Official site of composer Andrea Clearfield. Biography, list of works with audio, score samples, reviews and program notes, photographs, upcoming performances.
Raya Gonen and Andrea Clearfield after the premiere of Farlorn Alemen
Scored for: soprano and piano, also arranged for SATB Chorus and Piano and Alto Flute and Guitar. Choral version published by G. Schirmer. Purchase here. Text: Sima Yashonksy-Feitelson Language: Yiddish Duration: 7 min. (entire song cycle – 15 minutes) Premiere: 11/19/08, Monmouth University, Pollak Theatre, Raya Gonen, soprano Commissioned by: Raya Gonen Published by: Self-published, Angelfire Press
Contact Trudy Chan at Black Tea Music for score and parts, or contact Andrea Clearfield:
This song cycle, commissioned by Israeli soprano, Raya Gonen is set to texts by Sima Yashonksy-Feitelson, an inmate of the Kovno getho. The song cycle consists of three sings: “Farlorn Alemen” (Losing everyone), “Du bist Avek” (You are gone), “Mein Land” (My homeland), a poem that Ms. Feitelson wrote after having been liberated and immigrated to Israel.
Sima Yashonsky-Feitelson was 16 years old when she lost both her parents and sibling in the Kovno Getho, Lithuania, during World War II. Her young husband was taken to a forced labot camp near Kovno, in which all of the Kovno Ghetto Jews were shot. His job was to burn their bodies. Sima documented her life and experiences in the ghetto in a booklet of poems in Yiddish, which bears witness to the atrocities, her feelings of fear, loss and doubt whether she would see her husband ever again. She also documented her resistance activities in the underground movement, which was formed there against the Nazis.
Sima immigrated to Israel (with her husband, who survived the Holocaust) and re-united with friends from the Ghetto, including soprano Raya Gonen’s parents. As a token of their friendship, Sima gave an autographed copy of her poems to Raya’s parents. After reading the poems, Raya felt compelled to be able to sing them, and thus commissioned Andrea Clearfield to set these poems to music so that they could be included on Raya’s touring Holocaust songs program.
The musical ideas arose from emotions and layers of meaning evoked by the poetry. “Farlorn Alemen” is a poem that asks poignantly, “Do you know what it means to be alone? Can anyone understand my heart’s pain?” The musical setting is made up of melodies that rise like questions with a single tone held, suspended, unsupported and vulnerable, over a piano ostinato. The melodic material was inspired by a haunting, pleading quality sometimes heard in cantorial chant and traditional Jewish song. Movement II, “Du Bist Avek” (You are gone) alternates between wandering contrapuntal lines representing the separation of Sima and her husband and strong, homogenous rhythms expressing their strength and courage in the resistance movement as they fight for their freedom. The words “ver veis” (who knows) repeat, representing the constant unknown. “Main Land” is a poem that Ms. Feitelson wrote after having been liberated and immigrated to Israel. The music is both joyful and introspective.
The songs are also available as a choral cycle (SATB chorus and piano). The first movement was commissioned by Nashirah, Jonathan Coopersmith, Artistic Director, and the second and third movements were commissioned by Harmonium Choral Society, Anne Matlack, Artistic Director.
REVIEW
“I have enjoyed Andrea Clearfield’s music previously, her Women of Valor on Albany (Fanfare 41:1). In that piece, one was aware of a clear compositional virtuosity; here she pens a slow Farlorn Alemen based on a Holocaust poem that is reprinted in the disc’s accompanying documentation. Taken from a song cycle for soprano and piano, this arrangement was written for Duo Sequenza and is positively haunting. On a personal level, this is the most touching music on the disc.” DUO SEQUENZA: YES, IT’S STILL A THING! Duo Sequenza (Debra Silvert, fl/alto fl; Paul Bowman, gtr) NAVONA 6467 –Colin Clarke, FANFARE Magazine, October, 2022
TEXT
FARLORN ALEMEN – English
poems by Sima Yashonksy-Feitelson (set in Yiddish, translation below by Raya Gonen)
I. Farlorn Alemen (Losing everybody)
Do you know what it means to be alone?
Can anyone understand my heart’s pain?
Losing mother, father, husband and friend
Who can I turn to today?
My heart is bleeding with pain
My eyes can shed no more tears
Everything in me has turned into stone from the pain
Together with them, I’ll never be again.
I will never know anymore the happiness which
I felt only a few weeks ago
I have no mother, father, husband anymore.
Is there still any happiness reserved for me in the world?
Will I never see them again, then?
Is my life lost forever?
Will I ever hear the words “I love you” anymore?
Will my life story thus be empty forever?
II. Du Bist Avek (You are gone)
You are gone, I have sent you myself.
It is enough for me to know: you love me only.
But often my heart is heavy.
