Three Encounters: 2. An Angel Embraced Me

An Angel Embraced Me is introduced by the piano, set not as an accompaniment but as an equal voice to that of the choir. The encounter in this poem is between a human and an angel: a juxtaposition of mortal and eternal. The music uses a pedantic motif for the mortal (first introduced by the piano in measure 12 in the left hand) and a flowing motif for the eternal (first introduced by the piano in measure 14 in the right hand). The two themes move throughout each other much as a dance might occur between the mortal and the eternal: always elegant and gentle, somewhat awkward at first introduction, then more comfortable as the dance progresses. The song ends in uncertainty with the phrase "I found my life in an angel," leaving the conclusion to the reader: mortal life or eternal life?