause.
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, from The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens by Wallace Stevens, Copyright © 1954 by Wallace Stevens and renewed 1982 by Holly Stevens. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.
|
||||
7. |
||||
|
II. Dark Day, Warm and Windy
A. R. Ammons
Dark day, warm and windy,
light breaking through
clouds
coloring the sides of tall
furrows, thaw decaying
snow, the wind stirring
time up to a rush, I come home
from work midmorning
dark with contemplations,
that the infant finds
his hand unopened
and the old man forgets
his has closed—that rondure:
I sit down at the piano
and try the “Fuga I” in The
Well-Tempered Clavier and
my feelings lighten,
the melody so incredible,
the counter-melody incredible,
the workings in and out
precise and necessary
From The Snow Poems by A. R. Ammons. Copyright © 1977 A. R. Ammons. Published by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. Used with permission.
|
||||
8. |
||||
|
III. The Snow Man
Wallace Stevens
One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;
And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter
Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,
Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place
For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.
The Snow Man, from The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens by Wallace Stevens, Copyright © 1954 by Wallace Stevens and renewed 1982 by Holly Stevens. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.
|
||||
9. |
||||
|
IV. Boy at the Window
Richard Wilbur
Seeing the snowman standing all alone
In dusk and cold is more than he can bear.
The small boy weeps to hear the wind prepare
A night of gnashings and enormous moan.
His tearful sight can hardly reach to where
The pale-faced figure with bitumen eyes
Returns him such a god-forsaken stare
As outcast Adam gave to Paradise.
The man of snow is, nonetheless, content,
Having no wish to go inside and die.
Still, he is moved to see the youngster cry.
Though frozen water is his element,
He melts enough to drop from one soft eye
A trickle of the purest rain, a tear
For the child at the bright pane surrounded by
Such warmth, such light, such love, and so much fear.
Boy at the Window from Things of This World, Copyright © 1952 and renewed 1980 by Richard Wilbur, reproduced by permission of Houghton Miffline Publishing Company.
|
||||
10. |
||||
|
V. Old Story
Robert Creeley
Like kid on float
of ice block sinking
in pond the field had made
from winter’s melting snow
so wisdom accumulated
to disintegrate
in conduits of brain
in neural circuits faded
while gloomy muscles shrank
mind padded the paths
its thought had wrought
its habits had created
till like kid afloat
on ice block broken
on or inside the thing it stood
or was forsaken.
From The Collected Poems of Robert Creeley, 1975-2005, by Robert Creeley, Copyright © 2006 The Estate of Robert Creeley. Published by University of California Press. Used with permission.
|
||||
11. |
||||
|
Neither Snow
Billy Collins
When all of a sudden the city air filled with snow,
the distinguishable flakes
blowing sideways,
looked like krill
fleeing the maw of an advancing whale.
At least they looked that way to me
from the taxi window,
and since I happened to be sitting
that fading Sunday afternoon
in the very center of the universe,
who was in a better position
to say what looked like what,
which thing resembled some other?
Yes, it was a run of white plankton
borne down the Avenue of the Americas
in the stream of the wind,
phosphorescent against the weighty buildings.
Which made the taxi itself,
yellow and slow-moving,
a kind of undersea creature,
I thought as I wiped the fog from the glass,
and me one of its protruding eyes,
an eye on a stem
swiveling this way and that
monitoring one side of its world,
observing tons of water
tons of people
colored signs and lights
and now a wildly blowing race of snow.
Published on The Cortland Review website. Copyright © 1999 Billy Collins. Used with permission from Billy Collins.
|
||||
12. |
||||
13. |
||||
14. |
||||
15. |
||||
16. |
||||
17. |
||||
|
1. Introduction
Hi, this is Annie.
I’m not home,
leave a message
at the sound of the beep.
|
||||
18. |
Thursday - 2. 9:15 a.m.
01:46
|
|||
|
2. 9:15 AM
Hi Sis, it’s Kate.
I’m wondering if I can come up this weekend,
I just need a break, umm,
the men in my department are being really nasty,
my advisor is like totally undercutting me,
I think they’re going to take my fellowship away.
Ahhh! Oh, and Lydia is leaving.
For good this time.
Call me! Please.
|
||||
19. |
Thursday - 3. 10:42 a.m.
01:56
|
|||
|
3. 10:42 AM
This is your father.
