Women of Valor
Andrea Clearfield
Julia Watkins-Davis, soprano
Orit Eylon, mezzo-soprano
LaDawn Petersen, narrator
José Flores, violin
Shane Anderson, piano
Ryan Patterson, percussion
Saturday, February 3rd, 7:30 pm
Highland Recital Hall
Building 2000
“Miriam at the Red Sea” by Louise Clearfield
Movement I
Her worth is far beyond rubies.
Her husband puts his confidence in her,
And lacks no good thing. (Proverbs 31)Sarah
[Narrated text from The Five Books of Miriam by Ellen Frankel; Sung text by Andrea Clearfield]I am the first Jewish woman, the first Jewish wife, the first Jewish mother. As a young beauty, I left my home, my family, my culture, and my faith, and with my beloved Abram set off to follow the Voice-Without-a-Face.Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Ancient One
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Aged OneI braved the harems of Pharaoh and Abimelach, banished Hagar and her son, subjected my aged body to the travails of birth, and watched my husband lead my only son off to death.Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Barren One
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Blessed One
Sarah, the Princess, Sarah, the Priestess, Sarah, the Chieftenness
Sarah, the Mother of the JewsI am wise because I have faced impossible choices and have nonetheless chosen. I am shrewd because I have learned to laugh at miracles and thereby to force God’s hand.Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Learned One
Sarah, Serai–Sarah, the Laughing One
Sarah, the Mother, the Ancient OneAnd God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, Serai, you shall not call her Serai but her name shall be Sarah. I will bless her, indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she shall give rise to nations.”
(Genesis 17:15)Leah
She is good to him, never bad, all the days of her life.
She looks for wool and flax,
And sets her hand to them with a will. (Proverbs 31)[Sung text from “The Tune to Jacob Who Removed the Stone from the Mouth of the Well” by Rivka Miriam. Translated from the Hebrew by Linda Zisquit]Laban had two daughters; the name of the older one was Leah and the name of the younger one was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes; Rachel was shapely and beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.
(Genesis 29:16)
He didn’t know I was Leah,
and I — I was Leah.
Rachel, he said, Rachel, like a lamb
the grass becomes part of, stems are part of you.Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is fulfilled, that I may cohabit with her.” And Laban gathered all the people of the place and made a feast. When evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him; and he cohabited with her. When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I was in your service for Rachel! Why did you deceive me?” (Genesis 29:21)Flocks of sheep hummed between our blankets,
tent-flies were pulled to the wind.
Rachel, he said, Rachel –
and my eyes, they were weak
the bottom of a dark swamp.
The whites of his eyes melted
to the whites of my eyes.
The cords of his tent held fast to the ground
while the wind was blowing from the palms of my hands.And he didn’t know I was Leah
and flocks of sons broke through my womb to his hands.Rachel
She is like a merchant fleet, bringing her food from afar.
(Proverbs 31)[Sung text from “Rokhl” by Roza Yakubovitsh, translated from the Yiddish by Kathryn Hellerstein]From palms and olives, shadows descend over wells.
The daughters of Bethlehem come there to water the sheep.
And fragrant, blossoming, turn homeward with songs,
Flowing into the twilight glow of day.
But Leah, my sister, stays seated, alone and pale.
No messenger comes to her in the darkening field,
Her stars in soft, heavenly air give no light.
O, she loves Jacob, and he chose beauty, Me, Rachel
O, tearful sister, do you remember?
How, for my sake, he rolled the stone from the well,
How, for my sake, he sold himself as a slave,
He tends the camels of Laban with joy
For my sake–
Today I bestow him upon you!
I bestow upon you the one destined for me;
my only desire,
O, Leah, my sister,
You don’t know how great my offering, forever
when I part from him.Jocheved
She rises while it is still night, supplying food for her
children, the daily fare of her maids.
She sets her mind on an estate and acquires it;
With her hands she plants a vineyard. (Proverbs 31)[Narrated text, Exodus 2:1-4; Sung text “Jocheved’s Song” by Sandy Shanin]A certain man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman. The woman, [Jocheved], conceived and bore a son; and when she saw how beautiful he was, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer, she got a wicker basket for him and caulked it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child into it and placed it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. And his sister [Miriam] stationed herself at a distance, to learn what would befall him.There’s a wind that blew the dark news to me
Of Pharaohs harsh and ugly decree
that my first born Moshe is soon to die
So I hid him in the river where the reeds are highOh wind that blows on the river of reeds
Blow Moshe his mother’s sweet melodies
Rock him in your watery womb
And keep him safe and warmWith pain, I brought Moshe into this world
With agony sharp, I must let him go
To save his life I must crush my soul
And I cast off the seed that I once did sowOh wind that blows on the river of reeds
Blow Moshe his mother’s sweet melodies
Rock him in your watery womb
And keep him safe and warmI will suckle him on his mother’s sweet love
I will suckle him on what God says is right
I will suckle him on our history
I will suckle him on God’s word and God’s mightOh wind that blows on the river of reeds
Blow Moshe his mother’s sweet melodies
Rock him in your watery womb
And keep him safe and warm
Movement II
She sees that her lamp never goes out at night.
