Official site of composer Andrea Clearfield. Biography, list of works with audio, score samples, reviews and program notes, photographs, upcoming performances.
Issue 41:1 (Sept/Oct 2017) Fanfare Magazine, review by Colin Clarke.
Women of Valor logo by Louise Clearfield
Scored for: soprano and 1 or 2 mezzo-soprano solos, narrator, symphony orchestra. Also arranged for sop., mz, narr. and chamber ensemble (vln, perc. pno.). Arias and sets are also available with piano only.
Instrumentation: Picc, 2 Fl, 2 Ob, E.H., 2 Cl (Bb)., 2 Bsn, 4 Hn, 3 Tpt (C), 2 Tbn, Tba, 4 Perc, Pno/Celesta, Harp, Strings. Women of Valor Chamber Version (one hour) scored for soprano, mezzo, narrator, violin, percussion and piano. Women of Valor Suite (30 minutes, same scoring as chamber version) includes a new movement “Hagar”: Sarah/Hagar; Leah/Rachel; Jocheved/Miriam. Treble choir arrangements available for Sarah, Jocheved and Hagar with piano or chamber ensemble: soprano, mezzos (1 or 2), vln,(fl or ob), narrator, percussion and piano. All arias available for solo voice and piano. Commissioned by:The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, Noreen Green, artistic director
Texts: Alicia Ostriker, Marge Piercy, Rivka Miriam (translated from the Hebrew by Linda Zisquit), “Rachel” (translated from the Hebrew by Robert Friend), Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael, Sandy Shanin, Roza Yakubovitsh (translated from the Yiddish by Kathryn Hellerstein) , Isidor Lillian, Ellen Frankel and Andrea Clearfield Language: primarily English with some Hebrew and Yiddish Duration: One hour, 9 minutes Premiere: April 16, 2000, Royce Hall, Los Angeles; Hila Plitmann, soprano; Gail Dubinbaum, mezzo-soprano; Valerie Harper, narrator and the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony under the direction of Noreen Green
Recordings: Albany Label. Featuring award winning soloists Hila Plitmann and Rinat Shaham and celebrity narrator, Tova Feldshuh with the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, produced by Fred Vogler. Order here.
“Celebration: Miriam at the Red Sea” – painting by Louise Clearfield
Publisher:Women of Valor is published Angelfire Press. Contact Black Tea Music for scores.
Scholarly Texts: inclusion in the Encyclopedia of Biblical Reception, article by Helen Leneman, published by deGruyter Contact Andrea Clearfield:
Women of Valor is a celebration of women from the Old Testament. The cantata was inspired by a midrash (biblical commentary) on Proverbs where each line of the biblical text from Proverbs 31 represents a biblical woman. Women of Valor highlights the stories of Sarah, Leah, Rachel, Jocheved, Miriam, Hannah, Jael, Michal, Ruth and Esther. The hour-long work is scored for soprano and 1 or 2 mezzo-soprano soloists, narrator and symphony orchestra. It was given its world premiere in Los Angeles on April 16th, 2000 by the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony under the direction of Dr. Noreen Green and was favorably reviewed in the Los Angeles Times. Soloists were Hila Plittman, soprano and Gail Dubinbaum, mezzo-soprano, and the narrator was noted television actress Valerie Harper. The performance was sponsored by Hadassah Southern California, who created educational programs around the work. A story on Women of Valor was broadcast nationally on NPR’s All Things Considered in April, 2000. “Ruth’s Aria” was awarded First Prize in the Classical Category of the American Jewish Music Festival 2000 Competition. The chamber version of Women of Valor is scored for soprano and mezzo-soprano soloists, violin, Middle Eastern percussion, piano and narrator and has been performed at the University of Pennsylvania as part of the international colloquium “Jewish Biblical Interpretation in Comparitive Context” sponsored by the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies and at numerous synagogues. “Hannah’s Prayer” (“Prayer”) for soprano, harp and string orchestra has been performed at the Liacoras Center in Philadelphia at the Opening Ceremonies for the National Maccabi Games in honor of the Munich 11 athletes and was also performed in the fall of 2001 in Beverly Hills as a memoriam to those who died on September 11, 2001. “Jocheved” is arranged for women’s chorus and has been performed in England, Germany and the U.S. by the Lady Chapel Singers and is published in the Episcopal Church Hymnal Supplement “Voices Found: Women in the Church’s Song” by Church Publishing. The arias from Women of Valor are also arranged for voice with piano accompaniment. The Lehigh Valley Orchestra presented the East Coast premiere of Women of Valor in January, 2004 in Allentown, Pennsylvania sponsored by the Jewish/Christian Institute for Understanding, and an arrangement of the work for chamber orchestra was performed by the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony in March, 2004 with celebrity narrator, Laraine Newman. Women of Valor Oratorio is published by LeDor Publishing. Download Women of Valor program notes (complete):WOMEN OF VALOR NOTES (PDF) Download Women of Valor logo by Louise Clearfield: WOMEN OF VALOR LOGO (PDF)
QUOTES
Noreen Green conducting Women of Valor
“One of the highlights of my career as a conductor was to present the premiere of Andrea Clearfield’s oratorio, Women of Valor. The expansive work is accessible to all, incredibly well crafted both in its musical form and the arch of its emotional impact on an audience. From the moment the work begins you are catapulted to a different world filled with beautiful poetry and music. Each word is musically enriched as the piece brilliantly weaves the unique perspectives of the stories of 10 biblical women. Both the orchestral and vocal writing are of the highest caliber. It is a work that deserves many performances.”
–Dr. Noreen Green, The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, artistic director
“I’m just about breathless! The music just speaks to me, right from the opening bars, mysterious and frightening! The performance is so well done!
-Jackie Kovach, Oboist
LISTEN
REVIEWS
Louise and Andrea Clearfield with Valerie Harper and Noreen Green. Women of Valor painting by Louise Clearfield.
