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 lure...(+)
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.
PARTITION