GLEAMS FROM THE BOSOM OF DARKNESS chorus and symphonic band music

GLEAMS FROM THE BOSOM OF DARKNESS
for Symphonic Band and Chorus (or Vocal Ensemble)

An Immersive and Atmospheric Contemporary Masterwork
Gleams from the Bosom of Darkness (2002) by Lior Navok is an 18-minute large-scale composition for symphonic band and chorus. Commissioned by the Frank L. Battisti 70th Birthday Commission Project, this atmospheric piece fuses vocal and instrumental forces into a single, color-shifting organism. It stands as a deeply meditative and significant contribution to the modern repertoire for chorus and symphonic band.

Listen to the Recording and Find More Information Here

About the Piece
Inspired by visual and symbolic representations of light—moonlight, lanterns, stars, and lighthouses—the work replaces traditional melody with massive blocks of sound, timbre, and resonance. Using fragments of Henry W. Longfellow’s poetry, it explores the journey from difficulty to hope. This advanced work is ideal for university, conservatory, and professional wind symphonies partnering with strong choral ensembles, and is best suited for large concert halls where its grand acoustic colors can fully resonate.

The Artistic Conception
Gleams from the Bosom of Darkness is a journey through darkness surrounded by ever-changing sources of light. Symbolically, light helps us move from difficult times to better ones in our lives. The endless coloristic opportunities that the chorus and wind ensemble provide drove me to create an atmospheric, mysterious, and somewhat meditative work rather than using the wind ensemble merely as an accompanist. Longfellow’s poems offer the closest written descriptions of light and darkness as I imagined while composing the music, conveying a deeply personal connection between humanity and illumination.

Dedicated to Frank Battisti in fond appreciation of his life achievements.

Specifications

Duration: 18 minutes
Year Composed: 2002
Instrumentation: Large Wind Symphony (including Alto Flute, English Horn, Contrabassoon, Contrabass Clarinet, 4 Saxophones, 2 Flugelhorns, Harp, Piano/Celeste, 5 Percussion), 3 Narrators, Soprano Soloist, On-Stage Chorus (48-96 singers), and Amplified Back-Stage Women's Chorus.

Product Information

Availability: Instant PDF Download (Score and Parts)
Return Policy: Digital downloads are not eligible for returns.
Condition: New 1st Edition digital score

GLEAMS FROM THE BOSOM OF DARKNESS (Full Score) [PDF download]

Name: GLEAMS FROM THE BOSOM OF DARKNESS (Full Score) [PDF download]
Brand: Lior Navok Music
SKU: LN022

SKU: LN022

$45.00

$38.25

Item:	Full Score
Format:	PDF download
Edition:	2nd Edition
Copyright:	Lior Navok
Publisher:	Lior Navok Music
Pages:	59
Paper Size:	DIN A3 / Ledger (11″ X 17″)
Paper Size:	DIN A3 / Ledger (11″ X 17″)

Program Notes:

Gleams from the Bosom of Darkness, for symphonic band and chorus, is influenced by various sources of light: the moon, stars, lanterns, and lighthouses that guide our way through darkness. Light exhibits different intensities, colors, and halos. It flickers, twinkles, shimmers, dazzles, gleams, and dims. All of these visual images found their way into my score. Therefore, Gleams from the Bosom of Darkness is a journey through darkness surrounded by ever-changing sources of light. Symbolically, light helps us move from darkness to a better place in our lives, from difficult times to better ones.

The endless coloristic opportunities that the chorus and wind ensemble provide drove me to create an atmospheric, mysterious, and somewhat meditative work rather than a piece that uses the wind ensemble merely as an accompanist to the chorus. Blocks of sound and rapidly changing colors replace lyrical melodies or functional harmonies. The chorus and wind ensemble function as a single body; both are instruments as well as voices.

My search for texts ended when I read the poems and other writings of Henry W. Longfellow (1807-1882). Longfellow’s work is replete with descriptive images of light and darkness, both visually and symbolically. His poems offer the closest written descriptions of light and darkness as I imagined while composing the music. Written at a time when electricity was just being introduced, his poems still convey a romantic quality in their depiction of light—a more personal connection between humanity and illumination. In my composition, I used fragments from various poems to support the musical exploration of light and darkness.

Gleams from the Bosom of Darkness was commissioned by “The Frank L. Battisti 70th Birthday Commission Project” and is dedicated to Frank Battisti in fond appreciation of his life achievements.