Clearfield’s world premiere easily dominated the afternoon. For all its Romantic climaxes and affirmations of tonality, the work’s scoring is not at all heavy, even glistening. The lavishly whirling dance of Miriam was the chief crowd-pleaser.”
-Richard S. Ginell, Los Angeles Times, April 18, 2000
“Women of Valor” was the most elaborate and imaginative new composition I’ve heard in the Valley in a long time. Clearfield reached far and deep in her work…”
-Philip Metzger, The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, January 22, 2004
“Sensational! Fantastic! reported our West Coast correspondent on the premiere of Women of Valor at UCLA on April 16, 2000…I was unprepared for the sheer emotional impact of the piece…”
-Deborah Kravitz, Penn Sounds (A Periodical Serving Pennsylvania Composers), Fall, 2000
“Excerpts from Clearfield’s Women of Valor are woven through with exotic Semitic melodies and seized by a passionate need to communicate what’s behind the words.”
-David Patrick Stearns, The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 11, 2005
“’Prayer’ (from Women of Valor) is both authentic and effective. Built on the cantillation of the biblical Hannah’s prayer, it was premiered at the 2001 opening ceremonies of the JCC Maccabi games in Philadelphia to commemorate the eleven Israeli athletes murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics.”
-Rabbi Baruch Cohon, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
“The highlight of the concert was the preview performance of “Ruth’s Aria” from Andrea Clearfield’s Women of Valor. Based on poems by Marge Piercy, Ruth’s pledge echoes through the ages in text and notes, expressing Ruth’s longing…”
-Deborah Kravetz, Penn Sounds, A Periodical Serving Pennsylvania Composers, Spring, 2000
CD REVIEWS
Women of Valor
…ingenious and invigorating composition…inspiring and radiant creativity…a maturing masterpiece performed by a groundbreaking orchestra, two world class soloists and an acclaimed American actress and playwright. Ms. Clearfield has presented powerful and modern insights into the Women of the Old Testament, that at times gives your heart a tug and offers an intense musical and emotional reaction giving credence to one’s spirituality and religious journey. This CD “Women of Valor”, on the Albany Label should be required listening for those who wish to broaden their artistic perceptions of Life.
– Stan Schmidt, Producer/Host, Going Beyond Words, October 8, 2017
Women of Valor in Fanfare Magazine
“Taking biblical text as narrative for recitatives and poetry by contemporary Jewish women for the arias, the hole presenting an interpretation of Proverbs 31 in terms of a biblical woman’s story, Andrea Clearfield has constructed a major work, an oratorio for soprano, mezzo, narrator, and orchestra that celebrates “women of valor.”…The soloists are excellent. Soprano Hila Plitmann and mezzo Rinat Shaham have voices that ideally complement each other…Clearfield’s scoring is remarkable at times; try the highly atmospheric recitative “She rises while it is still night” or the incredibly skillful contrapuntal brass writing …Yet she can write with an almost Mahlerian weight for strings, too…Green’s direction is faultless, in both accompanyng her singers and in having a clear long-range vision of the work. The recording is of the very highest standard.…” (Fanfare)
-Colin Clark, Fanfare Magazine, 41:1 (Sept/Oct 2017)
A Beautiful and Memorable Modern Oratorio About Select Biblical Women
“It is indeed a rare treat to hear a haunting and beautiful oratorio based on 10 biblical women written in very recent times by a woman, conduced by a woman, with women soloists, and it features a woman narrator. It is interesting to note here that this oratorio features some of the most poignant stories of the Bible. The music found here is based on biblical cantiltation, ancient Jewish liturgical scalar patterns, Middle Eastern rhythms as well as Jewish folk and sacred music. As the composer explains that the framework for a substantial piece wherein the biblical narrative would serve as text for the recitatives and uses poetry by contemporary Jewish women supplies the text for the various arias found here. The Program – Women of Valor – Andrea Clearfield – Composer – An Oratorio for Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Narrator and Orchestra – ALBANY – TT: 62:54 – (2017) – Tovah Feldshuh – (TF) – Narrator; Hila Plitmann – (HP), Soprano; Rinat Shaham – (RS), Mezzo-Soprano; Los Angeles Jewish Symphony Orchestra, Noreen Green, Artistic Director – MOVEMENT I – i. Prelude and Recitative – (RS, TF); ii. Sarah – (HP, RS, TF); iii. Recitative – (RS); iv. Leah – (RS, TF); v. Recitative and Rachel – (HP); vi. Recitative – (RS); vii. Jocheved – (RS, TF); MOVEMENT II – viii. Recitative – (HP); ix. Miriam – (HP, RS, TF); x. Hannah – (HP, TF); xi. Jael – (RS, TF); MOVEMENT III – xii. Recitative – (HP< RS); xiii. Michal - (RS, TF); xiv. Recitative - (HP, TF); xv. Ruth - (HP, TF); xvi. Recitative - (RS); xvii. Esther - (HP, RS); xviii. Eishes Chayel - (RS, HP).
The soloists are very stylish, diction is excellent, the narrator is clear and concise. The musical accompaniments by the symphony orchestra are empathic and reflect a very sympatric approach to the music itself. Excellent program notes feature the complete texts utilized in this superb performance.
- Dennis E. Ferrera, Amazon Review, June 26, 2017
BOOKS
Women of Valor in The Bible and Music by James F. McGrath
Read about Women of Valor in Chapter 34 here.
TEXT
Women of Valor
MOVEMENT I
A woman of valor, who can find?
Her worth is far beyond rubies.
Her husband puts his confidence in her,
And lacks no good thing. (Proverbs 31)
Sarah
[Narrated text from The Five Books of Miriam by Ellen Frankel; Sung text by Andrea Clearfield]
I am the first Jewish woman, the first Jewish wife, the first Jewish mother. As a young beauty, I left my home, my family, my culture, and my faith, and with my beloved Abram set off to follow the Voice-Without-a-Face.
