(S)SA and Piano [two part voices with option descent, accompanied]
3 min duration
text by Leslie Grant Scott, adapted by the composer

Commissioned for the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir in celebration oftheir 50th Anniversary, with support from 3 Rivers Federal Credit Union

Not for sale until Fall 2023

“I Have Heard the Music There” for two part treble voices, optional descant, with piano is a lyrical work that utilizes a reoccurring motif which grows and varies. The developing variation- like use of this theme speaks to the image or notion of growth; the growth of a tree, of a person, or a choir. We may start out small, then vary, change, develop, transform. The vocal line’s slight variation, use of repetition, imitation, and canonic-like movements weave a thread of familiarity through the piano’s tapestry of subtle shifts in timbre, register, and alternation between chorale-like writing and moments of florid flourishing; the music paints the imagery of the text.

The text by Leslie Grant Scott illuminates themes of the humanity, solace, and comfort we find in Nature. The forest’s foliage filters out the harshness of the world, and we are calmed by the forest’s heart. To me Nature is also a metaphor for community, or the network of loved ones you may have, over perhaps your choir; together with compassion and kindness we are able to filter the world’s harshness, together we grow, we celebrate, and we listen to the music around us.