Bible Women
Vanessa McClintock
Naomi and Ruth
Mary and Elisabeth
Mary's Lullabye
Woman at the Well
At the Cross: Lamentations of Three Marys
Mary, at the Tomb
(Use the "Back" button to return to the score,
or click on the title in each section)
Naomi and Ruth is based on the scripture found in the Book of Ruth of the Holy Bible. It is a fictional account of the two women reflecting on their lives as they enter old age. Ruth’s solo, “Entreat me not to leave you,” more directly is derived from that scripture.
To the composer, this is one of the notable examples of how love and bond two individuals and sustain them throughout their lives.
In this rendering, both vocal parts are given to mezzo-soprano voices, as that seems more fitting for women in their living conditions. The lower part is given to Naomi, the elder of the two women.
This is yet another entry into the ongoing series about the Saviour, beginning with Mary’s Lullaby—the mother and child; and Mary, at the Tomb—Mary Magdalene, two angels, and the resurrected Jesus. In this case, Ruth is a progenitor of Jesus, as given in the account of Matthew in the New Testament.
Mary and Elisabeth is based on the scripture found in the Book of Luke, Chapter 1, of the Holy Bible.
It is the account of the meeting of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her cousin, Elisabeth when both were with child.
This account addresses verses 36-58, and includes Mary’s brief account of the Annunciation, and follows with a musical dialog that includes Elisabeth’s declaration that Mary’s baby will be the Saviour, and the declaration by Mary, known as the “Magnificat” (from the Latin to magnify) in which she states, “My soul doth magnify the LORD.” In this setting, I have liberally added Elisabeth to make a dialog/duet, with Elisabeth reinforcing Mary’s praise and statement.
Mary's Lullaby should be self-explanatory by the title: it is a lullaby by a mother to her newborn, by Mary to the infant Jesus, whilst the Three Wise Men and other visitors pay homage and present their gifts.
The work was premiered by Rona Commins, December 07, 1986. In the late summer or early fall she had asked me to compose a work for her Christmas recital. She is a highly accomplished musician and vocal technician and capable of singing just about anything. Because of this, I felt confident with bi-tonality and contrasting meters and rhythms. In the performance one does not hear these things, as the essence (or Spirit) of the music and text come fourth.
[First conceived in the fall of 2023, and to be included with “Mary's Lullaby” and “Mary, at the Tomb” as part of an ongoing and growing set of themes with and about the Saviour. For mezzo soprano, tenor, and piano.]
The Woman at the Well is based on the scripture found in the Book of John, Chapter 4, of the Holy Bible. It is the account of the Saviour, Jesus the Christ, declaring his divinity to a woman in the land known as Samaria; she is distantly related to, but is not, a Jew.
In this account, Jesus and some of his disciples have been traveling from Judea to Galilee and are passing through Samaria. The parable of “The Good Samaritan” rings here, as he also is not Jewish.
Jesus is alone—his companions having left to find food—sitting by the village well. It is later in the afternoon, apparently the only time this woman is allowed to draw water, as she has been living a life contrary to the code and morals of her people.
It was not common, nor acceptable, for Jews to speak or have dealings with Samaritans, yet the Saviour not only converses with this woman in Samaria but chooses her—and her people—to declare that He is the Messiah for whom they all have been waiting.
The part of The Woman is given to a mezzo-soprano, as that voice seems more fitting for a woman in her lifestyle and situation. Jesus is a tenor, possibly because musically speaking that voice is more associated with the “lead” actor. It this case, it provides a contrast to the earthliness of the Samaritans. The piano is an integral part of the storytelling. In this series, the part of Jesus always is given to the tenor. This has become part of an ongoing series about the Saviour, beginning with Mary’s Lullaby—the mother and child; and Mary, at the Tomb—Mary Magdalene, two angels, and the resurrected Jesus.
The text used is adapted from the King James Version and the Holman Christian Standard bible.
At the Cross: Lamentations of Three Marys
This work, part of the Bible Women series, is based on John 19.
Started in early December 2024 (just after having completed “The Lord’s Prayer” for SMTB), this trio represents three women at the crucifixion of Jesus: Mary, His mother; Mary Magdalene; and Mary, wife of Clopas. There was a fourth, the sister of the mother, but she is not represented here.
All three Marys sat at the base of the cross, sharing each other's grief and caring for each other and the Saviour, as best they could.
The text consists simply of “Oh” and “Ah”—no text or quotes from the Bible—representing the wailing, the laments of three women grieving a great loss.
Voice assignments are soprano: Mary Magdalene; mezzo: Mary, wife of Clopas; and contralto, Mary mother of Jesus, whose range is from low F3 to high D5. In “Mary’s Lullaby,” the first composed of this set of Bible Women, Mary is a soprano. There, she is a teenage mother, while here she is middle-aged.
As with nearly all of my mature works, this has a good deal of what might be construed as “bitonality.” I truth, though, it is based on terraces of common harmonies that share diminished 7th chords. For example, the upper register might have a C major chord, what the lower register has an Eb major chord. Each shares the same dim 7th chord: B-D-F-Ab. This work has more singular tonality than others in my developed history, and also features some harmonies based on fourths and fifths, rather than thirds. You also will find many instances of “cross-relations,” i.e. one voice singing , A-natural while another voice sings Ab, etc.
Most of the accompaniment consists of sparse static chords, with little polyphonic movement, and much is sung a cappella (without accompaniment at all).
Mary, at the Tomb is an evocative and dramatic vocal work depicting the Resurrection scene found in the book of John, Chapter 20, leading up to and including Mary's recognition of Jesus. It is intriguing that the Saviour asks Mary the same thing that the angels had just asked, but then adds a second question, "whom seekest thou?"
In scripture, one finds different accounts of the same events. In this work, Mary visits the tomb by herself and encounters two angels and the Saviour. I derived the kernel of this music from a portion of my choral work Easter Trilogy in which the primary scriptural references are the books of Mark and Matthew. In those accounts, Mary Magdalene visits the tomb with other women.
The inspiration to compose the work came whilst I was entering Mary's Lullabye into the digital format. I seem to recall at the time (2020ish) that since I had a song memorializing the beginning of the Saviour's life, it would be fitting to have a matching bookend, so to speak.
The first, Mary's Lullabye, is of course for Mary, the Mother. This Mary had a special place and relationship to the Saviour, as evident by Him revealing His post-resurrection self to her before anyone else, including the apostles.