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Ancient One
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Aged One
I braved the harems of Pharaoh and Abimelach, banished Hagar and her son, subjected my aged body to the travails of birth, and watched my husband lead my only son off to death.
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Barren One
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Blessed One
Sarah, the Princess, Sarah, the Priestess, Sarah, the Chieftenness
Sarah, the Mother of the Jews
I am wise because I have faced impossible choices and have nonetheless chosen. I am shrewd because I have learned to laugh at miracles and thereby to force God’s hand.
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Learned One
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Laughing One
Sarah, the Mother, the Ancient One
And God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, Serai, you shall not call her Serai but her name shall be Sarah. I will bless her, indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she shall give rise to nations.”
(Genesis 17:15)
Leah
She is good to him, never bad, all the days of her life.
She looks for wool and flax,
And sets her hand to them with a will. (Proverbs 31)
[Sung text from “The Tune to Jacob Who Removed the Stone from the Mouth of the Well” by Rivka Miriam. Translated from the Hebrew by Linda Zisquit]
Laban had two daughters; the name of the older one was Leah and the name of the younger one was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes; Rachel was shapely and beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.
(Genesis 29:16)
He didn’t know I was Leah,
and I — I was Leah.
Rachel, he said, Rachel, like a lamb
the grass becomes part of, stems are part of you.
Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is fulfilled, that I may cohabit with her.” And Laban gathered all the people of the place and made a feast. When evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him; and he cohabited with her. When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I was in your service for Rachel! Why did you deceive me?” (Genesis 29:21)
Flocks of sheep hummed between our blankets,
tent-flies were pulled to the wind.
Rachel, he said, Rachel –
and my eyes, they were weak
the bottom of a dark swamp.
The whites of his eyes melted
to the whites of my eyes.
The cords of his tent held fast to the ground
while the wind was blowing from the palms of my hands.
And he didn’t know I was Leah
and flocks of sons broke through my womb to his hands.
Rachel
She is like a merchant fleet, bringing her food from afar.
(Proverbs 31)
[Sung text from “Rokhl” by Roza Yakubovitsh, translated from the Yiddish by Kathryn Hellerstein]
From palms and olives, shadows descend over wells.
The daughters of Bethlehem come there to water the sheep.
And fragrant, blossoming, turn homeward with songs,
Flowing into the twilight glow of day.
But Leah, my sister, stays seated, alone and pale.
No messenger comes to her in the darkening field,
Her stars in soft, heavenly air give no light.
O, she loves Jacob, and he chose beauty, Me, Rachel
O, tearful sister, do you remember?
How, for my sake, he rolled the stone from the well,
How, for my sake, he sold himself as a slave,
He tends the camels of Laban with joy
For my sake–
Today I bestow him upon you!
I bestow upon you the one destined for me;
my only desire,
O, Leah, my sister,
You don’t know how great my offering, forever
when I part from him.
Jocheved
She rises while it is still night, supplying food for her
children, the daily fare of her maids.
She sets her mind on an estate and acquires it;
With her hands she plants a vineyard. (Proverbs 31)
[Narrated text, Exodus 2:1-4; Sung text “Jocheved’s Song” by Sandy Shanin]
A certain man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman. The woman, [Jocheved], conceived and bore a son; and when she saw how beautiful he was, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer, she got a wicker basket for him and caulked it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child into it and placed it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. And his sister [Miriam] stationed herself at a distance, to learn what would befall him.
There’s a wind that blew the dark news to me
Of Pharaohs harsh and ugly decree
that my first born Moshe is soon to die
So I hid him in the river where the reeds are high
Oh wind that blows on the river of reeds
Blow Moshe his mother’s sweet melodies
Rock him in your watery womb
And keep him safe and warm
With pain, I brought Moshe into this world
With agony sharp, I must let him go
To save his life I must crush my soul
And I cast off the seed that I once did sow
Oh wind that blows on the river of reeds
Blow Moshe his mother’s sweet melodies
Rock him in your watery womb
And keep him safe and warm
I will suckle him on his mother’s sweet love
I will suckle him on what God says is right
I will suckle him on our history
I will suckle him on God’s word and God’s might
Oh wind that blows on the river of reeds
Blow Moshe his mother’s sweet melodies
Rock him in your watery womb
And keep him safe and warm
MOVEMENT II
She girds herself with strength, and performs her tasks with vigor.
She sees that her lamp never goes out at night.
She sets her hand to the distaff; her fingers work the spindle.
(Proverbs 31)
Miriam
[Narrated text from The Five Books of Miriam by Ellen Frankel; Sung text from “The Songs of Miriam” by Alicia Ostriker from The Nakedness of the Fathers: Biblical Visions and Revisions]
I am the singer, the Dancer, the Drummer of Israel. I celebrate the myriad contributions of Jewish women through the ages. I champion their dreams, nurture their desires, encourage them when their spirits flag. Mine is the voice of joy, of victory, of power. I prophesy the redemption of all our people! My vision is clear and limitless. I see to the last generation!
I am Miriam, daughter of Israel
We gather the limbs, we gather the limbs
We gather the limbs of the child
We sing to the river, we bathe in the river
We save the life of the child.
If you listen to me once
You will have to go on listening to me
I am Miriam the prophetess
Miriam who makes the songs
I lead the women in a sacred circle
Shaking our breasts and hips
With timbrels and with dances
Singing how we got over
O God of hosts
The horse and his rider
Have you thrown into the sea –
That is my song, my music, my
Unended and unfinished prophecy –
O God of hosts
Never again bondage
Never again terror
O God of hosts.
Follow me, follow my drum
Follow my drum, follow my drum
Follow me, follow my drum
Follow my drum
Hannah
[Narrated text written by Ellen Frankel for Women of Valor]
I am Hannah, a woman bereft, an arid field, an empty well. My hopes for the future remain as yet unborn, my abundant love, unmilked. To those around me, I appear as one mute, my words reduced to whispers and sighs. Watching my lips move, hearing no sound, it would seem that I give myself over to despair or madness. But the truth is quite otherwise: with a full heart, I offer up my barrenness to God, pledging the first fruit of my womb if my prayers are answered. For I understand better than the mother of ten sons, that our children are not ours to keep, but only ours to give. I am Hannah. I pray from my heart, and my heart’s song is heard.
