INDIAN SUMMER SATB DIV ACAP US $1.95

2

PROGRAM NOTEIndian Summer was commissioned by MusicDirector, Noel Edison, and the Elora FestivalSingers, for the 2001 Elora Summer MusicFestival. Noel and the choir premiered the work onAugust 5, 2007 at St. John's Church in Elora,Ontario. The commission requested a choral settingof a poem that made reference to summer andEmily Dickinson's spiritual reflection upon the latearrival of a few summer-like days in what shouldbe the fall season seemed appropriate. This is a

moment that many inhabitants of Northern climescan attest. The bitter/sweet quality conveyed by theglow these warm days provide can be quiteprofound as deep down, we know that this momentcannot last. For Emily Dickinson, these are days tobe enjoyed and she makes the analogy that, in thesame way that Christians use bread and wine of thecommunion service to symbolize Jesus Christ and

the Lord's sacrifice, the days of Indian surnmerprovide us with a moment that tangibly allows us toexperience the beauty of the Lord's work.

- John Burge

TEXTThese are the days when birds come back,A very few, a bird or two,To take a backward look.

These are the days when skies put onThe old, old sophistries ofJune, -A blue and gold mistake.

Oh, fraud that cannot cheat the bee,

Almost thy plausibilityInduces my belief,

Till ranks of seeds their witness bear,And softly through the altered airHunies a timid leaf!

Oh, sacrament of summer days,

Oh, last communion in the haze,

Permit a child to join,

Thy sacred emblems to partake,Thy consecrated bread to break,Taste thine immortal wine!

- Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

ABOUT THE COMPOSERJohn Burge was born in Dryden, Ontario in 1961.

He holds degrees in Composition and Theory fromthe University of Toronto and the University ofBritish Columbia. Since 1987 he has been teachingat Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario wherehe currently holds the position of Full Professorand is Director of the School of Music.

John Burge has written a large body of vocal,chamber, and orchestral compositions. He isparticularly well known though, for his choralmusic, which has been performed by such choirs as

The Elmer Iseler Singers, The BBC Singers, TheAmabile Youth Choir, The Toronto Children'sChorus and The St. Louis Symphony Children'sChoir. Many of these choral works have beenpublished by Boosey & Hawkes. His composition,Angels' Voices, for choir and orchestra, receivedthe 2006 Outstanding New Choral CompositionAward from the Association of Canadian ChoralConductors and was performed in New York City'sCarnegie Hall in 2005. This work is published bySanta Barbara Music Publishers and also includes a

setting of a poem by Emily Dickinson (Angels inthe Early Morning).

Although Indian Summer is based on the words ofan American poet, in selecting texts to set to music,John Burge has often turned to Canadian poetsincluding Bliss Carmen, Stephen Heighton, DennisLee, Dorothy Livesay and Eugene McNamara.Deserving special mention in this category is therelationship he developed with Margaret Avison(1918-2006). Burge was the first composer to set

her words to music in his 1987 composition,Sunblue (First Prize Winner of Choral Category ofthe 1988 Procan Young Composers' Competition).Subsequent Avison-inspired works include'. ThatWe May Not Lose loss (solo soprano, choir and

orchestra), One Sail (cello and string orchestra),Everything Waits For The Lilacs (solo piano),No Time (solo piano) and Winter Srzn (choir andpercussion ensemble).

PERFORMANCE TIME

ca. 7 min. 30 sec.

ftir Noel Edison and the ElorcL Festfual Singers

INDIAN SUMMERfor SATB (div.) Chorus, a cappella

Text by

Emily Dickinson

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