Description

Voicing: SATB and chamber ensemble

Duration: 6:45

To see perusal score, please contact Jocelyn.

Written as a collaboration between Dessa and Jocelyn Hagen.
This pdf is the full score and parts for chamber ensemble.

Available in two versions:
D023.1 – SATB choir and mixed chamber ensemble
2 flutes, 2 clarinets in Bflat, 1 bassoon
2 horns, 2 trumpets in Bflat, 1 trombone
2 percussionists, harp, piano
1 violin, 1 cello, 1 double bass

D023.2 – SATB choir and orchestra (parts suitable for high school players)
Buy parts here.
2 flutes, 1 oboe, 1 english horn, 2 clarinets in Bflat, 1 bass clarinet, 1 bassoon
4 horns, 3 trumpets in Bflat, 3 trombones,
1 euphonium, 1 tuba
STRINGS

Text

We’re born with a fuse
timed to ignite
It burns through our youth
then sets us alight
for a while
And when we’re older
we’ll laugh and say that we were only kids
but no one gets closer to the burn of love and loss than this

When the fires pass over
all you’ll recall
is the ash on your shoulders
some lines on your palm
The world’s made in motion
we’re carried along;
the current won’t hold for long

If you could stand your younger selves behind you
then turn and walk the line,
how many strangers might surprise you,
too changed by time to recognize

When the fires pass over
all you’ll recall
is the ash
on your shoulders
some lines on your palm
Memory relents
like rain melts the limestone
the years that you spent
in flame seem so strange now

– Dessa

Composers’ Notes

This piece was a collaboration between hip-hop artist Dessa and composer Jocelyn Hagen. Written for a festival of over 600 high school singers and players, the choir and orchestra parts are suitable for young musicians.

The piece can be performed with either a small chamber ensemble (GP-D023.1) or an orchestra (GP-D023.2). The pdf purchased here is the full score and parts for SATB and chamber ensemble. Please purchase the vocal scores here.