Wind/Psalm

WIND/PSALM

voice with adaptable accompaniment

premiered March 25, 2017 at Washington State University by soprano Clare Sullivan and pianist Hannah Annonen.

Duration: c. 4:30-5:00

Score:

Program notes:

Wind/Psalm is a setting of a poem by the composer’s wife, Tracy Young. The text draws on a common structural pattern found throughout the Book of Psalms, in particular in the lament genre, in which the psalmist first presents a plea for help with present grief or hardship, and closes with a statement of confidence in God’s faithful help. The title Wind/Psalm refers to the imagery of air and breath central to the poem. The flexible accompaniment is written to accommodate a variety of instrumental means, in the manner of the continuo texture common in music of the 16th-17th centuries.