Composer Richard Byron Strunk b.1957
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Stream: The Beatitudes (SATB & Accompaniment)

Stream: The Beatitudes (Strings & Accompaniment)

Notes: The Beatitudes by Composer Richard Byron Strunk b. 1957

World Premier: Father's Day June 20, 2010 Sunday Written for SATB Choir & Accompaniment Commissioned by: the St Louis 2nd Baptist Church Conductor: Brad Short

More links here: I recommend you listen to the YouTube SATB choir version too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCA37emi6Wc

This is the Strings version but my user name is composerpoet and the other version is there too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmEv1YqjX0g

I fit my strings version into 10 minutes; so I just cut out chucks from the original; but sounds OK.

NOTE: The Instrumental gives a full rendition of the work using Strings; and the Vocal rendition gives an abridged but decent performance by the Church choir for which the work was commissioned. The recording was a quickie recording for myself alone; I know the live performance went well; so in order for you to hear a choir sing this work I included it; however the recording was quick and has limitations; and is not included for criticism of the conductor or performers. Of course all are welcome to make comments upon the work itself. The text is hard to understand in this or any stereo recording; but far clearer and easier to understand in a live situation as noted below.

Link for this page:
http://www.ricksenterprises.com/ricks_arts_music/current.html

Vocal Text:

The Beatitudes (SATB Choir Text)
Text Arranged by Richard Byron Strunk b. 1957

*Solo Prelude:
"..the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the .. shadow of death
light has dawned."

No. 1 (Cannon 1)
Blessed are they, Blessed are they;
The poor in spirit, The poor in spirit;
For theirs is the kingdom;
Theirs is Heaven's Kingdom.

*Solo Refrain:
..Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be yours as well."

No. 2 (Cannon 2)
Blessed are those;
In sorrow;
For those in sorrow;
Shall be comforted.

No. 3 (Cannon 2)
Blessed are those;
Who are meek;
For those who are meek;
Inherit the earth.

*Solo Refrain:
..Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be yours as well."

No. 4 (Cannon 1)
Blessed are they, Blessed are they;
Who hunger and thirst, Who hunger and thirst;
For righteousness in full,
They shall be satisfied

*Solo Refrain:
..Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be yours as well."

No. 5 (Cannon 2)
Blessed are those
Merciful;
For those merciful;
Shall obtain mercy.

No. 6 (Cannon 2)
Blessed are those
Pure in heart;
For those pure in heart;
Shall see God, see God.

*Solo Refrain:
..Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be yours as well."

No. 7 (Cannon 1)
Blessed are they, Blessed are they;
Who are peacemakers, Who are peacemakers;
For they shall become known
As the children of God.

No. 8 (Cannon 1)
Blessed are they, Blessed are they;
Those persecuted for righteousness sake,
For theirs is the kingdom;
Theirs is Heaven's Kingdom.

*Solo Postlude:
"Love your Enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
So that you may be children of your Father, who is in heaven;
For he makes his sun rise on the just and on the unjust.
..Therefore, you must be perfect, as your Father, is perfect in heaven.

Correspondence with Conductor Brad Short:

Hi Rick,
The service and your piece went VERY well today! There were lots of folks who told me how much they enjoyed the piece. I really appreciate your hard work on this project. We made a bit of a recording. It isn't great but I'm hopeful that you'll be able to hear what we did. Talk to you soon.
Brad

Hi Rick,
I think it's going to go well! The rehearsals have been going well and I think the choir has enjoyed doing a NEW piece!! I've needed to trim it down a bit with the hopes of getting it under 10 minutes so I'm not taking the DS and am only using the first verse on the last solo. It seems to balance out nicely. We also are standing in sections grouped across the front of the church so that the congregation will be able to see each section enter during the canons. It really helps with the separation of the lines. I'm still working on trying to get microphones set up so that we can record it. Since we're scattered out across the front of the church, I'll need to have four (or maybe even five) microphones set up. I'll send it to you if I'm able to work out the details with the equipment, etc. One of the problems is that our sound guy also sings in the choir so he can't being running sound and singing at the same time!! Talk to you later.
Brad

