Composer: Michael Bussewitz-QuarmDetailsFormat: Mixed Choir - 4 voicesVoicing: SATBIncidental Divisi: S, ASolo Requirements: S, TAccompaniment: keyboardInstrumentation: pianoNotation: standardPerformance Length: 5:44 Study Scores & Audio FilesStudy Score & Audio Order Printed ScoresPublisher: MB Arts MB2626 Texts & TranslationsLanguage(s): EnglishText Source: Chantal Sellers, based on the stories of Avielle’s father, JeremyText: The glorious stories once written or sung, Fantastical, mystical, and true, Leave marks on the heart, and then they live on, And this is the story of you. When Maeve gave a wave and Efford waved back, You knew them and called them by name. You played in the shade of the dappling leaves, In the yard by the house down the lane. You laughed when you passed the gargoyles lair, You charmed them and sang them to life. They awoke and they spoke of fishes and stars, And archers, and fairies in flight, And this is the story of you. When Maeve gave a wave and Efford waved back, You knew them and called them by name. They stretched out their limbs to hold you again, As sunlight washed over the lane. We spin your story on and on, Firewords! Firewords! A magical heart, and mighty one, Firewords! Firewords! It need not be long to speak to the strong. I will remember you! I will. Programming AidsPerformance Difficulty: moderately easyDescriptive Terms: remembrancegun violenceactivismAllow Excerpts: Composition is a single movementComposer’s Notes: "There's really no way to appropriately recognize your lost child's birthday," Jeremy said as he and Jennifer talked about what life has been like for their family since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School took the lives of twenty children and six educators in 2012. Following the February 2018 mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, I resolved to be part of the solution myself, in whatever way that would mean. It was not possible to continue to live with a feeling of helplessness. The composition The Unarmed Child is born out of that frustration and ensuing resolve. My engagement was further inspired by the action which one couple has taken in establishing the Avielle Foundation, a memorial to the daughter whom Jeremy and Jennifer lost at Sandy Hook Elementary. Jeremy and Jennifer gave me their permission to honor Avielle and their family by dedicating this movements from my larger work: “The Unarmed Child.” "You have to imagine it. When you allow yourself to imagine such tragedies, you'll be motivated to take action.” - Jeremy Richman Additional InformationDate of Completion: September, 2019Date of First Performance: Saturday, September 21, 2019Premier Performance Data: Long Island Voices (Michael Bussewitz-Quarm, cond), St. Peter's by-the-Sea, Bay Shore, New YorkAdditional Performances: November 8th, 2019, Eugene Concert Choir, Dr. Diane Retallack, Beall Concert Hall, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