Eishet Hayil (Proverbs 31:10-31)
Ei-shet ha-yil mi yim-tsa
V’ra-chok mip-ni-nom mich-ra
Ba-tach ba lev ba-la
V’sha-lal lo yech-sar
G’ma-lat-hu tov v’-lo ra
Kol y’me cha-ye-ha
Dar-sha tse-mer u-fish-im
Va-ta as b’che-fets ka-pe-ha
Hai-ta ka-a-ni-ot so-cher
Mi-mer chak ta-vi lach-ma
Va-ta kam b’od lai-la
Va-ti-ten te-ref l’ve-ta
V’chok l’-na’-ro-te-ha
Za-m’-ma sa-de va-ti-ka-che-hu
Mi-pri ka-pe-ha nat’-a ka-rem
Chag-ra b’oz mat-ne-ha
Va-t-a-mets z’ro-o-te-ha
Jael
[Sung text from Judges 5:24 - 28; Narrated text from Judges 5:31]
Most blessed of women be Jael,
Wife of Heber the Kenite,
Most blessed of women in tents.
He asked for water, she offered milk;
In a princely bowl she brought him curds.
Her left hand reached for the tent pin,
Her right for the workmen’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, crushed his head,
Smashed and pierced his temple.
At her feet he sank, lay outstretched
At her feet he sank, lay still;
Where he sank, there he lay — destroyed.
Through the window peered Sisera’s mother,
Behind the lattice she gazed:
“Why is his chariot so long in coming?”
And the land was tranquil forty years.
MOVEMENT III
She spreads out her palms to the poor;
And extends her hands to the needy.
She is not worried because of snow,
For her whole household is dressed in crimson.
She makes garments for herself;
Her clothing is linen and purple.
Her husband is prominent in the gates,
As he sits among the elders of the land.
(Proverbs 31)
Michal
[Text by RACHEL, translated from the Hebrew by Robert Friend with Shimon Sandbank]
And Michal, Saul’s daughter loved David — and she despised him in her heart.
Michal, distant sister, time’s thread has not been broken,
time’s thorns in your sad vineyard have not prevailed.
Still in my ear I hear the tinkling of your gold anklet,
The stripes in your silk garment have not paled.
Often have I seen you standing by your small window,
pride and tenderness mingling in your eyes.
Like you I am sad, O Michal, distant sister,
and like you I am doomed to love a man whom I despise.
Ruth
She makes cloth and sells it,
And delivers a girdle to the merchant.
She is clothed with strength and splendor;
She looks to the future cheerfully.
Her mouth is full of wisdom,
Her tongue with kindly teaching.
She oversees the activities of her household
And never eats the bread of idleness.
Her children declare her happy;
Her husband praises her,
“Many women have done well,
But you surpass them all.”
(Proverbs 31)
[Text from “The Book of Ruth and Naomi” from Mars and her Children by Marge Piercy]
Where you go, I will go too,
your people shall be my people,
I will be a Jew for you,
for what is yours I will love
as I love you, oh Naomi
my mother, my sister, my heart.
Show me a woman who does not dream
a double, heart’s twin, a sister
of the mind in whose ear she can whisper,
whose hair she can braid as her life
twists its pleasure and pain and shame.
Show me a woman who does not hide
in the locket of bone that deep
eye beam of fiercely gentle love
she had once from mother, daughter,
sister; once like a warm moon
that radiance aligned the tides
of her blood into potent order.
At the season of first fruits we recall
two travelers, co-conspirators, scavengers
making do with leftovers and mill ends,
whose friendship was stronger than fear,
stronger than hunger, who walked together
the road of shards, hands joined.
Where you go, I will go too,
your people shall be my people,
I will be a Jew for you,
for what is yours I will love
as I love you, oh Naomi
my mother, my sister, my heart.
Esther
Grace is deceptive,
Beauty is ephemeral;
It is an intelligent woman who should be praised.
Extol her for the fruit of her hand,
And let her works praise her in the gates.* (Proverbs 31)
*Translation by Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton
[Text by Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael and paraphrased from the Book of Esther 6:2 ,3]
I, Esther, daughter of the hidden Light
Cloak to the Shechinah,
Soaked in myrrh and oiled in frankincense
Bathe in the light of the eternal
Poised at the brink of death
with faith alone as my shield
Driven by a force of inner fire,
the will of desire to subdue a king.
“What is your wish, Queen Esther, and what is your request?”
“Let my life be granted me as my wish, and my people as my request.”
For the strength of a woman’s beauty is her spirit untamed
and the legacy of her lifetime is the power of her name.
A woman of valor, who can find? (Proverbs 31)
Eishes Chayil
[Text by Isidor Lillian, the following excerpts are sung in Yiddish]
An e-me-se ei-shes cha-yil
an e-me-se ei-shes cha-yil
a tei-e-re kein trei-ch-re fin ihr z’ni-tu
A gol-de-ne ne-shu-me
a na-ches a ne-chu-me
a lie-be froi
a gi-te ma-me niu
A za gei-ne froi wie sie
breingt in hois nor har-mo-nie
S’lei-ben is a sim-pho-ny
Ei-shes cha-yil
English translation by Kathryn Hellerstein
A true valiant woman
A dear one, there is no one dearer than you
A golden soul
A pleasure and a comfort
A beloved woman
A good mother
Such a fine woman as she
Brings into the house only harmony
Life is a symphony
Women of Valor
“STUNNING NEW ORATORIO BY ANDREA CLEARFIELD GIVEN A MAGNIFICENT PERFORMANCE BY THE LOS ANGELES JEWISH SYMPHONY” – Albany Records
“A major work”, “remarkable scoring”, “highly atmospheric”, “incredibly skillful contrapuntal brass writing”.
