Be Still
VOICING:
SSATBB a cappella, Soprano and Tenor Solo
SSSAAA a cappella, Soprano and Alto Solo
TTTBBB a cappella, Tenor and Baritone Solo
DIFFICULTY: medium
TONE: prayerful, pleading
DURATION: 4'30"
YEAR COMPOSED: 2019
GENERAL: Written for and premiered by Covenant Christian High School Class of 2019 (Indiana)
PERUSAL SCORE
SSATBB a cappella, Soprano and Tenor Solo
TEXT: Based on Psalms 46:10, 42:9-10
Be Still
Be still, and know that I am God.
Be still, and know I am, “I AM”.
I say, “God, my Rock, why have your forgotten me?
Now the foe taunts me in agony!”
Be still, and know that I am God.
I am God and will be forever more.
I am who I am and will be forever more.
Be still, and know that I am God.
Note from the Composer
“Be Still” is born out of the soul's longing for peace –– stillness. This work seeks to embody an interweaved dialogue between self, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father. With King David's songs as inspiration, the text cycles through varying degrees of stillness while emphatically asserting God's authority and dominion over all things.
The opening A section begins as a quiet and reflective prayer as the voice of the Holy Spirit begins stirring like a mysterious wind. The B section features an unstable additive meter with progressively layered ostinati. While the prayer remains the same, ideas of doubt, anxiousness, and worthlessness cloud the forefront of the mind, spinning and blurring a complete view of God. In this section, the repeated prayer is the only sense of security and clarity to help navigate the clashing rhythmic and melodic sonorities, symbolic of spiritual warfare tugging the mind and body in multiple directions away from God. In the C section, God's voice breaks through, asserts His omnipotence, and shatters these restless thoughts and feelings. The Holy Spirit interceeds, calms, and refocuses the soul before a plaintive meditation from the soloist guides the heart back to contemplative prayer and closes with the threefold voice of God.
In rehearsal and performance, performers are encouraged to consider a primary distraction, struggle, or trigger that is keeping them from being still in God's divine hand. Collectively meditating on these ideas will help open the heart in order to receive the Spirit in full.
Ordering Scores
This work is published as a digital score with a performance license. The cost is $3.00 per score, 10 copy minimum order.
To Order:
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Click the link to email Daniel Watson Music LLC.
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Specify the total number of performers (include all singers, directors, pianists) and the name of your choir.
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Once payment is received, you will emailed the licensed PDF for the above number of copies within three business days (excluding weekends and holidays).