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Though the great Waters sleep Score Cover

About the Composer

Isaac Lovdahl

Isaac Lovdahl is an award-winning composer, conductor, educator, and bass-baritone vocalist who serves as Director of Choral Activities at Bemidji State University and Artistic Director of the Bemidji Chorale. Under his direction, The Bemidji Choir (BSU’s premier choral ensemble) was invited to perform as a featured ensemble at the 2025 ACDA-MN state conference. Prior to...

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Graphite Publishing

Though the great Waters sleep

Name: Though the great Waters sleep
SKU: GP-L006
Availability: InStock

Isaac Lovdahl

A powerful and profound setting of an Emily Dickinson poem.

Difficulty: 5

Duration: 5-10 min.

GP-L006

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for SATB div. choir and piano

Lovdahl’s “Though the Waters Sleep” grapples with life’s important questions: why are we here, does our life have meaning, is there a God? The marriage of art in this work is three-fold: choir, keyboard, and poetry. The choral and piano writing is expansive, bold, and dramatic. Lovdahl weaves the two together as equally important and expressive voices, each given important expressive opportunities. Passages of aleatory give performers even more freedom to invest in the performance. Lovdahl also quotes the hymn tune from “Abide With Me,” adding one more rhetorical layer to an already rich piece. The poetry of Emily Dickinson shines through this setting and is explored from every angle, much like turning a prism in the sunlight. Take some time to digest this music in rehearsal and performance. It is the sort of choral piece that never grows old.

Composer’s Notes

In six short and poignant lines, Emily Dickinson’s poem, Though the great Waters sleep, presents the reader with a severe personal dilemma: She is confronting existential doubt regarding her purpose in life and the existence of a Creator. Many of us have experienced a great deal of anxiety as we attempt to contend with these big questions – I certainly have. Dickinson asserts that “no vacillating God” would put us here just to have us die without meaning and function. As a juxtaposition to the poetry, I included melodic excerpts from the funeral hymn, Abide with Me, throughout the piece. The hymn text pleads for God to stay with us throughout life and to help us cross over into death. Though the text from the hymn is not sung at any point, the inclusion of the melodic material subtly hints at its broader meaning, implying that there is hope to be found beyond fear and doubt, regardless of one’s individual resolution. We are here – we exist. Our meaning is found in our living and our striving. You have a purpose – known or unknown; bestowed, discovered, or invented. It is my hope that this music will simultaneously provoke thought and deep reflection while also offering comfort and solace to those who need it.

– Isaac Lovdahl