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My Beloved (text: the Bible)
for unaccompanied solo voice; 3' (2007)

performed (roughly) by the composer:

composer’s note: “My Beloved” was written for a friend's wedding, to be held in a beautiful old church with resonant acoustics. I wanted to write something that would ring through the hall and set an inviting mood for the ceremony, without drawing too much attention to itself.  So, in setting this excerpt from the Song of Songs, I modeled the melody after Irish folk tunes, to give the song a sense of simple love and folksy realness, rather than making the biblical text-setting feel formal and "old."  The melody is highly ornamented in an improvisational way throughout, giving the song a loose, playful feel to help it sound personal and direct. Overall, I sought to avoid the grandiose tradition of Bible settings, instead presenting a simply-sung song to share with loved ones.

score sample:

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