And then, my love, I think only of you.
Who knows if we ever will see each other again?
Will we ever be happy together?
Will the suffering ever end?
Will there be an end to the pain?
Thus separate the roads:
You are fighting and I am ready for that.
But know one thing only: I’ll love you forever.
And only death will separate us.
So let us, beloved, fight for our freedom.
And let us hope: It will still be good.
Let us know only one word: vengeance!
For our innocent spilled blood!
III. Main Land (My Land)
You are beautiful, my land, my blooming secret.
You are restored by the sweat and blood of your children.
And beautiful is my nation in its land.
My proud and animated nation, from slavery made free.
We come to you from all angles of the world.
And like a mother you hold us close to your heart.
Your beauty and greenery is our consolation.
Your attention heals our pains.
We bring to you generations of suffering.
Courage and bravery from the suffocating “galut” (exile).
Even today our brothers still fight bravely.
Those who refuse to be oppressed.
The new generation mustn’t know all this.
Our children should now grow healthy, proud, free.
Because our generation is only the basis.
But they will renew the old one.
FARLORN ALEMEN – Yiddish transliteration
Tsi veys ihr vuhs ba-teit es zein aleyn?
Tsi ken mein harts, mein vey-tik ver far-shteyn?
Far-lorn ta-te, ma-me, mahn un freind;
Tsu ve-men zol mein blik; zikh ven-d’n heint?
Fun vey-tik blu-tik iz mein harts.
Fun di oy-gn ke-nen shoyn keyn
tre-rn mer nit geyn.
Veil siz dokh alts in mir fer-shtein-ert fun dem pein
Mit zey tsu-za-men vel ikh mer nit zein.
Un nit vi-sn vel ikh mer shoyn fun dem glik
vos ge-filt ikh, mit vokh-en nor tsu-rik.
Ikh hob nit mer keyn ta-te, ma-me, mahn.
Tsi iz glik nokh oyf der velt far mir fa-ran?
Tsi den vel ikh zey keyn-mol shoyn mit zen?
Tsi iz dos le-bn shoyn far mir far-shpilt tsi den?
Vel ikh mit her-n mer di ver-ter, “’kh’hob dikh lib”?
Tsi bleibt mein le-bn shoyn oyf ey-bik, ey-bik a-zoy trib?
Farlorn Alemen
Raya Gonen and Andrea Clearfield after the premiere of Farlorn Alemen
Scored for: soprano and piano, also arranged for SATB Chorus and Piano and Alto Flute and Guitar. Choral version published by G. Schirmer. Purchase here.
Text: Sima Yashonksy-Feitelson
Language: Yiddish
Duration: 7 min. (entire song cycle – 15 minutes)
Premiere: 11/19/08, Monmouth University, Pollak Theatre, Raya Gonen, soprano
Commissioned by: Raya Gonen
Published by: Self-published, Angelfire Press
Contact Trudy Chan at Black Tea Music for score and parts, or contact Andrea Clearfield:
See preview score pages: FARLORN ALEMEN excerpt (PDF)
LISTEN (CHORAL VERSION)
LISTEN (alto flute and guitar arrangement)
PROGRAM NOTES
This song cycle, commissioned by Israeli soprano, Raya Gonen is set to texts by Sima Yashonksy-Feitelson, an inmate of the Kovno getho. The song cycle consists of three sings: “Farlorn Alemen” (Losing everyone), “Du bist Avek” (You are gone), “Mein Land” (My homeland), a poem that Ms. Feitelson wrote after having been liberated and immigrated to Israel.
Sima Yashonsky-Feitelson was 16 years old when she lost both her parents and sibling in the Kovno Getho, Lithuania, during World War II. Her young husband was taken to a forced labot camp near Kovno, in which all of the Kovno Ghetto Jews were shot. His job was to burn their bodies. Sima documented her life and experiences in the ghetto in a booklet of poems in Yiddish, which bears witness to the atrocities, her feelings of fear, loss and doubt whether she would see her husband ever again. She also documented her resistance activities in the underground movement, which was formed there against the Nazis.
Sima immigrated to Israel (with her husband, who survived the Holocaust) and re-united with friends from the Ghetto, including soprano Raya Gonen’s parents. As a token of their friendship, Sima gave an autographed copy of her poems to Raya’s parents. After reading the poems, Raya felt compelled to be able to sing them, and thus commissioned Andrea Clearfield to set these poems to music so that they could be included on Raya’s touring Holocaust songs program.
