This edition was prepared by Charles West — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
A Nameless Grave
Staff Notation • Secular, Laments
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A Nameless Grave by Charles West — Lyrics
A NAMELESS GRAVE
‘A soldier of the Union mustered out,'
Is the inscription on an unknown grave
At Newport News, beside the saltsea wave,
Nameless and dateless; sentinel or scout
Shot down in skirmish, or disastrous rout
Of battle, when the loud artillery drave
Its iron wedges through the ranks of brave
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About A Nameless Grave
Charles West sets Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poignant poem A Nameless Grave, a lament for an unknown Union soldier. The text, written in 1874, reflects on the sacrifice of a soldier whose identity is lost to the ravages of war. The composer captures the solemnity and a sense of personal debt felt by the speaker, who is moved by the anonymous hero's ultimate sacrifice. This solo setting in English for soprano voice allows for an intimate and expressive delivery, amplifying the poem's themes of remembrance, gratitude, and the profound cost of conflict. The piece is a moving reflection on mortality and the enduring power of individual bravery, even when history forgets.
