Item: SV1020A
Down by the Salley Gardens
Difficulty: Medium
Force: Solo Soprano & String Quintet
Text language: English by William Butler
Duration: 5:45 minutes
Synopsis
This work is born from a meeting of paths. Santiago Veros discovered the poem Down by the Salley Gardens by W.B. Yeats in Dublin in 2022, while exploring potential collaborations with the Dublin New Voices choir. Although that opportunity did not materialize, the inspiration remained dormant. Shortly thereafter, in November of the same year, Santiago met soprano Addison Littlefield at Lawrence University, whose voice and artistic sensitivity deeply captivated him.
In conversations about love, nostalgia, and farewell—central themes of Yeats’ poem—the idea emerged to create a work that would celebrate the closing of a chapter: Addison’s university graduation. From Spain, where Santiago was in June 2023, he received the news that the commission had been approved and that the work would be part of Addison’s final recital. Originally conceived for voice and piano, it was Addison herself who insisted on keeping the originally proposed quintet of strings, thus enhancing the choral texture and the folk essence of the composition.
The choral instrumentation of the strings enhances the emotional beauty of the text, drawing close to the spirit of Irish folk music, interpreted through the sensibility of an Argentine composer.
Down by the Salley Gardens is an intimate and accessible piece, ideal for recitals and concerts where an authentic and emotional connection with the audience is sought.
$5 – $20
| Version | Scores | Description | Price | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo Soprano and String Quintet | For the Singer |   | $5 | ||
| Solo Soprano and String Quintet | Instrumental Parts | $20 |
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