ISABELLA NICOLE NESS

Rime of the Ancient Mariner

A setting of Part II from the epicby Samuel Taylor Coleridge

for baritone voice and string quartet

2013

Copyright Isabella Nicole Ness 2013

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Isabella Nicole Ness is a composer and vocalist intent on exploring and challenging the principles of storytelling. Part of a family of artists and readers, Isabella was born in 1993 in Alexandria, Virginia. At the age of six she began theory and piano lessons, which later led to voice and composition study that opened a new avenue of constructing narrative. Her music aims to tell vivid stories without written or spoken words by coloring emotions, characters, and scenes with particular orchestration and evocative melody.

Isabella is a student at Temple Universitys Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she is earning a Bachelor of Music in composition. She has studied piano and vocal pedagogy with Carol Hoppe Roberts and vocal performance under Angela Winter. During her time at Temple, Isabella has studied composition with Maurice Wright and Adam Vidiksis and has had pieces featured in master classes led by David Conte and Kui Dong.

Further samples of her work can be found athttp://soundcloud.com/SpontenousNess.

ABOUT THE WORK

Samuel Taylor Coleridges seven-part epic poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a tale of adventure, loss, supernatural meddling, and bittersweet repentance at the hands of an unforgivable ocean inspired by the nautical explorations of James Cook. Coleridge himself summarizes the piece;

How a ship having passed the Line was driven by storms to the cold Country towards the South Pole; and how from thence she made her course to the tropical Latitude of the Great Pacific Ocean; and of the strange things that befell; and in what manner the Ancyent Marinere came back to his own Country.

An old sailor, now a beggar, stops a young man outside of a wedding party and recounts the hellish story of a voyage gone terribly wrong. The ship is caught in a storm and blown widely off-course into Antarctic waters, where the crew is left alone except for an albatross flying above that the crew believes is leading them back to land. The Mariner shoots down the bird in a fit of hunger and, despite the crews initial support of killing the albatross for food, the spirits of the ocean are swept into a rage that tosses the ship into uncharted, still waters.The Mariner is forced to wear the albatross around his neck as punishment for dooming the crew, and soon the spirits of Death arrive on a ghost ship and gamble for the lives of the crew. Because he shot the albatross, the Mariner is cursed to live adrift in the purgatory of the dead ocean while the rest of the crew passes away. After some time the Mariner is found floating alone on his ship past the shore by three other sailors, who believe he is the devil incarnate. Once reaching land, the Mariner is so possessed with guilt for killing the albatross that he is compelled to continuously wander the earth, telling his story to any who will listen.

Rife with the metaphors of sin and reconciliation, Rime of the Ancient Mariners strict meter and thick text paint vivid images of the cursed crew stranded in an unforgiving ocean. I have set Part II in particular for its descriptions of the open waters and the consequences of the murder of the albatross, which have been fantastic for influencing the musical gestures of the piece. The music should be performed with general adherence to all emotions and articulations included, but the emotional instinct of the performers should be very much present throughout.

Duration ca. 7:20

RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINERSamuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 - 1834)

PART II

The Sun now rose upon the right: Water, water, every where,Out of the sea came he, And all the boards did shrink;Still hid in mist, and on the left Water, water, every where,Went down into the sea. Nor any drop to drink.

And the good south wind still blew behind, The very deep did rot: O Christ!But no sweet bird did follow, That ever this should be!Nor any day for food or play Yea, slimy things did crawl with legsCame to the mariners hollo! Upon the slimy sea.

And I had done a hellish thing, About, about, in reel and routAnd it would work em woe: The death-fires danced at night;For all averred, I had killed the bird The water, like a witchs oils,That made the breeze to blow. Burnt green, blue, and white.Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay,That made the breeze to blow! And some in dreams assurd were Of the spirit that plagued us so;Nor dim nor red, like Gods own head, Nine fathom deep he had followed usThe glorious sun uprist: From the land of mist and snow.Then all averred, I had killed the birdThe brought the fog and mist. And every tongue, through utter draught,Twas right, said they, such birds to slay, Was withered at the root;That bring the fog and mist. We could not speak, no more than if We had been choked with soot.The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,The furrow followed free; Ah! Well a-day! what evil looksWe were the first that ever burst Had I from the old and young!Into that silent sea. Instead of the cross, the Albatross About my neck was hung.Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down,Twas sad as it could be;And we did speak only to breakThe silence of the sea!

