Be Wise and Treasure Love

A delightful—and free use—Russian composition.

4 min • Composed 2023 • Free download: SATB & piano

Composer’s notes

Stepan Shchipachev (1899-1980) was an officially sanctioned Soviet poet who developed a unique voice during a time of war and industrialization. The poem “Be wise and treasure love” uses imagery of nature to highlight the relationship between humanity and the natural world.

This piece was written for the 2023 Student Composer Showcase and performed at Azusa Pacific University by a student ensemble. “Be wise and treasure love” begins with a pensive piano introduction, transitioning into a canon-like layering of voices that settle on the Russian word, “lyubov’yu”—meaning with love. Section B depicts a more childlike and romanticized perspective on love and gradually climaxes into a piano interlude/waltz. At the recapitulation, the choir ends again on the word “lyubov’yu” with an even richer cluster, as if the protagonist, now matured, is leaving the scene with more questions about love than they came with.

Lyrics

Text from Stepan Shchipachev’s poem, “Be Wise and Treasure Love.”

Be wise and treasure love,
Over the years, treasure it twice over.
Love is not sighs on the bench
Nor moonlight walks.

Everything will be slush and newly fallen snow.
After all, life must be lived together.
Love is like a good song,
And the song is not easy to piece together.

Любовью дорожить умейте,
С годами дорожить вдвойне.
Любовь - не вздохи на скамейке
И не прогулки при луне.

Все будет: слякоть и пороша.
Ведь вместе надо жизнь прожить.
Любовь с хорошей песней схожа,
А песню не легко сложить.