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A Departing Blessing
Amelia Ouverson
A perfect piece for goodbyes and endings.
for SATB choir, C instrument
A sincere and heartfelt farewell, “A Departing Blessing” reminds us that goodbyes are as filled with gratitude and hope as they are sad. Great intimacy is achieved through the use of solo voices, as well as a solitary obligato violin (or other C instrument). A simple, folk-like style binds the work together. Diatonic harmonies and homophonic textures enable a quick study and rewarding experience for the choir.
Amelia Ouverson is a current undergraduate student at Wartburg College in Waverly, IA, pursuing degrees in Music Education and Religion. Amelia is from Mason City, IA, and was surrounded by music for much of her childhood- participating in band, choir, and church worship. Amelia holds leadership positions in The Wartburg Choir, Wartburg’s National Association for Music Education chapter, and leads an emerging student composers society at Wartburg. Amelia began her composition journey in February of 2020 and has since composed for numerous ensembles at Wartburg including The Wartburg Choir, and several student-led ensembles. Amelia is the current Composer in Residence for Una Vocis of Mason City, IA, and plans to continue her composition endeavors alongside her teaching career.
Composer’s Notes
“A Departing Blessing” is a poem inspired by an Irish travelers’ prayers that my father decorated our childhood home with when I was young. The majority of the text was written in January of 2020 as I was preparing to travel with the Wartburg Choir on our international tour that year. Little did any of us know of the scale of tragedies that lay before us that year. Far greater than losing the chance to tour that year, our community at Wartburg lost one of its most inspiring and caring professors, Dr. Paula Maria Survilla, to a rare degenerative brain disorder called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Shortly after her passing, the decision was made to dedicate this musical collaboration to her life and legacy and it was included as part of her memorial services. I am an ardent believer that art is meant to change and grow as we change and grow in our own lives. What began to me as some musings in a notepad has now become a memorial and a work of art thanks to the support of Graphite Publishing, my community at Wartburg, and the incredible talent and dedication of my colleague, Amelia Ouverson. Now it is presented to you, and it is my sincerest hope that it will bring to you the message and comfort that you seek now and in the future.
– Andrew F. Newell
Text
Before you venture on your own
And leave this home behind,
May God grant you wisdom, courage,
And fortitude of mind.
And in departing through my door
To seek a temp’rate place,
May God bring low the bronzen Sun
To warm your kindred face.
You’ll walk and walk ’til night adorns
The ancient, endless sky
With God’s own flock of crystal stars
That you can travel by.
As path leads on to further path,
Beyond the world you’ve known
May God restore your clouding eyes
To show you how you’ve grown.
For you shall find a place to rest
Beneath a willow tree,
Where God will guide your dreaming soul
To live eternally.
But worry not, my soul, my heart,
We will meet again someday,
For God will place the ones we love
To greet us on the way.
-Andrew F. Newell
$1.95 per licensed PDF
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