She's Like the Swallow: Creative Responses to Newfoundland Folksong in the Choral Music of Harry Somers

On March 9. 1999.the musical world was deeply saddened by the death of Canadian composer Harry Somers.who passed away at the age of 73.Somers was arguably one of Canada's greatest composers of the twentieth century.one of a rare few to receive international acclaim in his lifetime.and one of an even rarer breed who earned his living almost entirely from composition.His influence continues to be felt worldwide through an impressive musical legacy that includes works for choir.voice.orchestra.instrumental ensemble.piano.stage.film.and television.Among the many accolades Dr. Somers received during his distinguished career were three honorary doctorates and.most notably.an appointment to Canada's highest civilian honour.Companion of the Order of Canada.'He was a founding member of the Canadian league of Composers and his music has been the subject of significant scholarly attention.spawning a biographical/analytical study by Brian Cherney and several dissertations and theses. 1 In February of this year.the Canadian Music Centre launched an ambitious multi.discrecording project to commemorate Somers's achievements.Titled A Window on Somers. it contains many of the composer's greatest masterworks and represents the largest recording project in Canadian history to feature the music of a single composer.3 Of Somers's entire oeuvre.it is perhaps his landmark opera louis Riel (1967) and a distinctive body of choral and solo vocal literature that he is best remembered for.Certainly the seeds of a lifelong fascination in the human voice were planted at an early age.His mother played the piano and the Somers' Toronto home was alive with song.as family members would gather to sing popular salon pieces from the nineteenth century.Many decades later.the lingering impact of these childhood experiences could still be detected in a decidedly vocal approach to the act of composition that remained with Somers throughout his adult life.As he later recalled to one interviewer in 1984."Music was constantly in our household.My mother was a natural pianist who played by ear and we sang all the time.To this day I usually sing all my compositions in my own way ... I stomp the floor.blow the trumpets-I sing every part.and that started at an early age" (Somers.quoted in Margles.1984.p. 6).By the 1960s.an eclectic and. at times.experimental approach to the composition of vocal music had become a persistent preoccupation in Somers's mature works.and this in itself represented a striking departure from the predominantly neo-classical instrumental works of the previous decade.4 As was the case throughout Somers's career.commissions played a major role in the compositional paths he chose and the vocal works of the I 960s were no exception.Virtually every work of the decade was written to fulfil a commission.and. in the case of many of these. he appears to have been writing with particular individuals and/or ensembles in mind.Most notable among these was unquestionably the great Canadian choral director Elmer Iseler (1927 .98),and it was through the finely tuned voices of his choirs that many of Somers's works were introduced to the musical public in their best possible light.5 Perhaps the most dominant commissioning body in Somers's creative life was the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.for whom he composed many works in the I960s.These include the Twelve Miniatures.for soprano and instrumental trio (dedicated to the memory of his wife

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