Issue 41:1 (Sept/Oct 2017) Fanfare Magazine, review by Colin Clarke.
Women of Valor logo by Louise Clearfield
Scored for: soprano and 1 or 2 mezzo-soprano solos, narrator, symphony orchestra. Also arranged for sop., mz, narr. and chamber ensemble (vln, perc. pno.). Arias and sets are also available with piano only.
Instrumentation: Picc, 2 Fl, 2 Ob, E.H., 2 Cl (Bb)., 2 Bsn, 4 Hn, 3 Tpt (C), 2 Tbn, Tba, 4 Perc, Pno/Celesta, Harp, Strings. Women of Valor Chamber Version (one hour) scored for soprano, mezzo, narrator, violin, percussion and piano. Women of Valor Suite (30 minutes, same scoring as chamber version) includes a new movement “Hagar”: Sarah/Hagar; Leah/Rachel; Jocheved/Miriam. Treble choir arrangements available for Sarah, Jocheved and Hagar with piano or chamber ensemble: soprano, mezzos (1 or 2), vln,(fl or ob), narrator, percussion and piano. All arias available for solo voice and piano.
Commissioned by: The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, Noreen Green, artistic director
Texts: Alicia Ostriker, Marge Piercy, Rivka Miriam (translated from the Hebrew by Linda Zisquit), “Rachel” (translated from the Hebrew by Robert Friend), Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael, Sandy Shanin, Roza Yakubovitsh (translated from the Yiddish by Kathryn Hellerstein) , Isidor Lillian, Ellen Frankel and Andrea Clearfield
Language: primarily English with some Hebrew and Yiddish
Duration: One hour, 9 minutes
Premiere: April 16, 2000, Royce Hall, Los Angeles; Hila Plitmann, soprano; Gail Dubinbaum, mezzo-soprano; Valerie Harper, narrator and the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony under the direction of Noreen Green
Recordings: Albany Label. Featuring award winning soloists Hila Plitmann and Rinat Shaham and celebrity narrator, Tova Feldshuh with the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, produced by Fred Vogler. Order here.
“Celebration: Miriam at the Red Sea” – painting by Louise Clearfield
Publisher: Women of Valor is published Angelfire Press. Contact Black Tea Music for scores.
Contact Andrea Clearfield:
See preview score pages: WOMEN OF VALOR PIANO/VOCAL SCORE EXCERPT (PDF)
Women of Valor CD
Albany Label, “a haunting and beautiful modern oratorio“
YOUTUBE
PROGRAM NOTES (EXCERPT)
Women of Valor is a celebration of women from the Old Testament. The cantata was inspired by a midrash (biblical commentary) on Proverbs where each line of the biblical text from Proverbs 31 represents a biblical woman. Women of Valor highlights the stories of Sarah, Leah, Rachel, Jocheved, Miriam, Hannah, Jael, Michal, Ruth and Esther. The hour-long work is scored for soprano and 1 or 2 mezzo-soprano soloists, narrator and symphony orchestra. It was given its world premiere in Los Angeles on April 16th, 2000 by the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony under the direction of Dr. Noreen Green and was favorably reviewed in the Los Angeles Times. Soloists were Hila Plittman, soprano and Gail Dubinbaum, mezzo-soprano, and the narrator was noted television actress Valerie Harper. The performance was sponsored by Hadassah Southern California, who created educational programs around the work. A story on Women of Valor was broadcast nationally on NPR’s All Things Considered in April, 2000. “Ruth’s Aria” was awarded First Prize in the Classical Category of the American Jewish Music Festival 2000 Competition. The chamber version of Women of Valor is scored for soprano and mezzo-soprano soloists, violin, Middle Eastern percussion, piano and narrator and has been performed at the University of Pennsylvania as part of the international colloquium “Jewish Biblical Interpretation in Comparitive Context” sponsored by the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies and at numerous synagogues. “Hannah’s Prayer” (“Prayer”) for soprano, harp and string orchestra has been performed at the Liacoras Center in Philadelphia at the Opening Ceremonies for the National Maccabi Games in honor of the Munich 11 athletes and was also performed in the fall of 2001 in Beverly Hills as a memoriam to those who died on September 11, 2001. “Jocheved” is arranged for women’s chorus and has been performed in England, Germany and the U.S. by the Lady Chapel Singers and is published in the Episcopal Church Hymnal Supplement “Voices Found: Women in the Church’s Song” by Church Publishing. The arias from Women of Valor are also arranged for voice with piano accompaniment. The Lehigh Valley Orchestra presented the East Coast premiere of Women of Valor in January, 2004 in Allentown, Pennsylvania sponsored by the Jewish/Christian Institute for Understanding, and an arrangement of the work for chamber orchestra was performed by the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony in March, 2004 with celebrity narrator, Laraine Newman. Women of Valor Oratorio is published by LeDor Publishing.
Download Women of Valor program notes (complete): WOMEN OF VALOR NOTES (PDF)
Download Women of Valor logo by Louise Clearfield: WOMEN OF VALOR LOGO (PDF)
QUOTES
Noreen Green conducting Women of Valor
“One of the highlights of my career as a conductor was to present the premiere of Andrea Clearfield’s oratorio, Women of Valor. The expansive work is accessible to all, incredibly well crafted both in its musical form and the arch of its emotional impact on an audience. From the moment the work begins you are catapulted to a different world filled with beautiful poetry and music. Each word is musically enriched as the piece brilliantly weaves the unique perspectives of the stories of 10 biblical women. Both the orchestral and vocal writing are of the highest caliber. It is a work that deserves many performances.”
–Dr. Noreen Green, The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, artistic director
“I’m just about breathless! The music just speaks to me, right from the opening bars, mysterious and frightening! The performance is so well done!
