Veyn nisht (after Kleyner yosem) (Don’t Cry)

Description

Veyn nisht for SATB a cappella is a 6-minute setting based on the melancholic lullaby Kleyner yosem (Little Orphan) by the legendary Polish-Jewish songwriter Mordechaj Gebirtig (1877-1942). In his interpretation of the Yiddish song, Bernd Franke uses a broad tonal language including aleatoric and scenic elements. The piece begins with a haunting whisper, which gradually grows into a touching four- to eight-part choral sound. Only at the end does the original melody return, integrated into a four-part polyphonic choral movement.