CH0033-01 Willard, B. - Will the circle be unbroken_ (SSAA) PREVIEW by T.U.X. People's Music

WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN SSAA VOICES

TUX PEOPLE'S MUSIC.

SopranoI AltoI

BROCK WILLARD

AltoII SopranoII

BrockWillardtapsintotheuncertaintyoflifeandtheafterlifeinthisstunningand uniquereinterpretationoftheclassichymn.Thesuspendedharmoniesthatenvelop thehymn’sexpressivetuneareequallyeffectiveinitsSATBandSSAAarrangements.

FROMTHECOMPOSER:

Thissettingof"willthecirclebeunbroken"isstarklydifferentfromothersettingsof thesamehymntuneandthatisonpurpose.AmajorityofthesettingsIhaveheard ofthishymntuneusuallyhavequitehappyconnotationsorattheveryleast,harken backtothetune'spopularityduringSouthernBaptistrevivals.Thissettingisinspired byarejectionofthatinterpretationofthetext.ThewayIwasfirstintroducedtothis hymnwasthroughthearrangementfeaturedinthe2013videogame"Bioshock Infinite"releasedbyIrrationalGames.Inthegame,thecharactersofBookerDewitt andElizabethComstockgrapplewithquestionsofmoralityandmetaphysics,and eventuallycomealonganabandonedguitar.Theplayercaninitiateasequence whereDewittandComstocksingaversionofthishymncharacterizedbysadness andgrief.ThejoyfulhopeofjoiningyourlovedonesinHeaventurnsintoserious contemplationaboutquestionsoftheafterlife.Theversionfromthegameisvery improvisatory(asmuchasaconstructedsceneinavideogamecanbe)whichonly lendsitselfmoretothepersonalnatureoftheperformance.

Inthisarrangement,Itriedtocapturethissamecontemplativenature.Gonearethe secondarydominantsandsoaringdescantstypicalofhymnarrangementsofBaptist favorites.Instead,thepieceutilizesmuchsimpleringredients:asustainedpedal tonerepresentingthelonelinessofsurvivingfamilymembers,mostlyhomophonic writing,asingleverseofahymncharacterizedbymanyverses.Iwantedtopeel backthecurtain,sotospeak,onaninterpretationofthistextthatisstrikingly uncommon.WhenIthinkofthistext,Idon'tthinkoftearfulreunionswithloved ones.Ithinkoftheenormityoftheafterlifeandtheveryrealfactthatnooneknows whathappenswhenwedie.Wecanimaginebutwecannotknowbecausenoone hasverifiablyreturnedfromthedeadtotellus.

ThisarrangementisprimarilyinspiredbythechoralmusicofJakeRunestad, StephenPaulus,GabrielJackson,andFrederikSixten.Additionally,thepieceis dedicatedtomyparentsLoriRaeWillard(néeWhetzel),whodiedin2020from complicationsofhighbloodpressureanddiabetes,andTimothyRayWillard,who diedin2021fromexposure,aswellasmygrandfatherHarold"Hut"GeneWhetzel, whodiedfollowingacarcrashinlate2021.

DURATION:4'00"

Scantoletthecomposer knowthatyouareplaying theirpiece!

Firstprinting,May2023

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Additionaloctavosareavailableforpurchasefromthepublisheronline. ABOUT:

                                                      Soprano1 Soprano2 Alto1 Alto2 Reduction   oo,   oo,   oo,  oo,        =70                                          oo,    oo,    oo,   oo,          sub.  sub.  sub.  sub.                                                                    5                                          oo,     oo,    oo,   oo,                                   rit.                   CH0033-01 WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN? BrockWillard 2022 Copyright©2022T.U.X.People'sMusicPublishingCompany,LLC.InternationalCopyrightSecured. PrintedandengravedintheU.S.A.AllRightsReservedincludingPublicPerformance. LearnmoreaboutallofouramazingtitlesatTuxpeoplesmusic.com TraditionalforSSAAVoices Dedicated to my mother Lori Rae Willard (née Whetzel), my father Timothy Ray Willard, and my grandfather Harold “Hut” Gene Whetzel. PERUSALCOPY legaluserequirespurchase

                                                                  10     Oneby     Oneby    (oo)       a tempo (staggerbreathe)      onetheirseatswere     onetheirseatswere            emptied,Oneby     emptied,Oneby              onetheywenta     onetheywenta        --                                            14  way,  way,   (oo)       Nowthe     Nowthe            fam'lyis     fam'lyis  oo,             parted,Willit     parted,Willit                     becompleteone       becompleteone                  2 CH0033-01 PERUSALCOPY legaluserequirespurchase

                              19  day?  day?     ah,           ah,                                          ah,     ah,    ah,    ah,                                                                      24                                          Willthe    Willthe    Willthe    Willthe           circlebeun     circlebeun    circlebeun     circlebeun             =80               3 CH0033-01 PERUSALCOPY legaluserequirespurchase

                                                                  28      brokenbyand      brokenbyand     brokenbyand      brokenbyand                       by,byand    by,byand    by,byand    by,byand              by,Isa    by,Isa    by,Isa    by,Isa                betterhomea     beterhomea     betterhomea   better             -                          32     waitinginthe      waitinginthe     waitinginthe    home,inthe                      sky,inthe     sky,inthe    sky,inthe    sky,inthe             rit.  sky?   sky?  sky?            ah,          a tempo-        4 CH0033-01 PERUSALCOPY legaluserequirespurchase

                              36    ah,   ah,    ah,   ah,          =70                  ah,    ah,   ah,    ah,            sub.  sub.  sub.  sub.                                                                                                          41     ah,    ah,   ah,    ah,                                      rit.            lunga lunga lunga lunga      Willthe      Willthe     Willthe     Willthe           a tempo            5 CH0033-01 PERUSALCOPY legaluserequirespurchase

                              45     circlebeun     circclebeun     circlebeun     circlebeun               =80     brokenbyand     brokenbyand     brokenbyand     brokenbyand                   by,byand    by,byand    by,byand    by,byand              by?Isa     by?Isa    by?Isa     by?Isa             -                            49     betterhomea     betterhomea     betterhomea   better                  waitinginthe      waitinginthe     waitinginthe     home,inthe                       sky,inthe     sky,inthe    sky,inthe    sky,inthe             rit.  sky?  sky?  sky?  sky?                           -        6 PERUSALCOPY legaluserequirespurchase