When Heaven Cries

The piece is titled this because I wanted to take a spiritual approach to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and some many that have lost their lives. The piece is viewed from the perspective of heaven -- with anger and sadness filling the piece to the climax -- depicting rain and a storm of emotion. In the very beginning, the listener is in the middle of loss and tragedy from the perspective of Earth -- there is turmoil and anger. I incorporate dissonant tones to give the dark colors of a dark time. As the beginning begins to morph, whispers emerge from the ensemble with chants and words heard countless times. From the final dissonant point, the piece moves into the scenery of heaven. Angels gather as the melody represents the souls of the victims heading to the afterlife. From there, the pain of loss and tragedy becomes too much and the skies cry. The climax of the piece is the melody but augmented to fill each beat with pain. Heaven is crying. However, with storms comes the phenomenon of rainbows -- giving hope after the storm. I end the piece with the introduction of a rainbow -- giving hope for tomorrow and hope for a better future.