SKU: PE.EP73479

ISBN 9790577019888. 297 x 210mm inches. English.

At First Light was commissioned by Eric Bruskin, a resident of Philadelphia, USA, in memory of his mother. Eric had a longstanding enthusiasm for my work, and I was touched to be the person he approached for a task which is both a privilege and a daunting responsibility. In a sense, no music can ever measure up to the weight of love or the hope of consolation vested in it under such circumstances - but in memory I carry the deaths of both my own parents, and I was able to draw upon that. Eric's fondness for my Cello Sonata (itself written in memoriam) led him to ask that I include a solo 'cello part in the new work - but his attachment also to my polyphonic sacred choral writing meant that he wanted a centrepiece which would be both a showcase of that approach and the celebration of a life well lived. Therefore, the seven movements of At First Light arrange themselves as a series of slow meditations surrounding an exuberant 9-minute motet in which the lamenting cello falls temporarily silent.

Eric's Jewish faith meant that approaching an agnostic humanist brought up within the Anglican tradition was hardly free of problems! Gradually, though, I was able to win his approval for a collated mosaic of texts. This embraces some liturgical Latin (necessary for the motet) as the shared preserve of broad western culture in general, but balances it with a secular approach to loss, celebration, remembrance and the many shades of our mourning those whom we see no longer. Eric was adamant that he did not want the title Requiem; but what has emerged is still a form of semi-secular Requiem in all but name, taking its title instead from a phrase in the poem by Thomas Blackburn set as the third movement. This seemed to suggest succinctly how the loss of one very close to us is an awakening into an unfamiliar world where everything is changed. Following the exuberant central movement, the texts by the Lebanese-born Kahlil Gibran and the US, Kentuckian poet Wendell Berry first address the departed loved one directly, then place us within an imaginary funeral cortege, where the perennial and universal in human experience become personal without subscribing explicitly to any particular faith (or lack of it). The final text of all is a translation of a Hebraic prayer, requested and provided by Eric Bruskin, which serves to mirror its Latin counterpart heard at the outset.

Throughout, the lamenting cello represents a commentary on the experience articulated in the text. It evokes and, in a sense, tries to embrace and sanctify the individual existential journeys of the bereft, as they in turn seek to make their own sense of what the short-lived Second World War poet Alun Lewis called 'the unbearable beauty of the dead' (movement 5).

In a modern world hostage to ever greater menace, displacement, bloodshed and anguish, I hope fervently that this music not only brings a measure of solace to the person who commissioned it, but also makes its own small contribution to bailing out the sinking ship of humanity.

SKU: CF.CPS220F

ISBN 9781491153147. UPC: 680160910649.

An exciting new original march in classic American march form and style.  Composer John Paternak has captured the essence of the great marches of Sousa and Fillmore in a new tuneful and fresh sound traditional march.  The trio melody is essential catchy and the march is worthy of use as a solid warm-up march for festival by advancing level concert bands.
I wrote this piece for my friend Ralph Meyer and the members of the Western Reserve Community Band, who are always there for me when I need a group to read or record one of my compositions. I would also like to thank Larry Clark for helping this march come to life.There are a lot of sudden dynamic changes in this piece. It is crucial that there is dynamic contrast, so the piece can be performed effectively. There are also several instances with contrast in articulation styles. Make sure your group is playing short notes different from the legato passages. At m. 87 during the second time through, I have made the tempo jump to 152. Feel free to take it faster if your group is capable of it.

SKU: WD.080689638176

UPC: 080689638176.

From Word Music & Church Resources ~ featuring the dynamic creative team of Bradley Knight and Johnathan Crumpton ~ comes Our Living Hope, new for Easter!

Filled with the joy and promise of a world redeemed by the love and victorious resurrection of our great Savior, Our Living Hope is the perfect foundation for what just might be your most powerful and compelling Easter service ever!

Featuring powerfully explosive songs of worship and praise and filled with testimony of the impact of God’s love and mercy on our lives, Our Living Hope sets a new standard of excellence for contemporary, evangelical worship choirs everywhere! Your choir will love singing these masterful Bradley Knight arrangements, such as the opening refrain of Were You There? in a medley with Kari Jobe’s Forever (We Sing Hallelujah), breathtaking new songs like Mercy Has Changed Me (a new “instant classic” first introduced by TaRanda Greene), a soulful Nothing but the Blood Medley, the new worship anthem, Living Hope, and much more!