Cypress Choral Music Blinded by a Leafy Crown - Saindon - SSAA

Lyrics: Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)
Music: Marie-Claire Saindon
Format: Choral Octavo
Voicing: SSAA a cappella

In her poem "Leaves", Sarah Teasdale compares her faiths and beliefs to leaves -- of a tree, or, in her very evocative analogy, a crown of leaves.

This is a piece for two treble choirs, begins with the falling of our faiths, one by one, as voices intermingle like autumn leaves: one choir remains on the beat, and the other weaves on through with syncopations. As we look back at the past, during a time when our faiths still had a stronghold, the music becomes joyous and carefree. But it does not last long. When the sadness of the loss of the leaves takes hold, the music grieves a while, until the full realisation hits us: "Blinded by a leafy crown / I looked neither up nor down". This is the most stately moment of the text: simple but to the point. What follows is then a celebration of all the new things we can experience now that we are rid of our old blinders and prejudices. The music swells and expands in ecstasy of our new freedom, and ends in hushed humility and gratitude.
Duration: 6:20