Paper Boats (2013)- Saunder Choi

Paper Boats is a new setting of Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore's poem of the same title for a cappella mixed choir. It is the first of a set of 4 settings of Tagore poems.
I first came across Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore's poetry through singing Filipino composer Francisco Feliciano's Silence My Soul with the Philippine Madrigal Singers. Paper Boats is the first of a set of four settings of Tagore's organic, earthy, playful and lyrical poetry. Taken from Tagore's collection The Crescent Moon, this poem talks about his childhood experience. The music tries to recreate this image by using a kinetic atmosphere and a playful theme, with hocketing textures that "auralize" the image of origami paper boats.
This premiere was performed by the 2013 Oregon Bach Festival American Creators Ensemble Chorus under the direction and mentorship of Craig Hella Johnson!
Paper Boats
Day by day I float my paper boats one by one down the running stream.
In big black letters I write my name on them and the name of the village where I live.
I hope that someone in some strange land will find them and know who I am.
I load my little boats with shiuli flowers from our garden,
and hope that these blooms of the dawn will be carried safely to land in the night.
I launch my paper boats and look up into the sky
and see the little clouds setting thee white bulging sails.
I know not what playmate of mine in the sky sends them down the air
to race with my boats!
When night comes I bury my face in my arms
and dream that my paper boats float on and on under the midnight stars.
The fairies of sleep are sailing in them,
and the lading in their baskets full of dreams.
-Rabindranath Tagore
trans. Fakrul Alam
2013 Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium
American Creators Ensemble Chorus
Craig Hella Johnson, conductor
Saunder Choi, composer

[@adriannegonzaga8261]

Saunder, you are well on your way to becoming one of this generation's greatest and most important composers. You are an inspiration to musicians all over. Makes me even prouder to be a Filipino!

[@gershonbernal]

Wow.. super galing nyo po.. idol.. ^_^

[@zul0ck]

So fun to sing!!!