Song for Silent Voices
for band and Wind Symphony
Winner of the 2018 William D. Revelli Award, November 8, 2019
Program Note
Song for Silent Voices was premiered on December 20, 2018, at the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra
Conference in Chicago. Gary Green led the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Wind Symphony, Alex
Kaminsky, director.
I love composing for the human voice. Nothing is more musically meaningful than finding the perfect poem,
however unknown, and letting it transport me into worlds of sound I otherwise might not have considered.
For me, the process of setting any text usually involves culling from the countless ways a stanza could be sung to
find the one I feel best captures the essence of the written word. Syllables, vowels, and consonants—each element
is given its own unique melodic shape. Without fail, the music brings added meaning.
In October 2017, I began an unaccompanied choral work to honor the memory of a remarkable man, my long-time
friend, Herbert M. Loyd, M.D. The text consisted of one word: Alleluia. I became fascinated with the idea of setting
this single utterance hundreds of ways, each repetition determined to portray some new element of this ancient
sacred expression.
Even before I knew the ending or how it would arrive, I was certain I wanted to explore an instrumental version.
Beyond the affirmative title, beyond the emphatic nature of the repetitive lyric—alleluia…alleluia—the slow
harmonic rhythm in the opening, the songlike simplicity of the themes, the long soaring lines of the climax—at
times as many as eight singing simultaneously—all urged me to undertake a transcription for the many colors of the
wind ensemble.
Continually, I’m drawn to music’s power to connect, its gift of going beyond words. To enter music, this seemingly
separate world of pitches, harmonies, rhythms, and textures, is to plunge more deeply into life itself. How true of
the current work: unresolved dissonances speaking to our collective humanity in all its beauty and many
imperfections; frequent modulations reflecting a world of constant change; a single solo voice signifying child-like
innocence; the final diminuendo depicting life’s brevity. Words alone would be inadequate.
What an honor to have my work premiered by The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Wind Symphony.
These brave young musicians, having been through unspeakable tragedy, are an inspiration to all. My hope is that
this music somehow merges grief and gratitude; the quiet void from a life lost and the thankfulness for times
shared. Song for Silent Voices, inspired by the loss of my friend Herb, is dedicated to Alex Kaminsky and the
students of Stoneman Douglas.
New York, New York
June 24, 2018
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