Thoughts

Link: http://shop.choirworks.com/harvesthymn

Just released a new work for SATB choir acapella entitled Harvest Hymn. I just wanted to say a couple of things about it that I probably wouldn’t put on the ‘product’ page of my choir site.

First, when you read the lyric, it is hard to believe that I set this text to music originally for my children’s songbook and CD, "Thanksgiving!" Still, its true. Although it is somber and reflective text (by Jeremiah Ingalls) on the catastrophes that will come about when the Earth’s fields (of souls) are gathered in, I don’t think it is too much to handle for kids (I think as I kid I would have enjoyed singing about the rocks fleeing away and the whole world being on fire). As a nation we seem to be shying away from themes of judgement, but that may be one of the subconscious reasons I included it.

On the other hand, I definately have a macabre sense of humor (think Tim Burton) and this text does sort of strike with a grimness that is just not seen much in modern religious culture. Frankly, I couldn’t resist setting it when I read it.

This version is for a ‘grown up’ choir, and maybe it fits better here, with adults, I don’t know. In any case, I still think this text is great and I can’t wait to perform this version at the Phoenix Rising (my choir) Harvest Celebration in November. I’ve incorporated the sound of the scythe cutting the wheat down as a sound effect produced by the choir; I think it is one of my more brilliant, but simply achieved, moves.

The text and a sample score are on the site linked to above if you’d like to take a look.

Last week I had the opportunity to be a part of an Elder Hostel program that is held in conjunction with Utah Festival Opera by Utah State University faculty on the USU campus in Logan. In the program seniors come and stay the week and attend various cultural events and classes.

Lynn Jemison-Keisker, director of their Opera Theatre program invited me. She, on piano, and soprano Venicia Wilson performed my song cycle "All Heaven and it was One Hour Old" as the subject of the lecture/panel discussion for the hour and a half class. It was a great experience.

First Lynn and Venicia would talk a little about each of the songs and then perform them one at a time. Then they’d ask me for comments and open it up for questions from the class participants.

It’s always interesting to me what normal non-musician music lovers are interested in. What are they interested in? Stories, confilct and resolution: I talked briefly about a certain group (not named of course) that had recently butchered one of my new works and how nice it was to have such excellent performers take up your work to present (specifically the performers that day). Later, one of the ladies asked me about this during the questions and how I reacted and what I said to them. I was a little surprised by this question, but I told them that I had said, "Thank you." What else can you do? If you pay someone to do a job and they don’t do it, you just say thanks and then move on to someone else. Anyway, this same lady that asked the question came up to me afterward and told me what a sweet man I was. So, being gracious to people does pay off long afterward it seems.

Anyway, it was a good little class and I enjoyed doing it. It really is wonderful when good performers take up and champion your work. I’m really grateful to these two for showcasing it and bringing it to an audience who probably would have never heard it otherwise.

I’ve been quoted in an article about NPAC by Megan Young for Opera America : ENewsletterArticles/artistarticle071408.aspx

 OK, so it’s not an earth-shattering quote, but hey, there it is.