Choral
When All Hearts Are One (Rev. W.S. Coffin) Soprano, SATB, piano, cello, claves, guiro 2005
“When All Hearts” was commissioned by the Thetford Chamber Singers, who did a remarkable job with it in 2005. It was an enormous honor to meet Rev. William Sloane Coffin at the premiere, a year before his passing. He spoke about the importance of a composer listening carefully to a writer. This was certainly my deepest intention. I am very grateful to Maureen Burford for facilitating this commission. The first movement contains writings by Thetford Academy students (Thetford, VT). Upon composing the third movement, I found myself continually contemplating what fear is, so I included the phrase “what is fear?” in the movement.
1. Faith "If faith puts us on the road, hope keeps us there. It is hope that helps us keep the faith, despite the evidence, knowing that only in so doing has the evidence any chance of changing." Coffin
"Hope means acting on your belief, not keeping silent. Your hope lives inside you." "It's masqueraded deep within, to seek pleasure and pain." "The fear of loss and death." "Hope means taking things personally: Racism, nuclear weapons, homophobia, children going hungry, abuse on any level." "Hope is being kind and reaching out" "To have hope enables the world to continue." "It's optimism, it's having faith. Planting flowers and paying attention." Thetford Academy students
2. Love
“Love alone can hold onto and recreate life.” Coffin
3. Fear
“Fear distances us from each other, or makes us cling to each other, which is the death of freedom.”
“Fear has so many ways to destroy life.” Coffin
4. Fear
“Only love can create intimacy.”
“Only love can create love.”
“When all hearts are one, nothing else has to be one.” Coffin