She sets her hand to the distaff; her fingers work the spindle.
(Proverbs 31)Miriam
[Narrated text from The Five Books of Miriam by Ellen Frankel; Sung text from “The Songs of Miriam” by Alicia Ostriker from The Nakedness of the Fathers: Biblical Visions and Revisions]I am the singer, the Dancer, the Drummer of Israel. I celebrate the myriad contributions of Jewish women through the ages. I champion their dreams, nurture their desires, encourage them when their spirits flag. Mine is the voice of joy, of victory, of power. I prophesy the redemption of all our people! My vision is clear and limitless. I see to the last generation!I am Miriam, daughter of IsraelWe gather the limbs, we gather the limbs
We gather the limbs of the child
We sing to the river, we bathe in the river
We save the life of the child.If you listen to me once
You will have to go on listening to me
I am Miriam the prophetess
Miriam who makes the songs
I lead the women in a sacred circle
Shaking our breasts and hips
With timbrels and with dances
Singing how we got overO God of hosts
The horse and his rider
Have you thrown into the sea –
That is my song, my music, my
Unended and unfinished prophecy –O God of hosts
Never again bondage
Never again terror
O God of hosts.Follow me, follow my drum
Follow my drum, follow my drum
Follow me, follow my drum
Follow my drumHannah
[Narrated text written by Ellen Frankel for Women of Valor]I am Hannah, a woman bereft, an arid field, an empty well. My hopes for the future remain as yet unborn, my abundant love, unmilked. To those around me, I appear as one mute, my words reduced to whispers and sighs. Watching my lips move, hearing no sound, it would seem that I give myself over to despair or madness. But the truth is quite otherwise: with a full heart, I offer up my barrenness to God, pledging the first fruit of my womb if my prayers are answered. For I understand better than the mother of ten sons, that our children are not ours to keep, but only ours to give. I am Hannah. I pray from my heart, and my heart’s song is heard.Eishet Hayil (Proverbs 31:10-31)
Ei-shet ha-yil mi yim-tsa
V’ra-chok mip-ni-nom mich-ra
Ba-tach ba lev ba-la
V’sha-lal lo yech-sar
G’ma-lat-hu tov v’-lo ra
Kol y’me cha-ye-ha
Dar-sha tse-mer u-fish-im
Va-ta as b’che-fets ka-pe-ha
Hai-ta ka-a-ni-ot so-cher
Mi-mer chak ta-vi lach-ma
Va-ta kam b’od lai-la
Va-ti-ten te-ref l’ve-ta
V’chok l’-na’-ro-te-ha
Za-m’-ma sa-de va-ti-ka-che-hu
Mi-pri ka-pe-ha nat’-a ka-rem
Chag-ra b’oz mat-ne-ha
Va-t-a-mets z’ro-o-te-haJael
[Sung text from Judges 5:24 - 28; Narrated text from Judges 5:31]Most blessed of women be Jael,
Wife of Heber the Kenite,
Most blessed of women in tents.
He asked for water, she offered milk;
In a princely bowl she brought him curds.
Her left hand reached for the tent pin,
Her right for the workmen’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, crushed his head,
Smashed and pierced his temple.
At her feet he sank, lay outstretched
At her feet he sank, lay still;
Where he sank, there he lay — destroyed.Through the window peered Sisera’s mother,
Behind the lattice she gazed:
“Why is his chariot so long in coming?”And the land was tranquil forty years.
Movement III
And extends her hands to the needy.
She is not worried because of snow,
For her whole household is dressed in crimson.
She makes garments for herself;
Her clothing is linen and purple.
Her husband is prominent in the gates,
As he sits among the elders of the land.
(Proverbs 31)Michal
[Text by RACHEL, translated from the Hebrew by Robert Friend with Shimon Sandbank]And Michal, Saul’s daughter loved David — and she despised him in her heart.Michal, distant sister, time’s thread has not been broken,
time’s thorns in your sad vineyard have not prevailed.
