Robert Hughes

high tenor, orchestra; Picc., F, E.H., Cl, B. Cl, Sarrusophone, Bsn 1, 2, Contra; 2 Hn, Tpt (dbl flugelhorn), 3 Tbn, Tuba, Perc.1, 2, 3, Hp, Pno, Strings

      The title of this work is selected from a number of Italian proverbs in the dialect of the Puglia region. The full proverb reads, “Sop’o muèrte se cande la glòrie.” Translation to Italian is “Sul morto si cantano le lodi.” A literal English translation might be, “Upon death one sings praises.” The composer was in Italy on a Fulbright award to research and set to music the texts of the regional dialects when he learned of the death of his good friend and colleague Calvin Simmons. 

      The Arch Ensemble for Experimental Music held a memorial concert for Calvin Simmons, for which they formalized Sop’o muèrte se cande as a commission for large ensemble and voice. Written for solo high tenor singing the single syllable “Ah” throughout, in vocalise, the “Ah” itself becomes the unrelenting praise coined from breath joined to sound—a universal language understood by all. The premiere took place at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco in 1983, with Thomas Buckner singing the tenor part.