Hi Brad,
Just well wishes on Sunday's performance; hope all goes well and everyone including the choir members both enjoy and have fun with it.
Rick

Comments From Facebook:

Nancy Sass Emery: Like it Rick.
Sunday at 7:26pm

Mark Evan Thompson: This is Awesome Rick!
Monday at 10:55am

Neal Gibbs: You see Scotty... I TOLD you he's a genius! Bravo Rick!!!!
Yesterday at 5:47pm ·

Richard Strunk: Thanks guys. Ah, I gave up genius like notions a long time ago Neil, but thanks, as a composer I am pretty obscure so in those rare moments when a performance of a work by my hand is done and there is positive feedback too, it does feel good and really makes my day.
Yesterday at 8:42pm

Rosemary Strunk: Well done Rick. I enjoyed it.
3 hours ago

Neal Gibbs: Now, tell me what all you did in this production yourself?

Richard Strunk: Neil I'm pretty tired to try and answer that but I'll give it a try. Composers write the score, and provide parts for the performer; and that is all of it. The composer if living might advise the conductor if asked but it really is the conductors baby in terms of a works production in preperation and in recital or concert performance. That said it is also quite true that there is nothing without the composer's score. Within the composers score everything necesary for a good to great performance is there; written by the composer. This does not insure that every performance will be good since performers and conductors have on and off days and some are better than others. A great work of music usually will still sound at least decent even in the hands of a lessor performer; but obviosly will shine out in it's greatness in the hands of a more able performer.

OK as far as this score, it was difficult to meet all the varied requirements it had to meet in order to be a sucessful setting of this text; as well as, meet the capibilities of the choir that commissioned it. 1 some choir members could not read music so how to do 4 parts well with these singers too? 2 setting all 8 beatitudes in such a musical form that transcended notions of peasant or Nobel? 3 a musical form that is at home sitting on a hillside listening to a local sermon by a laypreacher with a picnic and equally at home in the finest temples ever built? 4 the list goes on and on So, I chose the Cannon Fugue for the musical form.

I found that the 8 Beatitudes could Divide into 2 like groups each containg 4 Beatitudes which than naturally fit into 2 different Cannons. So 4 Beatitudes fitting in 1 cannon snd the other 4 fitting into the other cannon. This solved all the problems stated above. Everone can learn and sing a Cannon Fugue. They are sung around campfires outdoors and at picnics by common folk (such as Row Row Row your boat) plus are performed in impressive concert halls etc throughout the world (such as Pachabel's Cannon - many non classical listeners know that one too). Learning only 2 cannons to sing all 8 Beatitudes solved the problem of acheiving really nice polyphonic music for both those who can and can't read music.

There are an aweful lot more of requirements I needed to fulfill to make this composition sucessful including some personal to myself. I hope this gives you some idea of a few of the basic considerations and choices a composer goes through before they even write the first note. Also I did have to actually rephrase slightly the Beatitudes text in order for this to work too and that also had many strict requirements for me to meet so not to botch them. The opening and closing solos act as a setting for the Beatitudes which are the gems. Gems are beautiful in them selves but when encased in a well crafted setting their beauty and meaning become even more enhanced. How does one make this a modern work when the request is for traditional 300 year old choral like materials and craft? Answer give the modernist coloring to the accompaniment with the singers remaining cast in their musical materials invented centuries ago. Thus we now transcend time within this work. It sounds both relevant to the recent minimalists (modern) and to Bach too. Ok that's it for now.  

Richard Strunk: Oh, I need to mention that when I use terms good or bad professionally like above I am not using them as like or dislike. I'm speaking of good musical craft verses bad musical craft. Craft in this sense as most times is not even in the realm of opinion; informed or uninformed opinion is not relevant either here. If a carpenter bangs a screw into a joint of wood with a hammer and trys to force a nail into wood using a screwdriver you get what I mean. There is a lot of stuff I happen to like in music of various cultures and within the West including some popular song and dance band genre too. My liking something or disliking something has little to do sometimes with whether it is well crafted or not; good or bad. Just like to make that clear.