You haven’t called in three weeks
and I am very angry.
I want you and Pete to visit
for your mother’s birthday,
because I don’t want to be alone.
And tell your sister Katie
that she should phone her father
every once in a while.
You know where to reach me.
|
||||
20. |
Thursday - 4. 5:09 p.m.
01:58
|
|||
|
4. 5:09 PM
This is Mrs. White from Citibank Visa,
calling to remind Ann Brennan
that her payments are now four months past due.
It is urgent that she call me back
as soon as possible
at 1-800-248-2265
between 9 and 5
so we may discuss how she intends to fulfill
her financial obligation.
|
||||
21. |
Thursday - 5. 6:05 p.m.
02:05
|
|||
|
5. 6:05 PM
Hey, it’s Pete,
I’m gonna be a little late tonight, sorry.
Actually, I have to work all night, I’m really sorry.
Look, we have to talk,
cause I was doing deliveries this afternoon
and this guy came outta nowhere
and your car got scratched.
Well, maybe it’s a little worse than a scratch,
but don’t get upset, it’s not that bad,
not like it’s totalled or anything.
Look, you know I love you,
I’m sorry about tonight.
I’ll make it up to you, I promise.
This is not how I wanted to spend my Thursday, believe me.
Gotta go, the pizza’s waiting.
See ya later.
|
||||
22. |
Thursday - 6. 6:15 p.m.
02:14
|
|||
|
6. 6:15 PM
Hi honey, it’s Tess:
it’s three o’clock here
so it must be six where you are...
I just opened the mail and I love your picture...
You look so beautiful!
I’m sending you a...I’m sending a surprise.
I love you, call me when you get home,
it’s just me and the cat tonight...
bye.
|
||||
23. |
||||
|
1. Batting Practice
I love to swing the bat.
I can’t help it, I just love it,
always have... always.
Wow... that is one good-looking lady.
I could see myself with her,
maybe five years from now,
little house in the suburbs,
grilling steak out in the backyard,
playing catch with the kids.
Do people stay faithful in New York?
I wish I knew.
I wish I knew what to do.
I mean, I could sit around the hospital,
’til they give dad the news.
But what good is that gonna do?
If I stay here,
at least he can see me on TV,
maybe watch me hit a homer.
We can’t afford to lose two in a row.
Every game counts...
man, every inning, every pitch.
Look at that sky.
Can I put in my order for a clear, sunny day?
No, not very likely.
Mom says, “Go to work, don’t worry.”
Don’t worry?
Some day, I’m gonna have a kid,
just like that one,
brings his glove to the game,
hoping to catch a foul tip.
And I‘m gonna be as good to him
as my dad was to me.
I can’t believe I was as small as that.
|
||||
24. |
||||
|
What the hell was that?
That’s the best pitch you’ve got?
Jesus Christ, that was practically up to his gut.
Concentrate. Concentrate. Con-cen-trate.
I can’t stand impulsive people.
I want you to gimme a slider.
Not like the last one: a slider.
One that drops. Like it’s supposed to.
Don’t shake me off.
Lord help us and save us,
if I wanted a curve ball,
I’d ask for a curve ball.
Trust me.
I’m tired of hearing I’m doing it wrong:
“He’s too big.” “He’s too slow.”
“He doesn’t know what pitches to call.”
I know what this game is all about,
I’ve been working hard.
I’ve seen this guy, he can’t hit ’em low.
All we need now is a nice, low slider,
that’s all you have to do.
Yeah, he knows it’s coming,
yeah, he’s waiting for it.
if you just keep it low,
But you can get it past him,
I know you can do it.
|
||||
25. |
||||
|
3. Rain Delay
It’s no fun getting beat up —
my knees are killing me,
my elbow is throbbing,
my fingers are numb.
Every time I get hit like that,
it takes another year off my life.
Maybe I should be a weatherman:
rain, turning to... rain, followed by... rain.
How long is this gonna last?
I can’t believe they’re paying me
a million bucks to sit on this bench,
a million bucks could feed some country
for like two years.
How is me hitting a baseball
gonna make a difference to anyone?
My father prayed every day
that I would be a baseball player...
and here I am.
What choice do I got?
Please God, I’m not asking for a hit,
I know that would be wrong.
Pride is a sin.
But could you give me a chance?
I swear, I’ll turn this game around.
I know a guy oughtta pray all the time,
and I don’t.
