Joel Thompson
A Prayer for Deliverance
Duration: 11'
Instrumentation: Soloists (2 Sopranos, Alto, 2 Tenors, Baritone, 2 Basses) and SATB Chorus
A Prayer for Deliverance, Joel Thompson (2021)
for Soloists (2 Sopranos, Alto, 2 Tenors, Baritone, 2 Basses) and SATB Chorus
Dear Listener,
My compositions tend to be journal entries - attempts to explore and document my inner world - and the process of creating these blueprints of sound yields a catharsis that is life-giving in so many ways. This was particularly true for A Prayer for Deliverance, which was the result of my collaboration with three conductors (Jeffrey Douma, Arianne Abela, Stephanie Tubiolo) and their respective choral ensembles (Yale Glee Club, Kaleidescope Vocal Ensemble, and Morse Chorale).
Psalm 13 is a desperate yet defiant plea to the Divine that explicitly (and notably) names mental and emotional anguish as the woes from which the psalmist seeks deliverance: "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and hold sorrow in my heart day after day?" The text even betrays the author's suicidal ideation as he demands, "Give light to mine eyes or I will sleep the sleep of death." Despite the heaviness of that sentiment, it is "unfailing love" that pivots the psalm towards a tenuous joy by the end. Still, the psalmist subtly restates his demand in the final sentence: "I will sing praises when you deliver me."
While setting this text to music during a pandemic and political turmoil in the US (I wrote the Amen on January 6, 2021), the darkness was well within reach and the joy was in short supply. As a person prone to melancholy, I composed myself alongside the piece and the act of simply reading the score remains a potent antidepressant for me in times of distress. I hope this music will do the same for you.
With love,
jt
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About the Work
Duration: 11'
Instrumentation: Soloists (2 Sopranos, Alto, 2 Tenors, Baritone, 2 Basses) and SATB Chorus
Commissioned by: Composed for the Yale Glee Club: Jeffrey Douma, Musical Director; Morse Chorale: Stephanie Tubiolo, Musical Director; and Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble: Arianne Abela, Musical Director
Pages: 32
