Within the Circles of Our Lives

The profound text by Wendell Berry offers some possibilities for choirs wishing to add a bit of staging to their performances. The composer, reflecting on the text, uses ascending intervals of the fifth, sixth, and fourth as motives symbolic of a circle. At the conclusion the sopranos, having been together throughout, divide into two parts, echoing each other to add to the drama of the ending. This is a cleverly constructed composition that will delight singers as they bring it to life.