Composer: John MuehleisenDetailsFormat: Treble VoicesVoicing: SSAAIncidental Divisi: S, S, A, ASolo Requirements: SAccompaniment: unaccompaniedNotation: standardPerformance Length: 7:25 Study Scores & Audio FilesStudy Score & Audio Order Printed ScoresPublisher: Muehleisen Music JM-128 Order site / Alternate source of score: www.johnmuehleisen.com Texts & TranslationsLanguage(s): EnglishText Source: Latin Liturgical textText: Da pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris Quia non est alius Nisi tu Deus noster. Da pacem cordium. Da pacem.Translation: Give peace, Lord, in our time Because there is no one else If not You, our God. Give peace to every heart. Give peace. Programming AidsPerformance Difficulty: difficultSeasonal Usage: LentMemorial DayVeteran's DayDescriptive Terms: peacewarBachGregorian ChantAllow Excerpts: Composition is a single movementComposer’s Notes: When Karen Thomas, Artistic Director of Seattle Pro Musica, asked me to compose a work for their Women’s Schola, she stipulated that the work should be based on musical ideas from one or more of the three Bach motets on the same concert and that the text focus on the theme of peace. From the Bach motets I used several fragments of the familiar "Jesu, meine Freude" chorale from the motet of the same name. In addition, while searching for texts for the work, I found the simple liturgical text of the Da pacem, and I was immediately struck by its quality of timelessness, as well as its particular relevance for our own time. As it happens, I also decided to use the corresponding "Da pacem" chant in addition to Bach’s chorale tune. In the beginning of the work, the chant and chorale tune are divided between the women’s chorus and soprano soloist, respectively. Following the chorale-like passage in the middle, the women’s chorus takes up Bach’s chorale tune while the soloist sings variations of the "Da pacem" chant. The plea for peace becomes increasingly more insistent until it reaches a climax with a series of desperate cries for peace, which resolve into a poignant, fragmented echo of the climax, finally ending unresolved, yet with the hope of peace that lies deep within all human hearts. The work is dedicated “to those who yearn for peace and those who have died to preserve it.” Additional InformationDate of Completion: December, 2007Date of First Performance: Saturday, March 15, 2008Premier Performance Data: Seattle Pro Musica Women's Schola (Karen P. Thomas, cond), St. James Cathedral, Seattle, WAAdditional Performances: October 3, 4, 2009, Vox Musica Women's Choir (Daniel Paulson, cond), St. John's Lutheran Church, Sacramento, CA October 19, 20, Dec. 10, 2010, Pacific Lutheran University Singers (Brian Galante, cond), Lagerquist Hall, PLU Campus, Parkland, WA April 2, 2011, Vox Reflexa (Benjamin Geier, cond), St. Louls Abbey, St. Louis, MO Dec. 2, 3, 2011, Vox Musica Women's Choir (Daniel Paulson, cond), St. John's Lutheran Church, Sacramento, CA April 20, 2013, St. Olaf Catholic Church Schola (LoraLee Culbert, cond), St. Olaf Catholic Church, Minneapolis, MN Fall, 2013, Iowa State University Cantamus (Kathleen Rodde, cond), Ames, IA July 25, 26, 2015, The Choral Pickup (Nathan Frank, cond), Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA