The Proof
I am delighted to offer you a recording of my piece The Evidence, as performed by the San Francisco Choral Artists under the direction of Magen Solomon. The 3.5 minute work is yours for the downloading in mp3 format. By all means, leave a comment here if it makes any kind of impression on you. Enjoy!
A bit of background: last year, the San Francisco Choral Artists honored me by premiering my piece The Evidence for their concert entitled Wisdom of the Ages. I was included among several contemporary composers chosen by open competition. Magen is committed to promoting new music for choir, for which I offer her ten thousand thanks, plus another few thousand for graciously permitting me to make this recording public. If you are in San Francisco sometime and run into Magen, please be awfully nice to her. She's one of my favorite people.
The text is a poem by the 17th century English mystic Thomas Traherne:
The Evidence
His Word confirms the sale :
Those Sheets enfold my Bliss :
Eternity itself’s the Pale
Wherin my true Estate enclosed is.
Each ancient Miracle’s a Seal :
Apostles, Prophets, Martyrs, Patriarchs are
The Witnesses ; and what their Words reveal,
Their written Records do declare.
All may well wonder such a ‘State to see
In such a solemn sort settled on me.
Did not his Word proclaim
My Title to th’ Estate,
His Works themselves affirm the same
By what they do ; my Wish they antedate.
Before I was conceiv’d, they were
Allotted for my great Inheritance ;
As soon as I among them did appear
They did surround me, to advance
My Interest and Lov. Each Creature says
God made us Thine, that we might shew His Prais.
The Services they do,
Aloud proclaim them Mine ;
In that they are adapted to
Supply my Wants ; wherin they all combine
To pleas and serv me, that I may
God, Angels, Men, Fowls, Beasts, and Fish enjoy,
Both in a natural and transcendent way ;
And to my Soul the Sense convey
Of Wisdom, Goodness, Power, and Lov Divine,
Which made them all, and made them to be mine.
His Word confirms the sale :
Those Sheets enfold my Bliss :
Eternity itself’s the Pale
Wherin my true Estate enclosed is.
Each ancient Miracle’s a Seal :
Apostles, Prophets, Martyrs, Patriarchs are
The Witnesses ; and what their Words reveal,
Their written Records do declare.
All may well wonder such a ‘State to see
In such a solemn sort settled on me.
Did not his Word proclaim
My Title to th’ Estate,
His Works themselves affirm the same
By what they do ; my Wish they antedate.
Before I was conceiv’d, they were
Allotted for my great Inheritance ;
As soon as I among them did appear
They did surround me, to advance
My Interest and Lov. Each Creature says
God made us Thine, that we might shew His Prais.
The Services they do,
Aloud proclaim them Mine ;
In that they are adapted to
Supply my Wants ; wherin they all combine
To pleas and serv me, that I may
God, Angels, Men, Fowls, Beasts, and Fish enjoy,
Both in a natural and transcendent way ;
And to my Soul the Sense convey
Of Wisdom, Goodness, Power, and Lov Divine,
Which made them all, and made them to be mine.
Umie the Umlaut says, "ask your doctor about the Fredösphere!"
3 Comments:
Lovely! Thanks for posting it.
And yes, Magen is top notch. She's been awfully nice to me for the past 10 years, so I second what Fred says.
P.S. - Welcome back, Fred!
so glad you're back
This is great! A friend of mine and I will someday drive by your house and... just look. :-) -spk
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