[Oh Smile At Me — V12.8]

[Female Voice — Sultry Soprano, warm, storytelling, third person, Polish accent]

[Male Voice — Resolute Tenor, fearless, dry, first person, Yiddish accent]

[picks up from Part 1 — cello carries ze unresolved note forward — strings enter varmly — ze melody continues — 72 BPM]

[Male Voice]

Time for a career

I could not afford college

My fazer said tailor

I vent ver I vas told

[Female Voice]

It vas never his choice

Ze dutiful son

[Male Voice]

I valked five hours

To Nowy Sącz

Ze center of Judaism

And trades

[strings only — intimate — no swing — no rhythm section — pure romantic orchestral]

Four of us

Voke before dawn

Dark bread and schmaltz

Endless cleaning

Every moment near ze fabric

Earned first

By hard labor

Twice a veek — trade school

A routine formed

[Female Voice]

He vas becoming skilled

[strings lift — first hint of pride]

[Male Voice]

Tree years later

Ze day arrived

I crafted an elegant suit

Ze master looked it over

He said

Son, you are ready

Ze school issued a certificate

Unt good vishes

[Male Voice — dry, almost an afterthought]

A small celebration

Turned on ze radio

Jan Kiepura

Zat voice

You couldn’t get it out of your head

[Female Voice]

He valked home smiling

[Male Voice]

Tinking about my future

[strings varm — valking pulse]

[Male Voice]

I took a few days

My mozer spoiled me

Told her I loved her smile

Kissed ze kids

And started valking up ze mountain

[Female Voice]

Zat tune kept coming back

[Male Voice — quietly, just for himself — restrained]

Heading to vork

For ze first time

I started humming

Couldn’t help singing

Oh smile at me

Oh smile at me

[Female Voice — barely zere, mountain air]

(Oh smile at me)

[valking pulse continues — strings only — a man and a road]

[Female Voice]

Eight hours later

Ze forest opened

To paved streets

And hoof beats

Painted carriages

People on ze promenade

Dressed like zey had somewhere important to be

Shops vit glass vindows

Ze patisserie

Ze flower shop

Ze café

And zen

A grand hotel — Ze Patria

Built by ze greatest tenor in ze vorld

Jan Kiepura

Ze same guy zat made zat song

Stuck in my head

[Male Voice]

His mountain retreat

Electric lights, elevators

Neon signs

And a grand ballroom

Just a scenic train ride avay

[Male Voice]

I tried to valk inside

Mud caked boots

Pointed back to ze street

[Female Voice]

A schlepper vit ambition

[Male Voice]

Zat vas me

[strings settle — intimate]

[Male Voice]

I found ze tailor shop

Small bell announced me

Clean up first

Zen ve vill talk

[Female Voice]

Dressed before dawn

In a few days

He vas selling

Measuring

Sewing

[Male Voice]

Small salary

Commissions on top

[Female Voice]

Family fed him

[Male Voice]

Ve sold

Ze latest fashion

Expertly put together

Building a reputation

Dey told zeir friends

[strings breze varm]

[Female Voice]

He met a girl

Young

Together in a beautiful mountain town

Evenings on ze promenade

[strings quicken — 84 BPM — somezing modern and powerful]

[Male Voice]

One afternoon ve valked to ze train station

Ze Lux-tor-peda slowed to a stop

Tree hours direct from ze city

Over a hundred kilometers per hour

Krynica — ve are ze destination

[Female Voice]

Elegant passengers spilled onto ze platform

Dressed like zey owned ze vorld

Vaves of money, every few hours

[vocal reset]

[all instruments drop — French horns rise — fanfare — castle grand]

[Female Voice]

One afternoon

A crowd started to form

Jan Kiepura

[French horns enter — distant, varm, announcing greatness]

Ze man himself

[one beat — horns breathing]

[Female Voice]

Vit no notice

No announcement

He stepped onto ze balcony

[french horns fanfare]

French horns billowed

A call to ze people

[Male Voice]

And started to sing

[full strings surge — horns lift — orchestra fully opens]

[CHORUS — Male Voice soaring — Female Voice canon echo — clean English — no accent]

[Male Voice]

Oh smile at me

Oh smile at me

[Female Voice]

(Oh smile at me)

(Oh smile at me)

[French horns swell — golden and full]

[Male Voice]

Your smile has sparked

A fire of longing

In my heart

[Female Voice]

(Your smile has sparked)

(A fire of longing)

(In my heart)

[full orchestra — voices weave above]

[Male Voice]

Oh smile at me

Just once

Oh smile at me

[Female Voice]

(Oh smile at me)

(Just once)

(Oh smile at me)

[tenor holds final note — orchestra swells — releases — do not stop — keep ze energy building]

[sudden silence — one beat only — zen ze crowd erupts]

[Male Voice]

Nobody moved

Nobody breathed

A mountain full of people

Stopped!

By one man

And his voice

[crowd erupts immediately — horns answer — triumphant fanfare — do not slow down]

[chorus repeats 2x — fuller — voices stronger — builds to peak]

[voices fade — instrumental bridge]

[French horns carry ze melody alone — varm, golden]

[strings join softly — bridge holds]

[Male Voice]

Ve loved it

[bridge dims — horns last — silence]

THE · TALK · OF · THE · TOWN