Tree Song
A simple and wise reflection on the generosity and interdependence of trees
Music: Elizabeth Alexander
Words: George Ella Lyon
A deceptively simple but exquisitely wise song about giving, receiving and interdependence. At the center of it all are the cello and piano, two of the most graceful instruments ever crafted of wood.
In the choral version of Tree Song a whimsical list of trees forms a vocal counterpoint to George Ella Lyons’ poem, creating a sense of playfulness and delight.
Details and Ordering Information
Tree Song
Roots, trunk,
branches, leaves.
As a tree gives
so it receives:
food from
the earth,
rain and sun
from the sky.
Its roots
reach deep
and its crown
rises high.
Blossoms
in spring,
fruit in
summer and fall:
home for many,
shelter for all.
Trees:
Peach, plum, pear, prune, pine,
Poplar, persimmon,
Alder, ebony,
Elder, abba,
Champaka, cashew,
Cottonwood, yew,
Acacia, bamboo,
Maclura, mahogany, mangrove,
Cedar, cinnamon, willow, cocobolo,
Kahikatea, Cacao, coffee, cashew,
Camilla, cherry, catalpa,
Tupelo, tulip,
Olive and chinaberry,
Chokecherry, mulberry, loblolly bay,
Aamla, sal,
Linden, laurel, lilac, larch,
Juniper, joshua, jellyfish, bo,
Bottletree, baobab, bunya-bunya.
George Ella Lyon
© 2009 by George Ella Lyon. Reprinted by permission of the poet
Performers
SSA
Premiere: Twin Cities Women‘s Choir / Mary Bussman (Minneapolis, MN)
Bella Voce Singers / Jessica Corbin (Brooklyn, NY)
Solo voice
Premiere: Ruth MacKenzie and Elizabeth Alexader. Harmony for Mayo (Rochester and Minneapolis, MN)
