Commissioned by Indianola Presbyterian Church, Christopher Dent, Director of Music, to celebrate the generations of children’s music ministry leadership of Carol Winans, Sharon Renkes, and Mary Rebekah Fortman.
Alchemy
Music by Amy Gordon
Text by Libby Weber
Instrumentation: SATB Choir (with Mezzo Soloist) & Piano
Duration: 4.5 Minutes
(ASCAP). All Rights Reserved. | www.amygordonmusic.com
Copyright © 2023 by Amy Gordon
Alchemy, commissioned by Indianola Presbyterian Church, Christopher Dent, Director of Music, to celebrate the generaGons of children’s music ministry leadership of Carol Winans, Sharon Renkes, and Mary Rebekah Fortman, sets the powerful poem by Libby Weber. The poem and piece are inspired by a real-life charity called Swords to Plowshares (Northeast USA), which collects firearms from the community, melts them into gardening tools, distributes the tools to community gardens, harvests the food grown, and then donates the food to local food banks. This piece features a repeaGng refrain that traces each step of the alchemical cycle that transforms guns into sustenance. This poem form is called a circular, in which the last item of each stanza becomes the first item of the next stanza, similar to the famous "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" by Peter, Paul, and Mary.
Visit hBps://www.s2pnortheast.org/ to find out more about the Swords to Plowshares charity, research ways to get involved, and/or make a donaGon.
This piece is suitable for any Mixed-Voice ensemble and would fit well in any concert about acGon-based love.
ABOUT THE POET: Libby Weber is a San Diego-based singer and writer. Raised in a log cabin in rural Illinois, she earned a theatre degree from Northwestern University where she also studied voice and leBered in fencing. Her published works include short ficGon, lyrics, arts blogging, science wriGng, and a year-long sonnet cycle. She maintains an acGve performance calendar with a focus on sacred and contemporary choral repertoire. She and her spouse are agreeably tolerated by two giant dachshunds.
ABOUT THE COMPOSER: Amy Gordon is an acGve composer, arranger, songwriter, and vocalist based in Los Angeles, CA. As a choral composer, she has worked with and been commissioned by numerous choirs, including being the composer-in-residence for Nova Vocal Ensemble. She has also scored numerous films and webcasts. She has a BA in ComposiGon from Loyola Marymount University and an MM in ComposiGon from California State University, Long Beach.
What should we do with deadly arms?
Everywhere Everywhere
What should we do with deadly arms?
Star5ng here and now.
What should we do with deadly arms?
Forge them into garden spades.
Change by change. Change by change.
What should we plant with garden spades?
Everywhere Everywhere
What should we plant with garden spades?
Star5ng here and now
What should we plant with garden spades?
Ample fruit for harves5ng.
Change by change. Change by change.
What shall we do with harves5ng?
Everywhere Everywhere
What shall we do with harves5ng?
Star5ng here and now.
What shall we do with harves5ng?
Share with neighbors, those in need.
Change by change. Change by change.
What shall we do for those in need?
Everywhere Everywhere
What shall we do for those in need?
Star5ng here and now.
What shall we do for those in need?
Open doors to welcome them.
Change by change. Change by change.
What shall we do to welcome them?
Everywhere Everywhere
What shall we do to welcome them?
Star5ng here and now.
What shall we do to welcome them?
Set the table, share the feast.
Change by change. Change by change.
Text
Text by Libby Weber
Pensively but with Strength q (q. ) ? # ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ Alchemy
Copyright © 2023 by Amy Gordon (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved. | www.amygordonmusic.com Commissioned by Indianola Presbyterian Church, Christopher Dent, Director of Music, to celebrate the genera;ons of children’s music ministry leadership of Carol Winans, Sharon Renkes, and Mary Rebekah Fortman.
Music by Amy Gordon
What should we do with
dead ly arms?
Forge them in to
gar den spades.
12
œ œ œ . œ j œ
& # S A
‰ J
œ œ œ œ Œ
œ b œ œ œ
œ œ œ Œ
- -&
Pno. J ˙ ˙ J ˙ ˙ J ˙ ˙ œ J ˙ ˙ 2 Alchemy
? #
What should we plant with œ
gar den spades?
Start ing
here and now.
24
œ œ œ . œ j œ
& # S A
‰ J
œ œ
Œ œ œ . œ j œ
˙
j œ œ j œ ˙
-& ? # 8 8 6 Pno. œ œ n œ œ . œ b j œ n ˙ œ œ œ œ œ n ˙ œ b œ œ œ œ n œ œ . œ n j œ ˙ j œ w 3 Alchemy
&
36 œ œ b œ œ œ œ n œ œ B b F œ œ œ œ j œ œ œ œ œ C G œ œ œ œ œ œ œ D ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ 4 Alchemy
# 8 6 4 4
& #
A 47 ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ œ . . œ œ j œ
we do with œ œ œ œ œ œ n œ œ Œ har vest ing? œ œ b - œ œ œ n - œ
with neigh bors, f œ œ - œ œ œ b Œ
in need. & ? # # 8 6 8 6 4 2 4 2 8 6 8 6 Pno. œ œ œ n œ œ œ b ‰ œ n ‰ F œ œ œ œ j œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ ‰ ˙ ‰ J œ œ œ 5 Alchemy
S
What shall
Share
those
&
6 4 4 S A 58 . œ b . œ . ˙ n P . ˙ . œ . œ w w # poco rit. ? # T B œ œ ˙ unis. ˙ ˙ œ œ ˙ div. œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ 6 Alchemy
# 8
& # 4 3 Solo 69 ‰ J œ œ œ . œ j œ œ œ œ œ Œ ˙ b œ F 7 Alchemy
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& # 4 4 b b S 88 ∑ molto rit. ∑ U VERSE 5 ‰ J œ œ œ . œ j œ With Strength q = 96 F œ œ œ ˙ & ? b b b b Pno. ‰ J œ œ œ ‰ J œ œ œ ˙ ˙ ‰ J œ œ œ j œ œ J œ ˙ ˙ ‰ J œ œ œ ‰ J œ œ œ ˙ ˙ ‰ J œ œ œ ‰ j œ œ n œ ˙ ˙ 9 Alchemy
Start ing
here and now.
&
96 Œ œ œ . œ j œ
b b S
j œ œ J œ ˙
‰ J œ œ œ . œ j œ
& ? b b 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 Pno. J ˙ ˙ b œ Œ œ œ œ b F . . ˙ ˙ b b œ œ . 10 Alchemy
What shall we do to -
&
4 S 102 ˙ œ œ share
. ˙ b Œ feast. œ b œ œ œ œ œ œ Change by ƒ & ? b
Pno. œ œ œ œ œ œ b œ ˙ œ b œ œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ . œ b j œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ n œ . œ j œ ˙ 11 Alchemy
b b 4 3 4
the
b b b
& b b # 8 6 S 108 ˙ Ó change! œ œ œ œ œ œ œ change by w change! ? # 8 6 4 2 8 6 œ b ‰ œ n ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ ‰ J œ œ œ 12 Alchemy
& # 8 6 4 4 S A 114 . œ b . œ . ˙ n P . ˙ œ œ w w # rit. 13 Alchemy