from Seven Last Words of the Unarmed for mens chorus and piano
Amadou DialloPERUSALSCORE
Joel Thompson
PROGRAM NOTE
is piece is the third movement of Seven Last Words of the Unarmed, an elegiac choral setting of the last words of unarmed Black men unjustly killed by authority gures. Of the last sayings in the piece, Amadou’s words are the only ones uttered away from the point of death: “Mom, I’m going to college” were the last words he shared with his mother over the phone. He had saved enough money to nally fulll his dream of pursuing a degree in computer science. Despite Amadou’s tragic death after being shot at 41 times, his last words should be sung with hope. It is my dream that, in doing so, we can transform Amadou’s hope into our com-mitment to nd every opportunity we can to actively create a more just and equitable world.
PERUSALSCORE
Duration: ca. 2 minutes 30 seconds
With love, Joel ompson
Dedicated to the victims and their families, to Dr. Laura Emiko Soltis, Dr. Eugene Rogers, and Andre Dowell for their inspiration, wisdom, and support, and to the Sphinx Organization for changing lives through music
Amadou Diallo
from Seven Last Words of the Unarmed for men's chorus and piano
* e solo voice may be drawn from either the tenor or bass group; or may be a separate singer entirely.
Copyright © 2021 by Joel ompson (BMI). All Rights Reserved. Published by Just a eory Press | www.justatheorypress.com