Requiem
Cadence L.
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This piece was performed by 4 friends at our school's candlelit All Saints Day Mass (the recording is of a dress rehearsal), fulfilling my intention that it be sung in ritual settings to better faciilitate listeners’ personal mourning. The following is from my statement of intention at that mass: The lyrics for this song come from two very different sources. The chorus intones a passage from the Catholic funeral liturgy, which hopes that the dead will have “eternal rest” and “perpetual light”. Meanwhile, the solo lines come from a poem about the sinking of the Titanic, and portrays nature’s indifference to human striving and tragedy. Thus, the piece reflects the confusing mix of solace and hopelessness which we often feel after a death. We hope that this song heals you in some way.
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Every piece I compose begins with an intention. It may be to forge camaraderie between musicians, help listeners find solace within uncertainty, or induce ecstatic union with the Divine. Whatever the specifics, every intention boils down to caring for my audience’s psychological needs.