The musical ideas arose from emotions and layers of meaning evoked by the poetry. “Farlorn Alemen” is a poem that asks poignantly, “Do you know what it means to be alone? Can anyone understand my heart’s pain?” The musical setting is made up of melodies that rise like questions with a single tone held, suspended, unsupported and vulnerable, over a piano ostinato. The melodic material was inspired by a haunting, pleading quality sometimes heard in cantorial chant and traditional Jewish song. Movement II, “Du Bist Avek” (You are gone) alternates between wandering contrapuntal lines representing the separation of Sima and her husband and strong, homogenous rhythms expressing their strength and courage in the resistance movement as they fight for their freedom. The words “ver veis” (who knows) repeat, representing the constant unknown. “Main Land” is a poem that Ms. Feitelson wrote after having been liberated and immigrated to Israel. The music is both joyful and introspective.
The songs are also available as a choral cycle (SATB chorus and piano). The first movement was commissioned by Nashirah, Jonathan Coopersmith, Artistic Director, and the second and third movements were commissioned by Harmonium Choral Society, Anne Matlack, Artistic Director.
REVIEW
“I have enjoyed Andrea Clearfield’s music previously, her Women of Valor on Albany (Fanfare 41:1). In that piece, one was aware of a clear compositional virtuosity; here she pens a slow Farlorn Alemen based on a Holocaust poem that is reprinted in the disc’s accompanying documentation. Taken from a song cycle for soprano and piano, this arrangement was written for Duo Sequenza and is positively haunting. On a personal level, this is the most touching music on the disc.” DUO SEQUENZA: YES, IT’S STILL A THING! Duo Sequenza (Debra Silvert, fl/alto fl; Paul Bowman, gtr) NAVONA 6467
–Colin Clarke, FANFARE Magazine, October, 2022
TEXT
FARLORN ALEMEN – English
poems by Sima Yashonksy-Feitelson (set in Yiddish, translation below by Raya Gonen)
I. Farlorn Alemen (Losing everybody)
Do you know what it means to be alone?
Can anyone understand my heart’s pain?
Losing mother, father, husband and friend
Who can I turn to today?
My heart is bleeding with pain
My eyes can shed no more tears
Everything in me has turned into stone from the pain
Together with them, I’ll never be again.
I will never know anymore the happiness which
I felt only a few weeks ago
I have no mother, father, husband anymore.
Is there still any happiness reserved for me in the world?
Will I never see them again, then?
Is my life lost forever?
Will I ever hear the words “I love you” anymore?
Will my life story thus be empty forever?
II. Du Bist Avek (You are gone)
You are gone, I have sent you myself.
It is enough for me to know: you love me only.
But often my heart is heavy.
And then, my love, I think only of you.
Who knows if we ever will see each other again?
Will we ever be happy together?
Will the suffering ever end?
Will there be an end to the pain?
Thus separate the roads:
You are fighting and I am ready for that.
But know one thing only: I’ll love you forever.
And only death will separate us.
So let us, beloved, fight for our freedom.
And let us hope: It will still be good.
Let us know only one word: vengeance!
For our innocent spilled blood!
III. Main Land (My Land)
You are beautiful, my land, my blooming secret.
You are restored by the sweat and blood of your children.
And beautiful is my nation in its land.
My proud and animated nation, from slavery made free.
We come to you from all angles of the world.
And like a mother you hold us close to your heart.
Your beauty and greenery is our consolation.
Your attention heals our pains.
We bring to you generations of suffering.
Courage and bravery from the suffocating “galut” (exile).
Even today our brothers still fight bravely.
Those who refuse to be oppressed.
The new generation mustn’t know all this.
Our children should now grow healthy, proud, free.
Because our generation is only the basis.
But they will renew the old one.
FARLORN ALEMEN – Yiddish transliteration
Tsi veys ihr vuhs ba-teit es zein aleyn?
Tsi ken mein harts, mein vey-tik ver far-shteyn?
Far-lorn ta-te, ma-me, mahn un freind;
Tsu ve-men zol mein blik; zikh ven-d’n heint?
Fun vey-tik blu-tik iz mein harts.
Fun di oy-gn ke-nen shoyn keyn
tre-rn mer nit geyn.
Veil siz dokh alts in mir fer-shtein-ert fun dem pein
Mit zey tsu-za-men vel ikh mer nit zein.
Un nit vi-sn vel ikh mer shoyn fun dem glik
vos ge-filt ikh, mit vokh-en nor tsu-rik.
Ikh hob nit mer keyn ta-te, ma-me, mahn.
Tsi iz glik nokh oyf der velt far mir fa-ran?
Tsi den vel ikh zey keyn-mol shoyn mit zen?
Tsi iz dos le-bn shoyn far mir far-shpilt tsi den?
Vel ikh mit her-n mer di ver-ter, “’kh’hob dikh lib”?
Tsi bleibt mein le-bn shoyn oyf ey-bik, ey-bik a-zoy trib?
Tsi veys ihr vuhs ba-teit es zein aleyn?