I will lament and love

Grade 4 - 4.5

Duration: 9-10 minutes

Completion date was April 2018

Recording:

Excerpt:

Program Notes:

I will lament and love is both a lament and an expression of hope and strength in response to tragedy. Sorrow and hope are deeply interwoven and I find this to be a mysterious reality. I believe we drive out hate with love and we drive out despair with hope. At the same time, does despair lead us into hope? Does hate lead us into love? In other words, does violence and suffering play a mysterious role in bringing forth hope and love? Can violence inspire us to bring more beauty into the world?

When we show hope in the face of suffering, we are playing a part in defeating evil. Love can arise from lament. I long for a day when a final surge of love comes and evil no longer has a place.

Note to Conductor:

There is an optional narration toward the end of the piece. The poem was written by the composer. This should be spoken only and not included in any program notes.

Additional Thoughts:

I said these words almost two years ago (video below). I had no idea just how tightly I'd have to hold on to these very beliefs in order to write the piece I just finished.  I said those words before my piece, Eternity in an Hour, was performed.  However, these words are even more applicable to the piece I just wrote that is in response to what happened at Stoneman Douglas High School, titled I will lament and love. The piece is a lament, but also a display of hope.  I've included 17 short solos throughout the work to draw attention to the individuals who lost their lives.  

When you sing through suffering (whether through the human voice or giving voice to an instrument through human breath), that means hope is alive.  A lament can hold the saddest melody, but if that melody is sung then hope is present. 

I was approached in February about writing this piece and we are at the end of that process. The Ohio State University Wind Symphony generously recorded the piece as soon as I finished the work.