FIREFLY

I was recently with my family at my aunts, and we were sitting outside on a warm summer night. I saw some fireflies, and googled “poems about fireflies” or something along those lines, and I found Bill Grace’s poem, “Firefly”. I was immediately drawn to its innate simplicity—I felt that so many of the other poems I saw in that search were overly explanatory, and this poem is simple, intimate, and personal. The best part is, it does this while being simultaneously very emotionally evocative, and I knew it’d make for a great choral piece. I got home that night and wrote the first draft in only 3 hours. (Of course, the piece is only 39 measures long, but that’s besides the point.)

​

The piece itself is a short vignette, in which the speaker muses to and questions a firefly. It's scored for a treble choir accompanied by 'twinkly' percussion, such as glockenspiel and finger cymbals. The percussionists play aleatorically throughout the piece, acting as the 'fireflies' that inhabit the landscape. Some breaks are intentionally put into the vocal parts so that they and the audience can listen to the 'fireflies'. In that manner, open space, and sometimes complete silence, play an integral part in the performance of the piece. Besides from being inspired by, of course, fireflies, Ēriks Ešenvalds’ Stars, John Tavener's The Lamb, and Bernat Vivanco’s arrangement of El Cant Dels Ocells were definite influences in terms of harmony and mood.

​

The vocal parts are filled with highly extended and contemporary harmonies, in order to reflect the viewer's wonder. A straight tone or mostly straight tone would be ideal for this piece, both to help tune the complex chords, but also to help portray the mysticism within the piece. (The piece would also benefit from a highly reverberant space, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.)

​

A lot of creative freedom is allowed with the percussion, as any appropriate-sounding instruments can be used. Some possibilities would be glockenspiel, vibraphone (struck or bowed), triangle, finger cymbals, and piano, but only played around the highest two octaves. Also, any number of percussionists can be used, although I would recommend around 3, and at least one of the instruments must be pitched. Additionally, water glasses tuned to the pitch “E” may perhaps be an interesting touch, provided they stop along with the percussion from m. 30-35. Regardless, much care should be taken so the percussionists never become too 'busy', resulting in a sound that seems to have more fireflies than realistically possible. Also, the choir must predominate, and the percussionists should never overpower the choir.

​

The piece has yet to be recorded or performed, so if it interests you, send me a message on the “Contact” page. I'd be happy to give you the scores for free in the hopes of a good recording!