Sounds Right

Upon the Stair is a setting of lines from the poem Antigonish by William Hughes Mearns (1875–1965), an American educator and poet. First published in 1922, Antigonish was inspired by accounts of a ghost that was said to haunt the stairs of a house in the town of Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

The words used here are taken from the first and third verses of the poem:

Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn’t there!
He wasn’t there again today.
Oh, how I wish he’d go away ...

A second voice – that of the ghost – is added for dramatic effect:

Yesterday, upon the stair,
I wasn’t there!
I wasn’t there again today.
I’m never going away ...

The materials can be performed in a variety of ways. Some suggestions are made in the Sounds Right book, but these should merely be taken as starting points for individual interpretations of the piece.

Sound-makers, pattern-makers and motif-makers have parts that can enable them to contribute to inclusive performances of the song, in which the melody and accompaniment are provided by other performers, or by using the track supplied. Music-makers can include singers and instrumentalists: for example, playing the piano, keyboard or organ; or the clarinet, violin or viola with bassoon, cello or bass; or by using touchscreen technology.

There are 11 tracks available to support learning and performances of Upon the Stair:

1
Upon the Stair, full performance
2
Upon the Stair, no higher voice backing track
3
Upon the Stair, no lower voice backing track
4
Upon the Stair, no vocals backing track
5
Upon the Stair, single tick of clock
6
Upon the Stair, single bass drum stroke
7
Upon the Stair, low 'A' bass note
8
Upon the Stair, creaking door sounds
9
Upon the Stair, shimmering cymbal sound
10
Upon the Stair, ghostly 'woo' sound
11
Upon the Stair, ominous whispering sounds

Tracks for Projects Upon The Stair