Not Worth was commissioned by the New York City ensemble Sequitur for an evening of cabaret songs based on the theme of money. I chose and adapted a text from the Analects (Lun Yu 4.5) of Confucius.
Riches and glory,
everyone loves riches and glory.
But if you can’t get them the right way
They’re not worth winning.
Poverty and obscurity,
everyone hates poverty and obscurity.
But if you can’t get rid of them the right way
They’re not worth losing.
The piece has been recorded by Sequitur with Kristin Norderval singing; the disk is called To Have and To Hold and you can buy it here.
Not Worth is February 3rd in my ongoing project A Book of Days.
Here is a wonderful live recording, sung by Karol Bennett in Houston in 2000.
Here is a score of the piece in pdf format, and here's a set of parts. I'm open to you reorchestrating it for your ensemble; let me know what you have in mind.
And you are warmly invited to support this very low-key way of publishing: