Visual & Performing Arts

Cantate Domino 
Hans Leo Hassler 

Sing to the Lord a new song; 
sing to the Lord, all the earth. 
Sing to the Lord, bless His name; 
proclaim His salvation day after day. 
Declare His glory among the nations,
His marvelous deeds among all peoples. 
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; 

 

Old Grandma
Arr. Alice Parker 

Old Grandma, when the west was new,  
She wore hoop skirts and bustles too; 
When babies came and times got bad,   
she stuck right on to old granddad   

She worked seven days a week,  
Milk the cows, feed the pigs,  
To keep granddad well fed and sleek;  
Bake the beans, iron the shirts  
twenty-one children came to bless  
Wash the clothes, scrub the floors;  
Their happy home in the wilderness  
Waste not, want not.   

Twenty one necks grandma would scrub  
Clean their nails, brush their hair;   
Twenty one shirts in the old washtub   
Darn the holes, turn the cuffs  
Twenty one meals three times a day  
Hoe the corn, shell the beans;  
It's no wonder grandmas hair turned grey  
Churn the cream, raise the dough. 

What she did was quite all right,  
Bandage the wounded, bury the dead  
She worked all day and slept all night;  
Welcome the strange, feed the poor;  
But young girls now are the other way,   
They’re up all night and sleep all day 
Old fashioned  clothes, old fashioned ways,  

Whether the times were good or bad,  
Rain or shine, rich or poor;  
She stuck right on to old granddad  
Grandma and granddad, together. 

 

Warrior 
Kim Baryluk  

 I was a shy and lonely girl   
With the heaven in my eyes,  
And as i walked along the lane,   
I heard the echoes of her cries.  
I cannot fight,   
I cannot a warrior be;  
It's not my nature nor my teaching,  
It is womanhood in me.  

I was a lost and angry youth,  
There were no tears in my eyes.  
I saw no justice in my world,  
Only the echoes of her cries.   
I cannot fight,  
I cannot warrior be;   
It's not my nature nor my teaching,   
It is the womanhood in me.  

I am an older woman now,   
And I will heed my own cries,  
And I will a fierce warrior be  
‘til not another woman dies  
I can and will fight.  
I can and will a warrior be  
It is my nature and my duty,  
It is the womanhood in me.   

 

Woman Am I 
Joan Szymko  

Woman am I,  
Spirit am I,   
Blessed am I, 
I am the infinite with my soul.  
I have no beginning and I have no end.  
All this I am.  

 

Hotaru Koi (Ho, Firefly) 
Arr. Rō Ogura 

Ho, firefly, 
Come, there’s some water that’s bitter to taste, 
Come, here’s some water that’s sweet to your taste; 

Ho, firefly,  
Ho, up this mountain path.  

Firefly’s daddy struck it rich,  
So he’s got lots of dough, 
No wonder that his rear end sparkles in the dark. 

Ho, firefly,  
Up this mountain path. 

In the daytime hiding amongst the dewy blades of grass, 
But when it’s right, his lantern burns bright.
E’en though we’ve flown all the way from India.  
Zoom! 
And those sparrows swarm o swallow us.  

Ho, firefly, up this mountain path, 
Look! See a thousand lanterns sparkling in the dark,  

 

Northern Lights 
Ola Gjeilo 

Thou art beautiful, O my love,  
Sweet and beautiful daughter of Jerusalem,  
Thou art beautiful, O my love, 
Sweet and comely as Jerusalem, 
Terrible as an army set array. 
Turn away thy eyes from me, 
For they have made me flee away. 

 

Sandman’s Aria and Evening Prayer from Hänsel and Gretel 
Engelbert Humperdinck 

I am the little Sandman, 
I mean no harm at all! 
To you dear children I bring 
the loveliest dreams of all. 
So sleep now sweet and sound, 
and dream of joys all around— 
of many delightful things! 
Good night, dear children, sleep! 

When at night I go to sleep, 
fourteen angels watch do keep: 
two my right hand guarding, 
two my left attending, 
two upon my head, 
two upon my feet, 
two who cover me, 
two who wake me, 
two who lead me to paradise above. 

