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After the Dazzle of Day, for SATB chorus, wind ensemble, and strings, contains settings of two short poems. Walt Whitman’s “After the dazzle of day is gone” describes the transition from day into night, while Richard Eugene Burton’s “The broadening of the light is like a strain” describes the transition from night into day. But rather than presenting these texts back-to-back, depicting a single 24-hour cycle, the piece switches between the two poems freely. Thus, it has a removed point of view, encompassing many days and nights, until the cycle no longer resembles a cycle. The result is a kind of mosaic of brightness, darkness, sunrises, and sunsets. After the Dazzle of Day was written in 2013, commissioned by the Duxbury High School Wind Ensemble (Ric Madru and Jill Norenberg, directors), the Duxbury High School String Ensemble (Nick Tatarka, director), and the Duxbury High School Chamber Singers (Robert Judge, director), who premiered the work in 2014 at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

After the dazzle of day is gone,
Only the dark, dark night shows to my eyes the stars;
After the clangor of organ majestic, or chorus, or perfect band,
Silent, athwart my soul, moves the symphony true.

Walt Whitman (1819–92)

The broadening of the light is like a strain
Of mellow music from a golden horn
Set to the huntsman’s lips, who now is fain
To play hunt’s up, and wake the drowsy morn.

Richard Eugene Burton (1861–1940)