Still in my ear I hear the tinkling of your gold anklet,
The stripes in your silk garment have not paled.Often have I seen you standing by your small window,
pride and tenderness mingling in your eyes.
Like you I am sad, O Michal, distant sister,
and like you I am doomed to love a man whom I despise.Ruth
She makes cloth and sells it,
And delivers a girdle to the merchant.
She is clothed with strength and splendor;
She looks to the future cheerfully.
Her mouth is full of wisdom,
Her tongue with kindly teaching.
She oversees the activities of her household
And never eats the bread of idleness.
Her children declare her happy;
Her husband praises her,
“Many women have done well,
But you surpass them all.”
(Proverbs 31)[Text from “The Book of Ruth and Naomi” from Mars and her Children by Marge Piercy]Where you go, I will go too,
your people shall be my people,
I will be a Jew for you,
for what is yours I will love
as I love you, oh Naomi
my mother, my sister, my heart.Show me a woman who does not dream
a double, heart’s twin, a sister
of the mind in whose ear she can whisper,
whose hair she can braid as her life
twists its pleasure and pain and shame.
Show me a woman who does not hide
in the locket of bone that deep
eye beam of fiercely gentle love
she had once from mother, daughter,
sister; once like a warm moon
that radiance aligned the tides
of her blood into potent order.At the season of first fruits we recall
two travelers, co-conspirators, scavengers
making do with leftovers and mill ends,
whose friendship was stronger than fear,
stronger than hunger, who walked together
the road of shards, hands joined.Where you go, I will go too,
your people shall be my people,
I will be a Jew for you,
for what is yours I will love
as I love you, oh Naomi
my mother, my sister, my heart.Esther
Grace is deceptive,
Beauty is ephemeral;
It is an intelligent woman who should be praised.
Extol her for the fruit of her hand,
And let her works praise her in the gates.* (Proverbs 31)
*Translation by Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton[Text by Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael and paraphrased from the Book of Esther 6:2 ,3]I, Esther, daughter of the hidden Light
Cloak to the Shechinah,
Soaked in myrrh and oiled in frankincense
Bathe in the light of the eternal
Poised at the brink of death
with faith alone as my shield
Driven by a force of inner fire,
the will of desire to subdue a king.“What is your wish, Queen Esther, and what is your request?”
“Let my life be granted me as my wish, and my people as my request.”For the strength of a woman’s beauty is her spirit untamed
and the legacy of her lifetime is the power of her name.A woman of valor, who can find? (Proverbs 31)Eishes Chayil
[Text by Isidor Lillian, the following excerpts are sung in Yiddish]An e-me-se ei-shes cha-yil
an e-me-se ei-shes cha-yil
a tei-e-re kein trei-ch-re fin ihr z’ni-tuA gol-de-ne ne-shu-me
a na-ches a ne-chu-me
a lie-be froi
a gi-te ma-me niuA za gei-ne froi wie sie
breingt in hois nor har-mo-nie
S’lei-ben is a sim-pho-ny
Ei-shes cha-yilEnglish translation by Kathryn HellersteinA true valiant woman
A dear one, there is no one dearer than you
A golden soul
A pleasure and a comfort
A beloved woman
A good mother
Such a fine woman as she
Brings into the house only harmony
Life is a symphony
Women of Valor is a celebration of women from the Old Testament. The cantata was inspired by
a midrash (biblical commentary) on Proverbs where each line of the biblical text from Proverbs
31 represents a biblical woman. The hour-long work is scored for soprano and 1 or 2 mezzo-soprano soloists, narrator and symphony orchestra. It was given its world premiere in Los
Angeles on April 16th, 2000 by the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony under the direction of Dr.
Noreen Green and was favorably reviewed in the Los Angeles Times. Soloists were Hila
Plittman, soprano and Gail Dubinbaum, mezzo-soprano, and the narrator was noted television
actress Valerie Harper. The performance was sponsored by Hadassah Southern California, who
created educational programs around the work. A story on Women of Valor was broadcast
nationally on NPR's All Things Considered in April, 2000. "Ruth's Aria" was awarded First
Prize in the Classical Category of the American Jewish Music Festival 2000 Competition. The
chamber version of Women of Valor is scored for soprano and mezzo-soprano soloists, violin,
Middle Eastern percussion, piano and narrator and has been performed at the University of
Pennsylvania as part of the international colloquium "Jewish Biblical Interpretation in
Comparitive Context" sponsored by the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies and at numerous
synagogues. "Hannah’s Prayer" (“Prayer”) for soprano, harp and string orchestra has been
performed at the Liacoras Center in Philadelphia at the Opening Ceremonies for the National
Maccabi Games in honor of the Munich 11 athletes and was also performed in the fall of 2001 in
Beverly Hills as a memoriam to those who died on September 11, 2001. "Jocheved" is arranged
for women's chorus and has been performed in England, Germany and the U.S. by the Lady
Chapel Singers and is published in the Episcopal Church Hymnal Supplement "Voices Found:
Women in the Church's Song" by Church Publishing. The arias from Women of Valor are also
arranged for voice with piano accompaniment. The Lehigh Valley Orchestra presented the East
Coast premiere of Women of Valor in January, 2004 in Allentown, Pennsylvania sponsored by the
Jewish/Christian Institute for Understanding, and an arrangement of the work for chamber
orchestra was performed by the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony in March, 2004 with celebrity
narrator, Laraine Newman. The orchestral version of Women of Valor is published by Oxford
University Press. Choral, chamber and voice and piano arrangements are published by Andrea
Clearfield. CD’s are available upon request (aclearfield@gmail.com).
