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Alex Berko

The “stirring” (New York Times), “intoxicating” (Philadelphia Inquirer), and “disarmingly beautiful” (Textura) music of American composer Alex Berko (b. 1995) is characterized by a balance of intimacy and power, a keen sense of lyricism and emotional sensitivity, and a love of narrative. Berko’s music often poses questions about our personal environments and relationships to one...

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Alex Berko Music

A House on the Hill

Name: A House on the Hill
SKU: ABM-004
Availability: InStock

Alex Berko

Evoking a clear sense of place and history.

Difficulty: 4

Duration: 3-5 min.

ABM-004

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for SATB chorus and marimba (opt. piano)

Composer’s Notes

I discovered bell hooks and her beautiful poetry while living in Kentucky for my residency with the Louisville Orchestra. I was struck by the directness of her language, the internal breath of the meter, and clear sense of place and history evoked in the text. This poem is part of bell’s collection of poetry entitled Appalachian Elegy which draws on her experience growing up in the hills of Kentucky.

-Alex Berko

Text

walking the long way home
walking ever so slow
talking to be
wholly in this world of wonder
standing still
waiting
standing in the center
of a long and winding
dirt road
leading uphill
to a small house
surrounded by lilacs
black-eyed susans
roses and honeysuckle vines
a bench at the bottom
that bodies may rest
before they climb

-bell hooks

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