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Starbird’s Aria 5’15”
(Recording: Erie Mills, soprano; Henry Mollicone, piano)
Excerpt from the opera “Starbird“, for soprano and piano
Level: medium, 5’15”
Program Notes:
This is the first aria sung by The Starbird in this one-act opera for children of all ages.
—Henry Mollicone
Starbird’s Aria
5’15”
Ah!
Through the dark black stillness of the night,
from windless, timeless space,
a place of silver light!
Ah!
And a city of the sun.
Arcturus.
Magnificent.
Ah, Arcturus, a city of the sun,
Arcturus, so far away…
Among the planets, past the Pleiades,
Beyond the Dog Star, far away!
Ah, beware!
Heed my warning!
Go before it is too late!
Look at me!
Once I was an Earth bird.
Like you, I was warm, I was free.
Then one cold day they came,
the spacemen from Arcturus!
They put me in this cold cage.
They took me far, far away from the Earth,
Alone forever, cold and lonely, far away to Arcturus!
A city of silver light!
But always cold!
They plucked my wings and gave me metal plumes,
They took my heart, and gave me one of steel;
The warm blood in my veins they made quicksilver;
They put me in this cold cage
If you only knew how I longed to be free,
and stay here on the Earth!
Ah, release me!
Libretto by Kate Pogue