This edition was prepared by Peter Bird — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Beyond
Staff Notation • Secular, Cantatas
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Beyond by Peter Bird — Lyrics
1. Further North (Peter Bird, 2022)
The frosty morning air is sharp as wine.
An eagle circles high above the spruce.
The tamarack are golden; green the pines.
A creek somewhere is rushing fast and loose.
It feels like morning in the elder days;
old glaciers fade away, and aspens grow.
The caribou and Dall pass through to graze;
a cabin smokes beyond the river bow.
O further North!
The noisy world will fade away behind,
and leave the aura of eternal things.
A body can grow stronger, and a mind
can harmonize the song the wild bird sings.
...
At Nordkapp in midsummer, in the gyre,
the midnight sun projects a golden beam
a kittiwake may travel, and a tern.
We cannot leave this rock, but only yearn
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About Beyond
This SATB setting of an English text by Peter Bird evokes a sense of wild, untamed landscapes and the restorative power of nature. The lyrics paint vivid pictures of a northern wilderness, describing frosty air, circling eagles, and the changing colours of trees, suggesting a place of ancient grandeur. The music aims to capture the feeling of stepping away from the 'noisy world' into an environment where one can 'grow stronger' and 'harmonize the song the wild bird sings'. The text reflects on eternal things and the connection to the natural world, perhaps offering a moment of profound contemplation for singers and listeners alike.
