Alliance Music Publications Inc.

Composed by Jean Ford Belmont
Voicing: SATB
Instrumentation: cello
Catalog number: AMP 0446
Price: $2.50

SKY LOOM

Oh our Mother the Earth, weave for us
As long as the moon shall rise,
As long as the rivers shall flow, weave for us.
Oh our Father the Sky,

As long as the sun shall shine,
As long as the grass shall grow, weave,
Weave for us a garment of brightness;

May the warp be the white light of morning,
May the weft be the red light of evening,
May the fringes be the falling rain,
May the border be the standing rainbow.

Weave for us, our Mother the Earth,
That we may walk fittingly as long as the moon shall rise,
Walk fittingly where birds sing, as long as the rivers shall flow.

Weave, oh our Father the Sky,
That we may walk as long as the sun shall shine,
Walk fittingly where grass is green.

Oh our Mother the Earth, Oh our Father the Sky,
Your children are we, and with tired backs
We bring you gifts,
We bring you the gifts that you love.

“Song of the Sky Loom,"”from Songs of the Tewa by Herbert J. Spinden. Permission for the composer's use and adaptation of this poem in its current setting was granted courtesy of Sunstone Press, Box 2321, Santa Fe NM 87504-2321.

“Expression for Term of a Treaty,” Anonymous (set in italics)

Composer's Comments To honor my fathers, I have borrowed two eloquent North American Indian texts and woven them into a musical fabric intended to symbolize the intertwined threads that link a parent and child - or a people and the land.

The text “Song of the Sky Loom” contains a supplication, “that we may walk fittingly,” that is, respectfully and reverently, offering what gifts we have in exchange for the bounty we have received.

There is an irony in the lack of correspondence between the treaty text and actual historical practice. Nevertheless, the words remain as a constant reminder of aspiration and responsibility.

The tessitura for the voices is low, and the sound is meant to be rich and full- close to the earth.

The cello walks with the singers like a companion, or a father, or a spirit that supports and illuminates.

Click here to see a sample.

Click here to listen to a recording (MP3).



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