Oh Long Desired Day/Water Song
Oh Long Desired Day/Water Song was commissioned by Empire State Youth Orchestra (ESYO) student, Emma Edgar, who directed a 2021 Soundwalk project. The Soundwalk was a community project in conjunction with ESYO’s Young Leader program that entailed the creation of several compositions to be performed and recorded by ESYO students and played on a smartphone app while the listener enjoys a Memorial Day stroll through the lovely Washington Park trail in Albany, NY (see front cover).
The commission stipulated pieces inspired by Albany’s Dutch heritage. I wanted to also include a nod to the Native American peoples that lived in the area long before the Dutch settlers. The result is a trio for two clarinets—Emma and I are both clarinetists—and cello that combines the Dutch folk song, O dag o lang gewenste dag (Oh long desired day) and the Akwesasne Mohawk tune honoring the sustaining gift of water.
O dag, o lang gewenste dag
day, o long desired day
Not many are allowed to wish
Our boats have returned to us.
It's from Hellevost or Rotterdam
From where my sweetheart has returned
And I’ll stop spinning.
I kicked the spinning wheel aside
I'd rather put it in a fire.
I kicked it with my feet.
And I want to go and see the barge
And if my dearest emerges,
How amicably I shall greet him.
A woman is no longer a spinster.
She is not a master of her honor.
She must not love young men.
But if “yes” has been uttered,
There is a knot so tied
Which no one can unbind.
The Water Song
We love the waters
The water is precious
Instrumentation
Two B♭ Clarinets
Cello
Duration
4:05
Audio
Digital Download Price
$20.95
View Sample Score
Print on Demand Price
$26.50 plus shipping