I know you’re too busy to pay attention
to a stupid baseball game.
But maybe I could make
these fifty thousand people a little happier.
Or maybe I’m just wasting your time.
Maybe there’s some other lesson
I’m supposed to learn.
|
||||
26. |
Batter's Box - 4. At Bat
02:59
|
|||
|
4. At Bat
Knowledge. Timing. Luck.
Come on! Get your mind on the game!
This is your moment, your time.
Breathe. Watch. Think.
That’s three curves in row,
inside low, inside high, inside low.
Give me another one,
I’ll knock it out of the park.
Knowledge. Timing. Luck.
What I want is a big, meaty fastball,
but I don’t think I’m gonna get it —
no, I know I’m not gonna get it.
That’s okay.
Another curve will do me fine.
I can hit a curve as good as anybody:
All those nights with dad in the batting cage,
when my hands were freezing cold,
I still kept hitting. For him.
Jesus, I didn’t even say thanks.
What if I don’t get the chance?
[He calls time out.]
What am I doing here?
Dad is watching,
he knows what I’m thinking.
He’s saying,
“Kiddo, forget about me,
get your head in the game.
Hit that ball,
show me what you’re made of.”
You can’t know what’s gonna happen,
all you can do is do your best.
And pray.
[He resumes play.]
Knowledge. Timing. Luck.
That’s all it takes.
The game is a game,
it goes on,
and I’m ready.
|
||||
27. |
||||
|
5. Postgame Interview
You always ask yourself,
“What could I have done differently?”
There’s plenty I could tell you —
there was a curve in the third
that I really should’ve hit,
there was that slider in the sixth
that I should’ve stopped.
But sometimes the game
doesn’t go your way,
there’s things you can’t control:
We worked hard, and today,
that’s as good as we could do.
Sure, I wish
I could’ve walked to the mound
after that last out,
knowing I called all the right pitches,
knowing I left an imprint on the game.
I don‘t know if I can say that today.
Ask me again tomorrow.
Sometimes, I think
the only thing that keeps me going
is coffee and Advil.
But the rest of the team,
they’re feeling strong.
And they’re still thinking on their feet,
you know?
Mentally, the season beats the hell out of you,
it’s like the feeling you get after
running a marathon,
but doing it everyday.
It takes a toll.
So you learn, you gotta completely
minimize your mistakes.
We haven’t been doing that,
but we can,
if we work hard,
from now through October,
because the World Series is for people who are doing,
not for people who think they’re due.
Yeah, thanks...
Honestly, we really don’t know
what’s gonna happen to him,
nobody does.
But we’re getting some tests back.
I’m going over there now,
take my mom out for some supper.
He keeps saying,
he’s gonna see me in the Series,
and I want to believe him.
The bottom line is,
whatever else happens,
I gotta keep playing.
I’ve worked too hard to get here.
I know this can be gone
as easily as it comes.
|
||||
American Modern Recordings New York, New York
American Modern Recordings (AMR) specializes in recordings of contemporary classical music, with an emphasis on music by living American composers. AMR is also the house label for the American Modern Ensemble (AME) and its affiliated ensembles. Our albums are critically-acclaimed and top-sellers on Amazon, CDBaby, iTunes, and everywhere recordings are sold. ... more
If you like Winter Songs: Vocal Music of Robert Paterson, you may also like:
The Journey Tapes (Deluxe Edition)
by Ed Carlsen
Six new bonus tracks round out the deluxe edition of this piano-driven contemporary classical masterpiece.
go to album
The Journey Tapes
by Ed Carlsen
Cinematic soundscapes from a rising contemporary classical star.
go to album
Expansive orchestral music that has all the weight and heft of post-rock.
go to album
Diaries: Schumann
by Tiffany Poon
Comprising 32 takes on iconic Robert Schumann compositions, the emergent pianist's Pentatone debut is a must-hear for classical fans.
go to album
Gorgeous and haunting performances of contemporary classical pieces for piano and electronics from Alfredo Ovalles.
go to album
Afterimage (잔상; 殘像): From Bach to Brouwer
by Bon Ha Gu
Classical guitarist Bon Ha Gu brings intimacy and warmth to works from baroque to contemporary.
go to album
Moments Remixes
by Michael Vincent Waller
There’s a quiet beauty to this remix album of compositions by Michael Vincent Waller, with contributions from JLin, Prefuse 73, & more.
go to album
