Gordon Boice, 2009
Click here to see The Marshes of Glynn by Sidney Lanier
Musical Examples from the Composition
"As the marsh-hen secretly builds on the watery sod,
Behold I will build me
a house on the greatness of God..."
The Glenn Chancel Choir and The Meridian Chorale
Midi digital rendition
® © Steven Darsey, 2009 All rights reserved
Steven Darsey has been studying the poetry of Sidney Lanier, since 1986, when after his arrival in Atlanta, the late congressman James A. Mackay introduced him to the works of this great poet. When Meridian Herald was founded in 1997, it adopted one of Steven's goals of setting "The Marshes of Glynn" to music. Over these years, Steven did research in the special collections of the libraries of Atlanta, Savannah and Brunswick, as well as Johns Hopkins University which holds Lanier's papers. He collected Lanier editions and read articles and biographies. He analyzed the poem and worked through Lanier's book on prosody The Science of English Verse, and applied Lanier's own analytic techniques to "The Marshes of Glynn." He spent time on the Maryland coast near Point Lookout where Lanier was imprisoned during the Civil War, as well as much time camping near and exploring the Georgia marshes. He found the house where Lanier stayed in Brunswick, and followed the eastern course Lanier walked through the live oak forest to the marshes of Glynn, the course portrayed in the poem. There, he spent important time under the very live oak that gave Lanier the inspiring vista of the marshes, looking toward the terminal sea - the tree now known as the Lanier Oak.
In November of 2007, after years of study, poetic analysis, and compositional-architectural planning, Steven began writing music. completing a draft in January, 2008. On March 2, 2008, the Chancel Choir of Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church and the Meridian Chorale gave a performance reading in the Glenn sanctuary on the Emory University campus. Scored for orchestra, soloists and divisi chorus, this performance used a reduced orchestration for piano and organ. Soloists were Cynthia Watters, Katherine Murray, Timothy Miller and Stephen Ozcomert. Todd Skrabanek played piano and Timothy Albrecht, organ. Steven Darsey conducted. For his concert remarks and program notes go here - Concert
The summer of 2009, Steven spent three weeks at Shellman's Bluff on the Georgia coast, on a dock in the Julienton River, and a week on Ossabaw Island, composing new instrumental music and completing the orchestration for the entire work. Now the work, timing at 40 minutes and scored for large symphony chorus, soloists and orchestra, is ready for performance. He is grateful to the board of Meridian Herald, to many friends, most notably Sally Sears Belcher and the late John K. Davidson III for signal support, to Glenn Church for giving him time away, and to God for the vision and vouchsafing world and time.
The lions share of the writing was done at retreats, whose space was donated or funded by friends:
Rising Faun, GA, many times - James A. Mackay
Ossabaw Island, 11/7/02 - Sally Sears Belcher and the Ossabaw Island Foundation
Chesapeake Bay, 12/27/04 - Jane and Dennis McAuliffe
Fort McAlister State Park, GA, 8/13/05 - Meridian Herald
Ossabaw Island, 10/8/06 - Sally Sears Belcher and the Ossabaw Island Foundation
Brunswick Island, 12/30/06 - Meridian Herald
West Yellowstone, Montana, 8/26/07 - Jane and Wayne Thorpe
Hunting Island, SC, 10/26/07 - Meridian Herald
New York City, 12/27/06 - Meridian Herald
Chesapeake Bay,1/1/07 - Jane and Dennis McAuliffe
Panama City Beach, 6/9/08 - Barbara and Jim Hund
False Cape, VA, 10/17/08 - Meridian Herald
Shellman's Bluff, 7/8/09 - May and Dick Spangler; Willis Williams
Ossabaw Island, 8/1/06 - Sally Sears Belcher and the Visiting Artists Program, Ossabaw Island Foundation
