The New Ezekiel

Price: $1.75 ea (License to create copies, purchase through PayPal)

SATB a cappella

Sacred text in English by Emma Lazarus
Duration: three minutes
Difficulty rating (1-5): 3

Also in my treble catalog as the second movement of Rise Up, Emma Lazarus, premiered March 14, 2003 by The New York Treble Singers, New York City, directed by Virginia Davidson.

The SATB version of this piece has not yet been premiered. Please contact me if you are interested in premiering this piece.

I originally wrote this piece specifically for the New York Treble Singers 2003 composition competition, for which it won first prize (it was the second movement of the SSSAAA piece I call Rise up, Emma Lazarus, as both texts are by Lazarus). Recently I decided to recast this movement for SATB choir and I think the results are quite strong. The piece is very energetic and reminds me of some of Randall Thompson’s uptempo choral music, especially its use of large multiple blocks of choral harmony moving in and out of parallel and contrary motions.

Complete perusal score available upon request.

TEXT
Emma Lazarus

What, can these dead bones live, whose sap is dried

By twenty scorching centuries of wrong?

Is this the House of Israel, whose pride

Is as a tale that’s told, an ancient song?

Are these ignoble relics all that live

Of psalmist, priest, and prophet?

Can the breath of very heaven bid these bones revive,

Open the graves and clothe the ribs of death?

Yea, prophesy, the Lord hath said.

Again say top the wind, come forth and breathe afresh,

Even that they may live upon these slain,

And bone to bone shall leap, and flesh to flesh.

The Spirit is not dead, proclaim the word,

Where lay dead bones, a host of armed men stand!

I ope your graves, my people, saith the Lord,

And I shall place you living in your land.

(partial score)

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PAUL CAREY composer / conductor
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