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Prayer for the Dazed (text: Sharon McDonald)
song for voice and piano; 5' (2020)

​(commissioned by Tamara Brognano for the First Unitarian Society, Madison, WI

performed (roughly) by Scott Gendel, voice and piano:

Scott Gendel · Prayer For The Dazed

text:
For those whose "check engine" light just flashed;
For those recently deposited, trembly-legged, from a roller-coaster;
For those who forgot their lines as they entered, stage right;
For those poised tensely like a deer in the headlights;
For those badly jet-lagged who fumble for their passport;
For those just awakening not sure of their name;
For those who sat near as a loved one died a "good" death;
Oh God, we pray, repeat yourself:
Vouchsafe again and again the law of gravity;
Reiterate that day follows night and crocuses follow icicles;
Push the tides endlessly like a rocking cradle
Until we can recognize the rhythm of our own breath;
Until we can blink and regain our balance;
Until our hearts beat steadily again.

composer’s note:  Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, when life was really starting to feel strangely disconnected & confusing, my friend Tamara Brognano approached me about writing a song she could perform at virtual Unitarian services streaming online. She had a few ideas for text, but this prayer written by Sharon McDonald jumped out at me immediately, and honestly I got a little weepy just reading it in my email. It's a perfect summation of so many feelings my friends and I were experiencing in 2020.

Tamara sings a lot of musical theatre, but also has experience in lots of different styles, and her background in musicals gave me inspiration for this song. I also felt very strongly, as the world felt like such a scary place at that moment, that I wanted to create a song that would be comforting, not too difficult to sing or play... something that felt warm & universal. "A Prayer for the Dazed" is the result of those ideas, a song that straddles the line between musical theatre and art song, that isn't about being overly artful, but rather about communicating directly, offering comfort and understanding to anyone who needs it.

sample page:

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