a hero must
TRANSCRIPT
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A Hero Must:For Bass Vocalist and Piano
Music by C.N. Madison
Text from The Odyssey by Homer
Copyright 2013 C.N. Madison
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Notes:A Hero Must is simply about the aspects of what makes a great hero. We find heroes to be desirable
figures, because they are relatable as humans, yet their characteristics which they share with us are
amplified to heavy degrees. Each of these movements is meant to highlight some of these aspects,
including Striving (A call to action, if you will), Raging, Suffering, Conquering, and Loving more than the
average man or woman. The text all comes from the Odyssey, wherein we find the hero Odysseus on
his journey home to Ithaca overcoming obstacles which are constantly thrown in his path.
Text:Movement I: From Book 1, lines 1-12
Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns
driven time and again off course, once he had plundered
the hallowed heights of Troy.
Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds,
many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea,fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home.
But he could not save them from disaster, hard as he strove-
the recklessness of their own ways destroyed them all,
the blind fools, they devoured the cattle of the Sun
and the Sun god wiped from sight the day of their return.
Launch out on his story, Muse, daughter of Zeus,
start from where you will- and sing for our time
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Movement II: From Book 9, lines 548-562
Again I began to taunt the cyclops-
men around me trying to check me, calm me, left and right:
'so headstrong why? Why rile the beast again?'
'That rock he flung in the sea just now, hurling our ship
to shore once more- we thought we'd die on the spot!'
'
'If he'd caught a sound from us, just a moan,
he would have crushed out heads and ship timbers
with one heave of another flashing jagged rock!'
'Good god! The brute can throw!'
So they begged
but they could not bring my fighting spirit round.
I called back with another burst of anger, 'Cyclops-
if any man on the face of this earth should ask you
who blinded you, shamed you so- say Odysseus,
raider of cities, he gouged out your eye,
Laertes' son who makes his home in Ithaca!'
Movement III: From Book 11 Line 233-243
And I, my mind in turmoil, how I longed
to embrace my mother's spirit, dead as she was!
Three times I rushed toward her, desperate to hold her,
three times she fluttered through my fingers, sifting away
like a shadow, dissolving like a dream, and each time
the grief cut to the heart, sharper, yes, and I,
I cried out to her'Mother- why not wait for me? How I long to hold you!-
so even here in this House of Death, we can fling
our loving arms around each other, take some joy
in the tears that numb the heart.'
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Movement IV: From Book 22 Line 314-325
The attackers struck like eagles, crook-clawed, hook-beaked,
swooping down from a mountain ridge to harry smaller birds
that skim across the flatland, cringing under the clouds
but the eagles plunge in fury, rip their lives out- hopeless,
never a chance of flight or rescue- and people love the sport-
so the attackers routed suitors headlong down the hall,
wheeling into the slaughter, slashing left and right and grisly screams broke from skulls cracked open-
the whole floor awash with blood
Movement V: From Book 23 Line 270-280
So joyous now to her
the sight of her husband, vivid in her gaze,
that her white arms embracing his neck
would never for a moment let him go........
dawn with her rose-red fingers might have shone
upon their tears, if with her glinting eyesAthena had not thought of one more thing.
She held back the night, and night lingered long
at the western edge of the earth, while in the east
she reigned in Dawn of the golden throne at Ocean's banks,
commanding her not to yoke the wind-swift team that brings men light,
Blaze and Aurora, the young colts who race the Morning on.
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Bass
Piano
Sing to
me, of the
man muse
the
B
Pno.
8
man of twists and turns
8
dri ven
time and a gain
off course
3
once he had plun dered
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B
Pno.
13 the hal lowed
13
heights of troy.
Man y cit ies
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A Hero MustC.N. Madison
2013
Strive More than Men
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B
Pno.
18 of men he saw
18
and learn'd their minds
ma ny pains
he suf fered
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B
Pno.
23 heart sick on the o
23
pen sea
accel.
3
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B
Pno.
27
3
Fight ing to save his life27
With Energyand Passion ()
and bring his com rades home
but he could not
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B
Pno.
30
save them from their own dis
30
3
a ster hard as he st rove
3
hard as he
strove
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2
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B
Pno.
35
35
3 3
3 3
3
3
The reck less ness
sub.
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B
Pno.
41 of their own ways de stroyed
41
them all
The blind fools they de
3
vou red the cat tle of
- - - -
B
Pno.
45
the sun
45
and the Sun god
sub.
wiped out from sight
the day of their re turn
-
B
Pno.
49
49
Their re turn
a tempo
Launch out
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3
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B
Pno.
54 on this sto ry muse
54
3
daugh ter
3
of Zeuss
start from where you will
and sing for
our time too
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B
Pno.
60 60
4
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Bass
Piano
3
3
3
5
3
Pno.
4
3
5
3
Pno.
7
B
Pno.
9
A gain a gain
9
I be gan to taunt the cy clops
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A Hero Must
C.N. Madison
2013
ScoreRage More than Men
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B
Pno.
