In the Shadow, I Will Sing!
Linda Tutas Haugen
About this work:
The composers reflections on this anthem: "In many ways, this piece is
my journal of a very difficult year (2006) - through my father's cancer,
death, my father-in-law's terrible car accident and recovery, the death
of a dear friend, and the loss of our two 17-year-old family cats. My
writing was slow and often involved periods of grieving."
"What I learned in my searching of the Scriptures and my year of
struggles, is that in the middle of all the sadness there are blessings,
joy, and preciousness to each day, and for this I can sing to God. That
is what this piece is all about. the multitude of difficulties really brought
this message to my heart, repeatedly. I wrote the text with fragments
and inspiration from various Psalms, and pieces from Isaiah and the
Gospel of Luke. The composition is inscribed with a Native American
quote full of wisdom that sums up my year in the shadows:
'The secret of life is in the shadows and not in the open sun; to
see anything at all, you must look deeply into the shadow of a living
thing' (Ute)."
Year composed: 2007
Duration: 00:06:30
Ensemble type: Chorus, with or without Solo Voices:Chorus with Keyboard
Instrumentation: 1 Piano