-Jackie Kovach, Oboist
LISTEN
REVIEWS
Louise and Andrea Clearfield with Valerie Harper and Noreen Green. Women of Valor painting by Louise Clearfield.
Clearfield’s world premiere easily dominated the afternoon. For all its Romantic climaxes and affirmations of tonality, the work’s scoring is not at all heavy, even glistening. The lavishly whirling dance of Miriam was the chief crowd-pleaser.”
-Richard S. Ginell, Los Angeles Times, April 18, 2000
“Women of Valor” was the most elaborate and imaginative new composition I’ve heard in the Valley in a long time. Clearfield reached far and deep in her work…”
-Philip Metzger, The Morning Call, Allentown, PA, January 22, 2004
“Sensational! Fantastic! reported our West Coast correspondent on the premiere of Women of Valor at UCLA on April 16, 2000…I was unprepared for the sheer emotional impact of the piece…”
-Deborah Kravitz, Penn Sounds (A Periodical Serving Pennsylvania Composers), Fall, 2000
“Excerpts from Clearfield’s Women of Valor are woven through with exotic Semitic melodies and seized by a passionate need to communicate what’s behind the words.”
-David Patrick Stearns, The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 11, 2005
“’Prayer’ (from Women of Valor) is both authentic and effective. Built on the cantillation of the biblical Hannah’s prayer, it was premiered at the 2001 opening ceremonies of the JCC Maccabi games in Philadelphia to commemorate the eleven Israeli athletes murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics.”
-Rabbi Baruch Cohon, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
“The highlight of the concert was the preview performance of “Ruth’s Aria” from Andrea Clearfield’s Women of Valor. Based on poems by Marge Piercy, Ruth’s pledge echoes through the ages in text and notes, expressing Ruth’s longing…”
-Deborah Kravetz, Penn Sounds, A Periodical Serving Pennsylvania Composers, Spring, 2000
CD REVIEWS
Women of Valor
…ingenious and invigorating composition…inspiring and radiant creativity…a maturing masterpiece performed by a groundbreaking orchestra, two world class soloists and an acclaimed American actress and playwright. Ms. Clearfield has presented powerful and modern insights into the Women of the Old Testament, that at times gives your heart a tug and offers an intense musical and emotional reaction giving credence to one’s spirituality and religious journey. This CD “Women of Valor”, on the Albany Label should be required listening for those who wish to broaden their artistic perceptions of Life.
– Stan Schmidt, Producer/Host, Going Beyond Words, October 8, 2017
Women of Valor in Fanfare Magazine
“Taking biblical text as narrative for recitatives and poetry by contemporary Jewish women for the arias, the hole presenting an interpretation of Proverbs 31 in terms of a biblical woman’s story, Andrea Clearfield has constructed a major work, an oratorio for soprano, mezzo, narrator, and orchestra that celebrates “women of valor.”…The soloists are excellent. Soprano Hila Plitmann and mezzo Rinat Shaham have voices that ideally complement each other…Clearfield’s scoring is remarkable at times; try the highly atmospheric recitative “She rises while it is still night” or the incredibly skillful contrapuntal brass writing …Yet she can write with an almost Mahlerian weight for strings, too…Green’s direction is faultless, in both accompanyng her singers and in having a clear long-range vision of the work. The recording is of the very highest standard.…” (Fanfare)
-Colin Clark, Fanfare Magazine, 41:1 (Sept/Oct 2017)
A Beautiful and Memorable Modern Oratorio About Select Biblical Women
“It is indeed a rare treat to hear a haunting and beautiful oratorio based on 10 biblical women written in very recent times by a woman, conduced by a woman, with women soloists, and it features a woman narrator. It is interesting to note here that this oratorio features some of the most poignant stories of the Bible. The music found here is based on biblical cantiltation, ancient Jewish liturgical scalar patterns, Middle Eastern rhythms as well as Jewish folk and sacred music. As the composer explains that the framework for a substantial piece wherein the biblical narrative would serve as text for the recitatives and uses poetry by contemporary Jewish women supplies the text for the various arias found here. The Program – Women of Valor – Andrea Clearfield – Composer – An Oratorio for Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Narrator and Orchestra – ALBANY – TT: 62:54 – (2017) – Tovah Feldshuh – (TF) – Narrator; Hila Plitmann – (HP), Soprano; Rinat Shaham – (RS), Mezzo-Soprano; Los Angeles Jewish Symphony Orchestra, Noreen Green, Artistic Director – MOVEMENT I – i. Prelude and Recitative – (RS, TF); ii. Sarah – (HP, RS, TF); iii. Recitative – (RS); iv. Leah – (RS, TF); v. Recitative and Rachel – (HP); vi. Recitative – (RS); vii. Jocheved – (RS, TF); MOVEMENT II – viii. Recitative – (HP); ix. Miriam – (HP, RS, TF); x. Hannah – (HP, TF); xi. Jael – (RS, TF); MOVEMENT III – xii. Recitative – (HP< RS); xiii. Michal - (RS, TF); xiv. Recitative - (HP, TF); xv. Ruth - (HP, TF); xvi. Recitative - (RS); xvii. Esther - (HP, RS); xviii. Eishes Chayel - (RS, HP).
The soloists are very stylish, diction is excellent, the narrator is clear and concise. The musical accompaniments by the symphony orchestra are empathic and reflect a very sympatric approach to the music itself. Excellent program notes feature the complete texts utilized in this superb performance.
- Dennis E. Ferrera, Amazon Review, June 26, 2017
BOOKS
Women of Valor in The Bible and Music by James F. McGrath
Read about Women of Valor in Chapter 34 here.
TEXT
Women of Valor
MOVEMENT I
A woman of valor, who can find?
Her worth is far beyond rubies.
Her husband puts his confidence in her,
And lacks no good thing. (Proverbs 31)
Sarah
[Narrated text from The Five Books of Miriam by Ellen Frankel; Sung text by Andrea Clearfield]
I am the first Jewish woman, the first Jewish wife, the first Jewish mother. As a young beauty, I left my home, my family, my culture, and my faith, and with my beloved Abram set off to follow the Voice-Without-a-Face.