 

Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now from Hairspray 
Marc Shaiman 

Stop... 
Stop telling me what to do 
Don′t... 
Don't treat me like a child of two 
No... 
I know that you want what′s best 
Please... 
But mother please... give it a rest! 
Stop, don't, no! 
Please... 
Mama, I'm a big girl now! 
Once upon a time when I was just a kid 
You never let me do just what the older kids did 
But lose that laundry list of what you won′t allow 
′Cause mama, I'm a big girl now!  
Once upon a time I used to play with toys... 
But now I′d rather play around with teenage boys 
So if I get a hicky please don't, have a cow! 
′Cause mama, I'm a big girl now! 
Ma, I gotta tell you that without a doubt 
I got my best dancing lessons from you 
You′re the one who taught me how to twist and shout 
Because you shout non-stop, and you're so twisted too 

Once I used to fidget cause I just sat home 
But now I'm just like Gidget, and I gotta get to Rome 
So say arrividicci, toodle-loo, and ciao! 
′Cause mama I′m a big girl now! 
Once upon a time I was a shy young thing 
Could barely walk and talk so much as dance and sing 
But let me hit that stage I wanna take my bow... 
'Cause mama, I′m a big girl now! 
Once upon a time I used to dress up Ken 
But now that I'm a woman I like... bigger men 
And I don′t need a barbie doll to show me how 
'Cause mama I'm a big girl now! 
Ma, you always taught me what was right from wrong 
And now I just wanna give it a try 
Mama, I′m been in a nest for far too long! 
So please give a push and mama watch me fly! 
Watch me fly! 
One day I will meet a man you won′t condemn 
And we will have some kids and you can torture them 
But let me be a star before I take that vow! 
'Cause mama, I′m a big girl now. 

 

Yo Soy Luz (I am Light)
Carlos Cordero 

I am light, and you Love. 
You are light, and I, Love. 

 

Where the Light Begins  
Susan LaBarr 

Perhaps it does not begin. 
Perhaps it is always. 
Perhaps it takes a lifetime  
To open our eyes, 
To learn to see.  

The luminous line of the map in the dark, 
The vigil flame in the house of the heart,
The love so searing we can’t keep from singing, 
From crying out.  

Perhaps this day the light begins,  
In us, 
Perhaps this day the light begins,  
We are where the light begins. 

Perhaps it does not begin.  
Perhaps it is always. 

 

Java Jive 
Ben Oakland 

I love coffee, I love tea 
I love the java jive and it loves me 
Coffee and tea and the java and me 
A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, boy

I love java, sweet and hot 
Whoops, Mr. Moto, I’m a coffee pot   
Shoot me the pot now pour me a shot 
A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup

Oh, slip me a slug from the wonderful mug 
I'll cut a rug till I'm snug in a jug 

A slice of onion and raw one, draw one

Oh, Boston beans, soy beans (Yeah!) 
Green beans, cabbage and greens (Home cooking!) 
I'm not keen for a bean 
Unless that is a cheery, cheery bean, boy 
 

My Favorite Things 
Richard Rodgers 

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,  
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, 
Brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things. 

Cream colored ponies and crip apple strudels,  
Doorbells and sleighbells and schnitzel with noodles,  
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings, 
These are a few of my favorite things. 

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes,  
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,  
Silver white winters that melt into springs,  
These are a few of my favorite things.  

When the dog bits, when the bee stings, when I’m feeling sad, 
I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don’t feel so bad. 

 

Look! Be: leap; 
Libby Larsen 

Look! Be: leap;  
paint trees in flame.  
bushes burning roar in the broad sky  
Know your color:  
Be:  
produce that the widenesses be full  
And burst their wombs 
riot in redness, delirious with light,  
swim bluely through the mind  
Shout green as the day breaks  
Put your face to the wind.  
FLY.  
Chant as the tomtom hubbubs crash  
Elephants in the fleshes jungle, 
reek with vigor  
Sweat  
pour your life in a liberation to itself  
Drink from the ripe ground  
Make children over the world  
Lust in a heat of tropic orange  
Stamp and writhe;  
stamp on a wet floor  
Know earth,  
know water,  
know lovers,  
know mastery  
FLY.