Finished up my newest choral work, an SSAA a cappella work, this evening. It was written for the Joe Shepley Composition Contest sponsored by the Namaste Women's Choir in Los Angeles. The lyrics are from a Susan B. Anthony quote that I've come to love:
"Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation....."
I'm not going to delve into the greater historical significance nor the political ramifications of the quote, but suffice to say, as a composer, I feel that it can be read several different ways. As I age, I find myself saying to my audience: "What does this mean to you? How does it make you feel? What's your reaction to it?" Rather than, as I did in my youth, screaming "HEY, LISTEN TO THIS! I HAVE SOMETHING OPINIONATED TO SAY!" It's kind of like poetry, in which the poet always speaks in first person: "me, me, me" gets really old after awhile. I want to interpret, too!
So "Anything or Nothing" goes into the mail tomorrow. I haven't sent a work to a contest in a long time, having grown complacent with my publishing schedule, but since I've not done a lot of choral work, I'm excited to get my work out to a new audience.
And, who knows, maybe they'll let me know how they feel about it....
Namaste, indeed.
Jef