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Ancient One
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Aged One
I braved the harems of Pharaoh and Abimelach, banished Hagar and her son, subjected my aged body to the travails of birth, and watched my husband lead my only son off to death.
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Barren One
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Blessed One
Sarah, the Princess, Sarah, the Priestess, Sarah, the Chieftenness
Sarah, the Mother of the Jews
I am wise because I have faced impossible choices and have nonetheless chosen. I am shrewd because I have learned to laugh at miracles and thereby to force God’s hand.
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Learned One
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Laughing One
Sarah, the Mother, the Ancient One
And God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, Serai, you shall not call her Serai but her name shall be Sarah. I will bless her, indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she shall give rise to nations.”
(Genesis 17:15)
Leah
She is good to him, never bad, all the days of her life.
She looks for wool and flax,
And sets her hand to them with a will. (Proverbs 31)
[Sung text from “The Tune to Jacob Who Removed the Stone from the Mouth of the Well” by Rivka Miriam. Translated from the Hebrew by Linda Zisquit]
Laban had two daughters; the name of the older one was Leah and the name of the younger one was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes; Rachel was shapely and beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.
(Genesis 29:16)
He didn’t know I was Leah,
and I — I was Leah.
Rachel, he said, Rachel, like a lamb
the grass becomes part of, stems are part of you.
Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is fulfilled, that I may cohabit with her.” And Laban gathered all the people of the place and made a feast. When evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him; and he cohabited with her. When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I was in your service for Rachel! Why did you deceive me?” (Genesis 29:21)
Flocks of sheep hummed between our blankets,
tent-flies were pulled to the wind.
Rachel, he said, Rachel –
and my eyes, they were weak
the bottom of a dark swamp.
The whites of his eyes melted
to the whites of my eyes.
The cords of his tent held fast to the ground
while the wind was blowing from the palms of my hands.
And he didn’t know I was Leah
and flocks of sons broke through my womb to his hands.
Rachel
She is like a merchant fleet, bringing her food from afar.
(Proverbs 31)
[Sung text from “Rokhl” by Roza Yakubovitsh, translated from the Yiddish by Kathryn Hellerstein]
From palms and olives, shadows descend over wells.
The daughters of Bethlehem come there to water the sheep.
And fragrant, blossoming, turn homeward with songs,
Flowing into the twilight glow of day.
But Leah, my sister, stays seated, alone and pale.
No messenger comes to her in the darkening field,
Her stars in soft, heavenly air give no light.
O, she loves Jacob, and he chose beauty, Me, Rachel
O, tearful sister, do you remember?
How, for my sake, he rolled the stone from the well,
How, for my sake, he sold himself as a slave,
He tends the camels of Laban with joy
For my sake–
Today I bestow him upon you!
I bestow upon you the one destined for me;
my only desire,
O, Leah, my sister,
You don’t know how great my offering, forever
when I part from him.
Jocheved
She rises while it is still night, supplying food for her
children, the daily fare of her maids.
She sets her mind on an estate and acquires it;
With her hands she plants a vineyard. (Proverbs 31)
[Narrated text, Exodus 2:1-4; Sung text “Jocheved’s Song” by Sandy Shanin]
A certain man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman. The woman, [Jocheved], conceived and bore a son; and when she saw how beautiful he was, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer, she got a wicker basket for him and caulked it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child into it and placed it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. And his sister [Miriam] stationed herself at a distance, to learn what would befall him.
There’s a wind that blew the dark news to me
Of Pharaohs harsh and ugly decree
that my first born Moshe is soon to die
So I hid him in the river where the reeds are high
Oh wind that blows on the river of reeds
Blow Moshe his mother’s sweet melodies
Rock him in your watery womb
And keep him safe and warm
With pain, I brought Moshe into this world
With agony sharp, I must let him go
To save his life I must crush my soul
And I cast off the seed that I once did sow
Oh wind that blows on the river of reeds
Blow Moshe his mother’s sweet melodies
Rock him in your watery womb
And keep him safe and warm
I will suckle him on his mother’s sweet love
I will suckle him on what God says is right
I will suckle him on our history
I will suckle him on God’s word and God’s might
Oh wind that blows on the river of reeds
Blow Moshe his mother’s sweet melodies
Rock him in your watery womb
And keep him safe and warm
MOVEMENT II
She girds herself with strength, and performs her tasks with vigor.
She sees that her lamp never goes out at night.
She sets her hand to the distaff; her fingers work the spindle.
(Proverbs 31)
Miriam
[Narrated text from The Five Books of Miriam by Ellen Frankel; Sung text from “The Songs of Miriam” by Alicia Ostriker from The Nakedness of the Fathers: Biblical Visions and Revisions]
I am the singer, the Dancer, the Drummer of Israel. I celebrate the myriad contributions of Jewish women through the ages. I champion their dreams, nurture their desires, encourage them when their spirits flag. Mine is the voice of joy, of victory, of power. I prophesy the redemption of all our people! My vision is clear and limitless. I see to the last generation!
I am Miriam, daughter of Israel
We gather the limbs, we gather the limbs
We gather the limbs of the child
We sing to the river, we bathe in the river
We save the life of the child.
If you listen to me once
You will have to go on listening to me
I am Miriam the prophetess
Miriam who makes the songs
I lead the women in a sacred circle
Shaking our breasts and hips
With timbrels and with dances
Singing how we got over
O God of hosts
The horse and his rider
Have you thrown into the sea –
That is my song, my music, my
Unended and unfinished prophecy –
O God of hosts
Never again bondage
Never again terror
O God of hosts.
