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| Composer : Arranger : Publisher : | Lein, Edward (1955 - ) | ||||
| Instrumentation : | Soli, Choir and Piano | ||||
| Style : | Contemporary | ||||
| Key : | D minor | ||||
| Lyricist : | Lein, Edward | ||||
| Langage : | English | ||||
| Date : | 2006 | ||||
| Copyright : | Copyright © Edward Lein | ||||
| Added by edwardlein, 26 Mar 2022 FOR MATTHEW (Lament & Prayer) Words & Music by Edward Lein In the pre-dawn hours of October 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard, the 21-year-old son of Judy and Dennis Shepard, was kidnapped, tortured, beaten, and left to die in a frost-covered field near the University of Wyoming. According to courtroom testimony, the two murderers, following a plan made before ever meeting their victim, randomly selected the slightly-built college student from among the patrons at a gay-friendly pub and lured him with the promise of a safe ride home. Mistaking him for a scarecrow, an early morning jogger discovered the comatose youth tied cross-like to a fence, his battered head covered in blood except for streaks washed clean by tears. It was from this horror that the text of the 'Lament' arose. During the days following that cowardly and brutal attack I was haunted by Samuel Barber's song, 'The Crucifixion', as witnessed in my allusion to its moving verse, by W.H. Auden. The 'Prayer' was added after the 'Lament' had been written, and was directly inspired by the reflections of the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston on October 12, 1998, the day that Matthew Shepard died. Bishop Charleston, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, former Bishop of Alaska, and President and Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School, observed that, "Crimes of hate may live in shouts of rage, but they are born in silence," referring to fears that prevent many within the Christian community from actively supporting unpopular but just causes, despite "the words of a savior whose only comment on human relationships was to call us to never judge but only to love." The poem was written in 1998, during the week Matthew Shepard died. The musical setting, originally for tenor and string quartet, was composed in 2000, and soon adapted for chorus with flute and organ accompaniment. The current arrangement, using piano instead of organ, was prepared in July 2006 at the request of Dr. Carole Clifford, who also requested the choral adaptation of ASTRONOMY, on behalf of the Orange Park Chorale (Orange Park, Florida). ASTRONOMY (Song for Maureen) Words & Music by Edward Lein My dear friend Maureen Miller (1946-2005) was a Jacksonville artist and designer, and a source of joy to all who knew her. She maintained boundless warmth and humor even while suffering the ravages of lupus that eventually robbed us of her. 'Astronomy' was begun soon after her passing, and was first heard as a ballad at her memorial service. It reflects how random, unrelated thoughts can lead us to those we love, and how we seek solace through hope, even in the face of terrible loss. PIE JESU (from 'Missa pro defunctis' - NOTE that the original version with organ & harp is used in the recording) My mother, Marzell Martin Lein (1921-1980), remains the kindest and most loving person I have ever known. I had been toying with the idea of composing a Requiem, and on March 15, 1990, the 10th anniversary of my mother's death from cancer, I sat at my piano and wrote this 'Pie Jesu'. It took me about a year to finish the rest of the mass, "dedicated to victims of terminal illness, in memory of my mother," and it was first performed in 1991 by the Riverside Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir, Jacksonville, Florida (Andrew Clarke, organist and choirmaster), with members of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. -- Edward Lein, July 2006, Jacksonville, Florida Please notify edward_lein@hotmail.com if performing any of the movements. Source / Web : | EDWARD LEIN composer: ELEGIES IN D MINOR | | |||
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