SATB a cappella, 5'00" score sample
Commissioned by the Albany (CA) High School Chamber Singers, Mary Stocker, director
Mary Stocker, the director of vocal ensembles at Albany High School commissioned me to write two pieces for her choirs. The first was 'The Gift to Sing,' premiered by the Combined Choir on March 28, 2018. 'Our Names' is the second, and very different from 'The Gift to Sing.' The Chamber Singers—the creme de la creme of the Albany High vocal program—were interested in a soundscape kind of piece, toward the classical end of the spectrum, challenging enough to give a very talented group of young singers a good workout.
For their text, they chose a poem by one of their own multi-talented members, Harpreet Kaur. The poem is beautiful, profound, and also a bit dark, and Harpreet was generous in indulging my suggestion to add some lines that let the silver lining shine a bit more brightly. For the curious, and to honor her original intentions, I've included Harpreet's original poem after the revised version that I used as our choral text.
Choral text
Perhaps our ultimate fear
goes miles beyond death.
Perhaps we wish our names to be spoken with care
While we lay on our permanent beds.
And though we are gone, we wish to be here
In the world of chaos and love, away from the dead.
Perhaps we fear, beyond all measure,
for our names to remain at the grave alone,
and hope for someone to utter our names,
to raise them from our beds of stone.
Perhaps we hope, beyond all hope
That the mention of our names
Will bridge the miles beyond death
Our names will light this world of chaos and love
Our names will rattle these beds of stone
And in the fabric of history
Our names will be sewn.
Harpreet's original poem (untitled)
Perhaps our ultimate fear
goes miles beyond death.
Perhaps we wish our names to be spoken with care
While we lay on our permanent beds.
And though we are gone, we wish to be here
In the world of chaos and love, away from the dead.
Perhaps we fear, beyond all measure,
for our names to remain at the grave alone,
and hope for someone to utter our names as treasure,
to be brought alive and placed on a throne.
That the mention of our names will cause a stir
And in the fabric of history our names will be sewn.
Commissioned by the Albany (CA) High School Chamber Singers, Mary Stocker, director
Mary Stocker, the director of vocal ensembles at Albany High School commissioned me to write two pieces for her choirs. The first was 'The Gift to Sing,' premiered by the Combined Choir on March 28, 2018. 'Our Names' is the second, and very different from 'The Gift to Sing.' The Chamber Singers—the creme de la creme of the Albany High vocal program—were interested in a soundscape kind of piece, toward the classical end of the spectrum, challenging enough to give a very talented group of young singers a good workout.
For their text, they chose a poem by one of their own multi-talented members, Harpreet Kaur. The poem is beautiful, profound, and also a bit dark, and Harpreet was generous in indulging my suggestion to add some lines that let the silver lining shine a bit more brightly. For the curious, and to honor her original intentions, I've included Harpreet's original poem after the revised version that I used as our choral text.
Choral text
Perhaps our ultimate fear
goes miles beyond death.
Perhaps we wish our names to be spoken with care
While we lay on our permanent beds.
And though we are gone, we wish to be here
In the world of chaos and love, away from the dead.
Perhaps we fear, beyond all measure,
for our names to remain at the grave alone,
and hope for someone to utter our names,
to raise them from our beds of stone.
Perhaps we hope, beyond all hope
That the mention of our names
Will bridge the miles beyond death
Our names will light this world of chaos and love
Our names will rattle these beds of stone
And in the fabric of history
Our names will be sewn.
Harpreet's original poem (untitled)
Perhaps our ultimate fear
goes miles beyond death.
Perhaps we wish our names to be spoken with care
While we lay on our permanent beds.
And though we are gone, we wish to be here
In the world of chaos and love, away from the dead.
Perhaps we fear, beyond all measure,
for our names to remain at the grave alone,
and hope for someone to utter our names as treasure,
to be brought alive and placed on a throne.
That the mention of our names will cause a stir
And in the fabric of history our names will be sewn.