this house of peace (satb )(pdf if ordered for choir)
- Catalog ID: S-362
- First Line: she is sleeping well--I am so grateful for every breath
- Composer: Ralph Johnson
- Voicing: satb
- Solo: s. t
- Accompaniment: piano OR oboe and string ensemble
- Language: English
- Country: Usa
- Series: Anton Armstrong Choral Series
- Other: new 2011
- Score: View Score
- Sound: Listen
Description
This House of Peace was commissioned in 2008 to celebrate the grand opening of the Sacred Heart Medical Center in Springfield, Oregon and performed the same year at the Oregon Bach Festival under the direction of Anton Armstrong. The text weaves together the actual words of family members who stayed in the medical center’s family guest house while their loved ones were in the hospital, and a “healer’s prayer” adapted by the composer from a poem by English clergyman and writer, David Adam.
The solo sections (which may be sung by either a lone soprano, or shared between soprano and tenor soloists) present the thoughts and feelings of the spouse of a seriously ill patient, the parent of an adult child who lies in a coma, and a young mother whose baby is in the neo-natal ICU. Framing and reflecting upon these solo sections is the prayer, sung by the full choir, which serves a chorale-like function—intimating the sacred nature of the relationship between those who offer care and those who seek it, and the holiness of each “house” in which such care is given. A performance of the piece by St. Olaf College conducted by Anton Armstrong can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0izlacYHeXc
Ralph Johnson
Instrumental parts for this piece and a full score are available from the publisher in pdf format. Parts available are as follows: violin I, violin II, viola, cello, double bass, oboe. Order S-362parts and S-362full to receive these materials or contact us at [email protected].
Note: PDFS are sent ONLY when you order and pay for copies for your entire choir. We do not send pdfs if a single copy is ordered. All pdfs are licensed. You must agree to our pdf policy. Please review it carefully. Also, we will need the name of your choir and the name of the conductor to create the license. If you need a single reference copy, it will be sent to you via US Mail for $2 plus shipping. Copies for your entire choir need to be prepaid with a credit card. Once we receive payment, we will send you the licensed pdf with permission to make the number of purchased copies.