I Am A Face (SATB)(2023)

I Am A Face!

I am a face!

Do you see me?

A face unknown within a crowd! Would you love me? Would you respect me? In my journey to be me.

I am a soul, behind my eyes. I am love, beneath my skin. There is compassion, in my tears. I sing of hope through the words I speak.

I am a face!

Do you see me?

I am a face!

An enigma behind my smile. And if you do not know me or understand I will be proud to tell you who I am.

I am a face!

I am resolved!

to make a difference with my life. No holding back. Resilient and strong You will know that I am here.

I am a face!

Do you see me?

This is my face!

I am a face!

Maya Angelou said, “All of us carry the burden of an untold story!” We will pass by people through our lifetime and never know them, nor will ever see them again. Yet as we pass themwe might wonder what is going on in the life of the person whose face is observed through oureyes as we encounter them.

I AM A FACE conveys the message that there is a story to thefaces we see before us. Faces, that yearn to be noticed, accepted, loved, affirmed for theuniqueness of who they are. This choral work is about every human being, not just a selected group. Individual or social circumstance. Robert Cohen has set my text in a powerful statementof our individual worth. And through the voices of those who sing its message, we will affirmand respect the life behind every face we meet and celebrate that each of us can proclaim, I AM A FACE!

---Ronald W. Cadmus, Lyricist

Optional Performance Note

The chorus can begin with some kind of mask so we're unable to see their faces clearly. At a point, indicated in the score (that point is flexible), these face coverings are removed and the singers step forward towards the audience. The conductor should feel free to employ choreography and other dramatic effects. This is a piece with a statement to be made and it should be made forcefully and dynamically.

Soprano

Alto

Tenor Bass

   

  

Piano*

           

   Mm     Mm

    Mm     Mm

       (for rehearsal)

       

   Mm     

S A T B Pno.              

  I Am a Face *AHammondB3organ,orequivalent,wouldalsobenice

 Atempo 8   

Ah 



  

   Oo    Oo   Oo   Oo          

 poco rit.    Mm     Mm     Mm     Mm              

Solo S A T B Pno.

Solo S A

T B

      Iama

   Mm

   

Mm

    Mm

   

Mm

             

    3 face!Doyou  Mm     Mm 

Pno.

     

knownwithinacrowd!   Oo     Oowith     Oowith    

Oowith

     

       

   

Wouldyou       inacrowd!

  

Solo S A T B Pno.

     spectme?Inmy

  Oo   Oo

    Oo     Oo   

      

18

 



soul,behindmy     

Iamasoul,     

Iamasoul,     

Iamasoul,     

Iamasoul,          

         

       journeytobeme.

         ---3

   

    

    

      eyes.Iam      behindmyeyes.



 

love,skin.

love,be

love,be



Solo S A T B

Pno.

Solo S A T B

  

 

Thereiscom

   

     neathmyskin.

    neathmyskin.

   

   

      

   

      

passion,inmy

    Ahinmy

    Ahinmy   Ah   Ah         Ooinmy   

      3 hopethroughthewordsI        

Isingofhope

     

Isingofhope 

Pno.

    

        tears.Isingof     tears.     tears.      inmytears.   

     speak.IIama

    wordsIspeak.

thewordsIspeak.

Solo S A T B

Pno.

      

      

 face!

Solo S A T B

Pno.

     face!Iama

     Iamaface!

    

   Iama    Iama  



  

     

   

Iama    

Iama        

DoyouseeDoyouseeDoyouseeme?

 face!

 face!

                       

      3

face!Iama

       Doyouseeme?

 face!   

face!seeme

          

face!

     face!Iama

     Iamaface!

   Iama  

Iama

face!

Iamaface!

Iama

Iama

Iama

Doyoudoyoudoyoudoyoudoyoudoyoudoyou

face!Iama

Iamaface!

Solo S A

T B Pno.

face!Iama     Iama     Iama   



Mm







  face!       

 

face!

face!

face!

face!

    Iama   



37

Solo S A T B Pno.

40

Solo S A T B

      

3 seeme?Ane

 

Mm

   

Mm

  Mm    

Mm

 

  

    

       3 nigmabehindmysmile.

  Oo    

      

        standme,Iwillbe      understand     understand

   

42

Solo S A T B

Pno.

      

        3

proudproudtotellyou

 

      Iwillbeproud

     

Iwillbeproud 

   

   whoIam.

     whoIam.

     whoIam.

 





 

Solo S A T B

Pno.

     

      

Solo S A T B

Pno.



   

Ahdiff'rence

  

Ahdiff'rence

     diff'rencewithmylife.

    

diff'rencewithmylife.

       

     

      strong.Youwill

strong.

 strong.

   strong.

   strong.

     Noholding 



Solo S A T B Pno.

     

      

 face!

  

                           Iamaface!  face!      Iama    Iama    Iama                            Solo S A T B Pno. 55      Iama     Iama         

     face!Iama

     Iamaface!

  

Iama



   Iama  

  

Doyouseeme?

face!

   DoyouseeDoyouseeDoyouseeme?

57

Solo S A T B

      

              

Doyoudoyoudoyoudoyoudoyoudoyoudoyou     

face!Iama

    

Iamaface!



  



   myface!

    

face!Thisismy      Thisismyface!

   

face!Thisismy    





    

   



face!

                          11

 

     

     





 

    Iama     Iama    face!ama             

face!This

   

Solo S A T B

Pno.

Solo S A T B

  12

         

myface!Thisismyface...myface

    

face!Thisismy      Thisismyface!

   

face!Thisismy

   

face!Thisismy                   

face!Thisismy

Pno.

    myface!

    

face!Thisismy      Thisismyface!

   

face!Thisismy    

  



face!

DoyouseeDoyouseeDoyouseeme?

     

                                                See!        Thisismy...      Thisismy...    Thisismy    Thisismy                 div. div.

 

     

Solo S A T B

See!

See!

Pno.

Thisismy...

Thisismy

Thisismy...

Thisismy   

Thisismy

Thisismy

Solo S A T B

Thisismyface!

face!

Thisismyface!

Thisismy

Thisismy

face!Thisismy

Thisismyface!

face!

Thisismyface!

face!Thisismy

Iama

face!Thisismy

face!Thisismy

Pno.