All in a hot and copper sky,The bloody Sun, at noon,Right up above the mast did stand,No bigger than the Moon.

Day after day, day after day,We stuck, nor breath nor motion;As isle as a painted shipUpon a painted ocean.

Part IIfromSamuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)

Rime of the Ancient MarinerIsabella Nicole Ness (b. 1993)

Isabella Nicole Ness, 2013. All rights reserved.

D=46

Placidly

Placidly

Placidly

Placidly

Baritone

Violin I

Violin II

Viola

Cello

5

The

Sun now rose up on the

right: Out of the sea came

3

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

2

8

he, Still

hid in mist, and on the left went down in

to the sea. And the

3

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

11

good south wind still blew be hind, But

no sweet bird did fol low, Nor

a ny day for food or play came to the

3

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Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

14

ma ri ner's hol lo!

With more spirit

With more spirit

With more spirit

With more spirit

Bar.

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Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

3

17

And

I had done a hell ish thing, And

it would work 'em woe: For

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

20

all a verred, I had killed the bird That

made the breeze to blow.

Ah wretch! said they, the bird to

3

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Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

4

23

slay, That made the

breeze to blow.

3

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Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

25

Down dropt the breeze,

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

27

the sails dropt down,

'Twas sad as it could be;

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

5

29

And we did speak on ly to

senza vib. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - senza vib. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

senza vib. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - senza vib. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

break The

si lence of the

sea!

3

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Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

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34

Bar.

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Vln. II

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38

molto rallentando molto rallentando

molto rallentando

molto rallentando

a tempo, molto rallentando a tempo, molto rallentando a tempo, molto rallentando

a tempo, molto rallentando

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

6

42

D=90

a tempo, ferventlyWa ter,

Wa

ter

a tempo, fervently

a tempo, fervently

a tempo, fervently

a tempo, fervently

ev 'ry where, And

all the boards did

shrink,

33

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

46

Wa ter, Wa

ter

ev 'ry where, nor

a ny drop to

drink.

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

7

51

Overwraught

The

ve ry deep did

rot, Oh Christ!

That ev en this should

be! Yea,

pizz. pizz.

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

56

sli my things did

pizz.

pizz.

crawl with legs, Up

on the sli my

sea. A

3

3

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Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

60

bout, a bout, in

Frenzied

arco Frenzied

arco Frenzied

arcoFrenzied

arco

reel and rout, the

death fires danced at

night, The

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

8

64

wa ter, like a

witch es oils,

Burnt green, blue and

white. And

3

3

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

68

some in dreams a

ssur ed were Of the

Spi rit that plagued us

so;

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Vln. II

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9

72

IcilyNine fa thom deep he had

fol lowed us From the

land of mist and

snow.

Moving to sul ponte, as if drying up - -

Moving to sul ponte, as if drying up - -

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

79

And

sul pont.

sul pont.

- - - - - -

ev' ry tongue, through

ut ter drought, Was

with ered at the root; We could not

3

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Vln. II

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10

83

speak, no more than if

We had been choked

with

soot.

Whistfullynormale

3

3

Bar.

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Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

88

normaleWhistfully

normaleWhistfully

normaleWhistfully

Bar.

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Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

93

Bar.

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Vln. II

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11

101

D=48Freely, as if revealing a secret

Ah! well a day! What e vil

looks Had I from the old and young! In

3

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Vln. II

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105

stead of the cross, In

stead of the cross,

the

Al ba tross, the

Al ba tross

3 33 3

Bar.

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Vln. II

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12

109

A bout my neck

was

hung;

Calling from the depths

Calling from the depths

was

Calling from the depths

Calling from the depths

hung.

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.

114

rit.

rit.

rit.

rit.

sul pont.

sul pont.sul pont.

sul pont.

Bar.

Vln. I

Vln. II

Vla.

Cell.