Full Fathom Five

Voicing: TTBB and piano and SATB and piano
Text: William Shakespeare (1564-1616) (The Tempest)
Published by: Cypress Choral Music (2020)
Version for SATB and piano: Cypress Choral Music (2020)

Notes: Composed in 2004 for Da Camera Singers, Edmonton, Canada. The text is one of Ariel's songs from Shakespeare's last play, The Tempest. Be sure to listen to the gorgeous live recording of the work sung by the men of the Ontario Youth Choir on the right. In 2019 Full Fathom Five was named the winning piece in the Chor Leoni C4 Competition.  Have a listen to their fabulous recording. Thanks to Erich Lichte, Ken Cormier (piano) and the men of the chorus for such a fine interpretation.  Full Fathom Five is also included in my  No Mortal Business, a large-scale work for choir and chamber orchestra on the life of Shakespeare (read more in my blog "Shakespeare's 400th"). See the Canadian Music Centre for further details on this work, and look for "No Mortal Business" in the blog section of this site to listen to the final movement in an amazing live performance by the Toronto Orpheus Choir, Robert Cooper, conductor.

Full fathom five thy father lies,
Of his bones are coral made,
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell.
Hark! now I hear them: ding, dong, bell.

Performed by: The Ontario Youth Choir, conducted by Dr. Marta McCarthy, Leslee Heys, piano; Grace Church on-the-Hill, Toronto; August 24, 2014.

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