where two or three are gathered

2017
/
Chamber Music

Details

Category

Chamber Music

instrumentation

Violin and Cello

duration

7 minutes

commissioned by

Peabody Essex Museum with the support of the Asia/America New Music Institute

premiered by

Buy ScoreContact for Score

I often heard the bible scripture, “Where two or three are gathered in my name I will be in the midst,” (Matthew 18:20) in my family’s small church where the attendance often was just my parents and my siblings. We would meet on everyday of the week for choir rehearsal, bible study, or regular worship service. Somehow, hearing that scripture meant that there was a much larger purpose to being present in the small gathering. In this piece, the imitate pairing of violin and cello join together in setting a meditative, solemn character. I imagine two people singing and moaning together in a ceremonious manner. This earnest state gradually transforms in the second movement to a jovial, energetic state ending with a climatic ending.

This piece was commissioned by the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA with the support of the Asia/America New Music Institute (AANMI)

'where two or three are gathered' also features as 'remember me' in Requiem for the Enslaved:

Perusal Score:

cOMPONENT divider

where two or three are gathered

duration

7 minutes

instrumentation

Violin and Cello

premiered by

commissioned by

Peabody Essex Museum with the support of the Asia/America New Music Institute

I often heard the bible scripture, “Where two or three are gathered in my name I will be in the midst,” (Matthew 18:20) in my family’s small church where the attendance often was just my parents and my siblings. We would meet on everyday of the week for choir rehearsal, bible study, or regular worship service. Somehow, hearing that scripture meant that there was a much larger purpose to being present in the small gathering. In this piece, the imitate pairing of violin and cello join together in setting a meditative, solemn character. I imagine two people singing and moaning together in a ceremonious manner. This earnest state gradually transforms in the second movement to a jovial, energetic state ending with a climatic ending.

This piece was commissioned by the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA with the support of the Asia/America New Music Institute (AANMI)

'where two or three are gathered' also features as 'remember me' in Requiem for the Enslaved:

Perusal Score:

2
Carlos Simon