Texts for Women of Valor are drawn both from the Bible and from modern poems and prose.
The Biblical texts include portions from Genesis, Judges, The Book of Esther as well as the entire
"Eishet Hayil" (literally "A Woman of Valor") poem from Proverbs, sung and narrated in
English, Hebrew and Yiddish. The work is composed in three large sections, each including
recitatives, arias, duets, narrated portions and orchestral interludes, similar to an oratorio. The
Eishet Hayil text comprises the recitatives, and the arias are the stories of biblical women from
the perspective of ten contemporary women writers. Women of Valor highlights the stories of
Sarah, Leah, Rachel, Jocheved, Miriam, Hannah, Jael, Michal, Ruth and Esther. Texts are by
Alicia Ostriker, Marge Piercy, Rivka Miriam (translated from the Hebrew by Linda Zisquit),
"Rachel" (translated from the Hebrew by Robert Friend), Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael, Sandy
Shanin, Roza Yakubovitsh (translated from the Yiddish by Kathryn Hellerstein) , Isidor Lillian,
Ellen Frankel and Andrea Clearfield.
The musical material for Women of Valor incorporates ancient Hebrew synagogue chants as well
as other traditional melodies which are sung to the Eishet Hayil text. These melodies are woven
through the piece like a tapestry, connecting threads between the old and the new. A
Renaissance technique, soggetto cavato dalle vocali , was employed where a theme is carved out from the vowels of a phrase. Thus, the theme for the oratorio was created from the vowels of
"Women of Valor" where o-e-o-a-o becomes do-re-do-fa-sol. Likewise, the longer version of the
theme, do-re-do-fa-sol-sol-la-ti, is derived from the vowels of the words " Women of Valor,
Who Can Find?" and rises like this question from the opening of Proverbs 31. Heard in a
multiplicity of forms, this theme pervades the work. Another structural element is shaped by
the acrostic nature of Proverbs 31, which uses each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Women of Valor employs a 22- note scale which was devised from three synagogue prayer
modes, providing a musical representation of the literary acrostic. Each line of the biblical text
is sung on a consecutive degree of the scale, preceeded by a chime tone.
While not an authentic representation of any traditional ritual, prayer or musical style, Women of
Valor is influenced by cantorial ornamentation, biblical instruments, Jewish dance forms and
Middle-Eastern and Sephardic music so that these elements became resources for color, melody,
rhythm, phrasing and orchestration. Mixed meters, syncopated rhythms, traditional scales and
percussion instruments such as the dumbek, rik (small tambourine), finger cymbals and sistrem
add a Middle-Eastern ambience to the composition. Portions of ancient melodic patterns, called
tropes, sung to the Torah, can be heard in the Sarah, Miriam, Hannah and Ruth arias as well as
in fragments and layers in the orchestral prelude and other interludes. The centerpiece of the
work, "Miriam's Dance", was inspired by the biblical heroine, Miriam, who led the women in
song and dance after the crossing of the Red Sea. Among the tropes woven through the dance
is the particular melodic pattern that is chanted to Miriam's "Song of the Sea" in the Book of
Exodus.
The biblical stories have been passed down from generation to generation and transformed
with each re-telling. Likewise, the music in Women of Valor unfolds in continuous variation. By
employing a type of polyphony called heterophony, a melody is heard by many instruments
simultaniously, each statement differing slightly from the others. Out of this sea of chant,
various themes emerge. Strata of musical ideas also represent the rich and complex
interpretative layers of the Eishet Hayil text. This large-scale work can be likened to a musical
midrash which reflects the poetic, colorful, heart-felt, mysterious, evocative and celebratory
aspects of the texts.
