I Love You (2025) 4’

Description

I Love You is the result of almost two years of frustration. After the success of The Walking on the Water (2023), I sought to quickly write a follow-up. This turned into many nights staring at my computer, trying, begging, and failing to find text that inspired me.

My previous piece had lifted text from the Bible, but I couldn't find a suitable story in there for the musical ideas that were slowly forming in my head. On top of this, I wanted to write a truly accessible SATB work, since The Walking on the Water is rife with divisi.

I had written a small chamber piece as an exercise in 2022 involving Sara Teasdale's poetry, and upon rediscovering said piece on my computer, I looked to her again for inspiration. This poem fit the melodic rhythm I had in my head perfectly.

I Love You, while taken word-for-word from the original poem, is more than just words. It signifies me, in my first attempt for choir in over two years, breaking through that hurdle. Hopefully, many more choir pieces will be on the way.

Instrumentation

SATB voices “a capella” (Soprano, Tenor, Bass div. a2, Alto)