Invitation to Love

Invitation to Love for SSA a cappella was composed by Beck during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020, specifically for The King's Singers New Music Prize. This composition won First Prize in Category 3 of that competition. Category 3 is for children's choir and the piece works equally well for women's voices. It is included on Beck's 2023 recording entitled remember (neuma 183). The video below is of the world premiere given 28 February 2021 by Cathedra, directed by Michael McCarthy, at Washington National Cathedral.

 

The text is by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906) who was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Ohio to freed slaves from Kentucky, he became one of the first influential Black poets in American literature.

 

Please note that the cost of the music is per copy required for performance.