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Choir

Do Not Weep
For SATB Choir, Brass Quintet, & Organ

Score Cover - With Logo, YouTube Thumbnail.png

Program Notes

Written in 1934 by Clare Harner, the poem Immortality comments on the inevitability of death in conjunction with the human longing for everlasting life. Despite the implication that the narrator has passed on, and through its simple yet rhythmic text, the poem itself is not morbid. It is a celebration of the human spirit; and a realization of how beautiful life is−that often comes in times of great change. Its meditative words are meant to inspire hope in times of great grief, juxtaposing themes of death against the wonders and beauty of nature. Implying an interconnectedness between all living and non-living things, the poem is a solace and a statement that we all live on.

 

Commissioned by Rob Kennan, Music Director for United Methodist Church in Newark, Delaware, for their Easter service on April 9th, 2023, the text for Do Not Weep seamlessly fits with the themes of death, resurrection, and everlasting life seen at the conclusion of Lent within the Christian faith. Similar to the poem, the opening and closing brass & organ fanfares are meant to represent that celebration of life, and rebirth of Jesus Christ. At the choir entrance in mm.11, the tone for the rest of the piece is set by the text: “Do not stand at my grave and weep I am not there; I do not sleep”. Subsequently, listing the various scenes in nature that Jesus has become, I did my best to let the text guide the music, implementing moments of text painting, call & response, as well as deliberate orchestration among the ensembles. Also notable is the tonal language utilized at the cadence points beginning in mm.22 & again in mm. 75. This gospel influenced chord progression of the IV chord over the V brings these phrases to a satisfying conclusion, reminiscent of a warm spring hug.

 

Since its original publication, variations of the poem have arisen without proper accreditation and differing language. The version set to music in this score reads as follows:

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starshine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry:
I am not there; I did not die.

Shalom Aleichem
For Violin, Erhu (or Optional Violin II), Piano, & SATB Choir

Shalom Aleichem for Violin, Erhu, Piano, & SATB Choir

Program Notes

Shalom Aleichem is a Jewish liturgical song composed by Israel Goldfarb in 1918 that is sung every Friday to mark the eve of the Sabbath. Translated from Hebrew as “peace be upon you”, and according to the teaching in the Jerusalem Talmud, two angels accompany people on their way back home from synagogue on Friday night—a good angel and an evil angel. If the house has been prepared for the Shabbat, the good angel utters a blessing that the next Shabbat will be the same, and the evil angel is forced to respond "Amen”; but if the home is not prepared for Shabbat, the evil angel expresses the wish that the next Shabbat will be the same, and the good angel is forced to respond "Amen". This iteration of the piece was commissioned by 6-Wire of the University of Delaware Master Players Concert Series for performance with the University of Delaware Chorale at Carnegie Hall, New York, February 16th, 2019.

Shalom aleichem malachei ha-sharet malachei Elyon,

mi-melech malachei ha-melachim ha-qadosh Baruch Hu.

 

Bo'achem le-shalom malachei ha-shalom malachei Elyon,

mi-melech malachei ha-melachim ha-qadosh Baruch Hu.

 

Barchuni le-shalom malachei ha-shalom malachei Elyon,

mi-melech malachei ha-melachim ha-qadosh Baruch Hu.

​

{Be}Tzeitechem le-shalom malachei ha-shalom malachei Elyon,

mi-melech malachei ha-melachim ha-qadosh Baruch Hu.

Peace be with you, ministering angels, messengers of the Most High,
Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.

Come in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.

Bless me with peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.

Go in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
Messengers of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He.

Stars
For SSAATTB Choir

Stars Score for SSAATTB Choir

Program Notes

Originally written for the ACDA Choral Competition, Stars uses excerpts from Emily Brontë’s famous poem “Stars”. The poem discusses various themes of love for the night sky and an ultimate abandonment due to the sun’s “hostile light”. Written for SSAATTB, the piece begins in a thinned texture with an agitated mood. Upon reaching the chorus, the SAT voices divide into a full choir as the mood quickly shifts to themes of love. Similar to the first phrase, the second also begins by using a thinned texture before expanding and eventually exploring different key areas. The piece comes to a close with a repetition of the chorus, ending on a tranquil chord, resembling that of a calm night sky.

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