I Am Not Yours

SSAA with Piano

Posted by Natalie Cardillo | ChoralPop

🕰 Style & Background

I Am Not Yours is a contemporary SSA choral setting of a poem by early 20th-century American poet Sara Teasdale. This arrangement uses lush, modern harmonies and sustained vocal lines to explore the text’s themes of longing, surrender, and emotional vulnerability. The piece is ideal for ensembles ready to tackle expressive singing and musical nuance, offering a sophisticated artistic moment in any program.

Text by: Sara Teasdale
Music by: David Childs
Language: English (USA)
Style: Modern lyrical choral
Time Period: 21st Century setting of 20th Century poetry

💡 Why This Piece Works

I Am Not Yours creates a deeply emotional atmosphere through suspended harmonies, dynamic shaping, and poetic pacing. It provides an excellent opportunity for treble choirs to explore sensitivity, breath control, and blend in a piece that values restraint and connection over vocal power. It is especially effective in spring concerts, festivals, or thematic programs centered on love, longing, or identity.

🎯 Ideal for These Concerts

✅ Winter Concerts
✅ Spring Concerts
✅ Thematic Concerts (love, longing, identity, surrender)
✅ Women’s Choir / Treble Festival Programming
✅ Festival or Adjudication
⚠️ Not suited for Pops or Holiday concerts

🌎 Geographic Origin

• Text: American poet Sara Teasdale (Missouri)

• Arrangement: U.S. contemporary choral tradition

🎵 Musical Characteristics

Melodic Range

• Soprano 1: C4–A5

• Alto 1: A3–D5

• Solo Range: None — ensemble-driven piece

Key & Tonality

• Primarily in E Minor

• Tonal ambiguity, modal color, and chromaticism throughout
  Solfege Accessibility: Moderate to Challenging – minor mode tuning and suspensions require refined ear training

Rhythmic Complexity

• Simple meter (mostly 4/4, some 3/2)

• Frequent ties across bar lines and off-beat entrances

• Requires sensitivity to tempo flexibility and phrasing

Text Clarity & Diction

• Long, legato phrasing encourages deep breath and soft onset

• Excellent for working on poetic interpretation and vowel unification

• Text is syllabic and accessible but needs emotional connection

Harmonic Density

• Rich dissonances and extended harmonies

• Tightly voiced SSA clusters

• Requires careful listening and blend across sections

Form & Repetition

• Through-composed structure based on poem’s natural flow

• Emotional arc shaped by text pacing rather than musical repetition

• Subtle development toward climactic peak and final stillness

📩 Price Comparison Summary

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