11
3
Men a round me try ing to check me, calm me,
11
5
3
left and right
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B
Pno.
13 So head strong
13
sub.
3
why? Why ri le the beast a
gain
- - -
B
Pno.
18
3
That rock he flung in the sea
18
sub.
3
just now hur ling our
ship to shore once more
-
B
Pno.
22
3
We thought we'd die on the spot
22
If he'd caught a sound from us, just a
In a mocking tone,
Recitative-like
Falsetto, still mocking
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B
Pno.
25 3
moan he would have
25
crushed our heads and
ship t im bers with
one heave of a nother
- - -
B
Pno.
29
flash ing jag ged rock
29
Good God!
3
The brute can Throw!
- -
B
Pno.
33
33
So they begged but they could not bring my fight
-
B
Pno.
35
ing spi rit round
35
I call'd back
with a no ther burst of
- - -
Return to strict rhythm
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B
Pno.
39
an ger
39
Cy clops!
If a ny man on the face
- - -
B
Pno.
43 of the earth should ask you
43
who blin ded you
shamed you
-
B
Pno.
46
say O dyss e us
46
O dyss e us
O dyss e us
- - - - - - - - -
B
Pno.
49 rai der of ci ties he gouged out
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your eye
laer te's son who makes his home in
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B
Pno.
52 I tha ca!
52
3
3
3
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Bass
Piano
And I my mind in tur
moil how
-
B
Pno.
7
I longed to em brace
7
my mo ther's spi rit
3
dead as she was
- - -
B
Pno.
12
Three times I rush'd toward
12
3
her des perate to hold
her
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A Hero Must
C.N. Madison
2013
Suffer More Than Men
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B
Pno.
15
three times she flut tered
15
through my fin gers sif
ting a way
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B
Pno.
18
18
3
Like a sha dow dis sol ving
like a dream
- - -
B
Pno.
21
3and each time the grief
21
cut to the heart
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B
Pno.
23
shar per shar per yes and
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3
I I cried out to her
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B
Pno.
25
Mo ther Mo ther why not
25
3 33
wait for me how
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B
Pno.
27
I long to hold you
27
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B
Pno.
31 3
So ev en here in this house of
31
death
We can f ling our lo ving arms
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B
Pno.
34 a round each o ther
34
Take some joy
in the tears that numb
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B
Pno.
38 the heart
38
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Bass
Piano
B
Pno.
3
3
B
Pno.
5
5
A Hero Must
C.N. Madison
2013
Conquer More than Men
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B
Pno.
7
7
The att ack ers struck like ea gles- - -
B
Pno.
9
9
Crook Clawed-
B
Pno.
11
11
hook beaked -
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B
Pno.
13
33
3
swoo ping down from a moun tain ridge to ha rry
13
small er birds- - - -
B
Pno.
15
that skim a cross the flat land
15
crin ging un der the clouds- - - -
B
Pno.
17
17
but the ea gles plunge in fu ry
3 3 3
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B
Pno.
20
rip their lives
20
out hope less-
B
Pno.
23
3
ne ver a chance of flight or
23
non dim.
res cue- -
B
Pno.
26
and peo ple love the spo rt
26
-
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B
Pno.
28
3
So the att ack ers rou
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ted suit ors down the hall Whee ling in to the slaugh- - - - - - - -
B
Pno.
31
ter
31
slash ing left and right and gris- -
B
Pno.
34
ly screams
34
from skulls crack'd
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B
Pno.
36
o pen
36
the whole floor a wash- -
B
Pno.
38
with blood
38
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Bass
Piano
So joy ous now to
her
the sight of her hus
band vi vid
- - -
B
Pno.
5 3
in her gaze
5
that her white arms, em bra
cing his neck would ne ver
- - -
B
Pno.
9
for a mo ment let him
9
rit.
go!
Dawn with her rose co lored
a tempo
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A Hero Must
C.N. Madison
2013
ScoreLove More than Men
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B
Pno.
12 fin gers would have
12
shone u pon their tears,
3
if with her glin ting eyes
3
- - -
B
Pno.
16
A the na had not thought of
16
one more
thing
- -
B
Pno.
19 She held back the night
19
5 5
and night lin gered
5 5
long
5 5
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A Hero Must2
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B
Pno.
22 at the wes tern edge of the
22
5 5
earth
5 5
3 3 3 3
3 3
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B
Pno.
24
while in the east she reigned in dawn
24
3 33 3
3 3 3 3
5 5
of the gol den throne at
3 3
5
3 3
3 3
-
B
Pno.
26 o cean's bank
26
5
3
3 3
3 3 3 3 3 3
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A Hero Must 3
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B
Pno.
27
Com man ding her not to yoke
27
3
3 33 3
3 3
3
the wind swift team
- - -
B
Pno.
29
3that brings men light
29
blaze and au ro ra the
- -
B
Pno.
31
young colts who race the mor
31
ning on
A Hero Must4
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B
Pno.
33
33
5 5
Race the mor ning
5 5
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B
Pno.
35
on!
35
rit.
B
Pno.
39
39
A Hero Must 5