Follow me, follow my drum
Follow my drum, follow my drum
Follow me, follow my drum
Follow my drum
Hannah
[Narrated text written by Ellen Frankel for Women of Valor]
I am Hannah, a woman bereft, an arid field, an empty well. My hopes for the future remain as yet unborn, my abundant love, unmilked. To those around me, I appear as one mute, my words reduced to whispers and sighs. Watching my lips move, hearing no sound, it would seem that I give myself over to despair or madness. But the truth is quite otherwise: with a full heart, I offer up my barrenness to God, pledging the first fruit of my womb if my prayers are answered. For I understand better than the mother of ten sons, that our children are not ours to keep, but only ours to give. I am Hannah. I pray from my heart, and my heart’s song is heard.
Eishet Hayil (Proverbs 31:10-31)
Ei-shet ha-yil mi yim-tsa
V’ra-chok mip-ni-nom mich-ra
Ba-tach ba lev ba-la
V’sha-lal lo yech-sar
G’ma-lat-hu tov v’-lo ra
Kol y’me cha-ye-ha
Dar-sha tse-mer u-fish-im
Va-ta as b’che-fets ka-pe-ha
Hai-ta ka-a-ni-ot so-cher
Mi-mer chak ta-vi lach-ma
Va-ta kam b’od lai-la
Va-ti-ten te-ref l’ve-ta
V’chok l’-na’-ro-te-ha
Za-m’-ma sa-de va-ti-ka-che-hu
Mi-pri ka-pe-ha nat’-a ka-rem
Chag-ra b’oz mat-ne-ha
Va-t-a-mets z’ro-o-te-ha
Jael
[Sung text from Judges 5:24 - 28; Narrated text from Judges 5:31]
Most blessed of women be Jael,
Wife of Heber the Kenite,
Most blessed of women in tents.
He asked for water, she offered milk;
In a princely bowl she brought him curds.
Her left hand reached for the tent pin,
Her right for the workmen’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, crushed his head,
Smashed and pierced his temple.
At her feet he sank, lay outstretched
At her feet he sank, lay still;
Where he sank, there he lay — destroyed.
Through the window peered Sisera’s mother,
Behind the lattice she gazed:
“Why is his chariot so long in coming?”
And the land was tranquil forty years.
MOVEMENT III
She spreads out her palms to the poor;
And extends her hands to the needy.
She is not worried because of snow,
For her whole household is dressed in crimson.
She makes garments for herself;
Her clothing is linen and purple.
Her husband is prominent in the gates,
As he sits among the elders of the land.
(Proverbs 31)
Michal
[Text by RACHEL, translated from the Hebrew by Robert Friend with Shimon Sandbank]
And Michal, Saul’s daughter loved David — and she despised him in her heart.
Michal, distant sister, time’s thread has not been broken,
time’s thorns in your sad vineyard have not prevailed.
Still in my ear I hear the tinkling of your gold anklet,
The stripes in your silk garment have not paled.
Often have I seen you standing by your small window,
pride and tenderness mingling in your eyes.
Like you I am sad, O Michal, distant sister,
and like you I am doomed to love a man whom I despise.
Ruth
She makes cloth and sells it,
And delivers a girdle to the merchant.
She is clothed with strength and splendor;
She looks to the future cheerfully.
Her mouth is full of wisdom,
Her tongue with kindly teaching.
She oversees the activities of her household
And never eats the bread of idleness.
Her children declare her happy;
Her husband praises her,
“Many women have done well,
But you surpass them all.”
(Proverbs 31)
[Text from “The Book of Ruth and Naomi” from Mars and her Children by Marge Piercy]
Where you go, I will go too,
your people shall be my people,
I will be a Jew for you,
for what is yours I will love
as I love you, oh Naomi
my mother, my sister, my heart.
Show me a woman who does not dream
a double, heart’s twin, a sister
of the mind in whose ear she can whisper,
whose hair she can braid as her life
twists its pleasure and pain and shame.
Show me a woman who does not hide
in the locket of bone that deep
eye beam of fiercely gentle love
she had once from mother, daughter,
sister; once like a warm moon
that radiance aligned the tides
of her blood into potent order.
At the season of first fruits we recall
two travelers, co-conspirators, scavengers
making do with leftovers and mill ends,
whose friendship was stronger than fear,
stronger than hunger, who walked together
the road of shards, hands joined.
Where you go, I will go too,
your people shall be my people,
I will be a Jew for you,
for what is yours I will love
as I love you, oh Naomi
my mother, my sister, my heart.
Esther
Grace is deceptive,
Beauty is ephemeral;
It is an intelligent woman who should be praised.
Extol her for the fruit of her hand,
And let her works praise her in the gates.* (Proverbs 31)
*Translation by Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton
[Text by Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael and paraphrased from the Book of Esther 6:2 ,3]
I, Esther, daughter of the hidden Light
Cloak to the Shechinah,
Soaked in myrrh and oiled in frankincense
Bathe in the light of the eternal
Poised at the brink of death
with faith alone as my shield
Driven by a force of inner fire,
the will of desire to subdue a king.
“What is your wish, Queen Esther, and what is your request?”
“Let my life be granted me as my wish, and my people as my request.”
For the strength of a woman’s beauty is her spirit untamed
and the legacy of her lifetime is the power of her name.
A woman of valor, who can find? (Proverbs 31)
Eishes Chayil
[Text by Isidor Lillian, the following excerpts are sung in Yiddish]
An e-me-se ei-shes cha-yil
an e-me-se ei-shes cha-yil
a tei-e-re kein trei-ch-re fin ihr z’ni-tu
A gol-de-ne ne-shu-me
a na-ches a ne-chu-me
a lie-be froi
a gi-te ma-me niu
A za gei-ne froi wie sie
breingt in hois nor har-mo-nie
S’lei-ben is a sim-pho-ny
Ei-shes cha-yil
English translation by Kathryn Hellerstein
A true valiant woman
A dear one, there is no one dearer than you
A golden soul
A pleasure and a comfort
A beloved woman
A good mother
Such a fine woman as she
Brings into the house only harmony
Life is a symphony