"A Blessing of Discomfort" for SSA Choir

Keane Southard

A Blessing of Discomfort for

a cappella SSA choir

(2015) (Duration: c. 4 mins)

Program notes: A Blessing of Discomfort was commissioned by the Algonquin Regional High School Camerata Singers, directed by Kathrine Waters, with funding from the Northborough Southborough Music Association. The work was written in October and November of 2015.

This was my first time writing for a women's choir, and I was thrilled to have been given the opportunity to write for the one at my alma mater. I was searching for a text to set when I stumbled on a Franciscan Benediction I had been given in college, buried deep inside boxes of things I was in the process of cleaning out. I love how it is a blessing that inspires action out of negative feelings instead of asking for divine help and comfort, and my hope is that the music makes the message even more inspiring. I freely adapted the text to make it more poetic and “singable�: May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, at commercial messages, at inherited habits so that you may search deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at poverty, inequality, and exploitation so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears for the rejected, the hungry, and the injured so that you may comfort them and bring them joy.

And may God bless you with the foolishness to believe that you can heal the world so that you may do what has never been done.

Keane Southard 2015

Keane Southard/Spindrift Pages Email: keane.southard@hotmail.com Website: keanesouthard.instantencore.com

Commissioned by the Algonquin Regional High School Camerata Singers, Kathrine Waters - Director, with funding from the Northborough Southborough Music Association

A Blessing of Discomfort

Adapted from a Franciscan Benediction (Public Domain)

SOPRANO 1

q = 38 (e = 76) mp

mf      

       May God bless

you

mp

SOPRANO 2

May God bless

you

mp

May God bless q = 38

Piano Reduction (For Rehearsal Only)

3

   bless

  bless

 

 

   

 









you



   

         

bless you





   

you

      

 you

  

  







May God

mp

 



May God

   





    



 

p

          at eas - y



an -

swers,

 



bless you with dis - com - fort

f



   

     

p

    at com -mer -cial







with dis - com - fort Più mosso

 

mp

    

Più mosso q = 46

f

f

    

bless

    

with dis - com - fort

May God

God

May God bless



May God

mf

     

you



you

mf

(e = 76)

  

mp

    

May

 ALTO       

    



May God bless

        

Keane Southard

  



  



q = 46

          



©2015



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



2 6

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       f

so



mess- a - ges,





p

3

       

at in - her -it - ed hab - its



       



3

    

       so

   deep

  

   with - in

  

deep with - in



 

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  



  

your

  

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in

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rit.

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heart.

p

deep



heart.



  

  

heart.

(t)

May God

mp

    

(t)

May God

mp

    

(t)

May God q = 38



 

   



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 

   

  

q = 38 (e = 76) mp

    

  

search

       

p

your

that you may

 

p

  

search

        

rit.

9

that you may

   

f

so





search

f

     

that you may





bless

 bless



 

    

 you



May God



you

May God

(e = 76)

 





God

    

you

 

 

  May

  bless

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

   



 

  



 

q = 46

poco accel.

12

 mf  bless

 mp    

 you

May God

    

    mf

  

bless

you

May God

 





May God



you

with

        

bless May God

an

bless

bless you with





you

f

-



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

with

an -

ger

ger

at

    

 





mp

mf

and ex - ploi

ta - tion

  

  

  

in - e - qual - i - ty,

and ex - ploi

                mp

in - e - qual - i - ty,





  













 





      

         

pov - er - ty,





and ex - ploi

mf

so

at

     

q = 46

mp



f

poco accel.





at



  

   

ger

             

15



an -

    

    

   

   



        

        you

f

   

mp

   



bless

mp

mf

bless



3

    



   



 



that you may

  

ta - tion

so

mf

     

  

ta - tion

that you may

so

that you may

       



  







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 

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 

















4

f

      17

  

(e = e) mp

(e = e)

              

f

                   

work

f

    

     

free - dom, and

for

jus - tice,

  

free - dom, and

jus - tice

free - dom, and

(e = e)

21

  

    

       

  



peace.

     

May God bless you with

(e = e)

     



    



 























 







 









   

      

for the re - ject - ed, the hun - gry, and the

                 





            p

p

(Ossia)

 

 mf

for the re - ject - ed, the hun - gry, and the

tears



May God bless you with

           

 

tears

  

peace.

p

tears

 

mf

            for

  

May God bless you with

mp

                               

peace.

mp

work



     

for

   

jus - tice,

mf

work

  





for the re - ject - ed, the hun - gry, and the



   

  

  



        

   

        

    

q = 38 (e = 76) mp

rit. f

mf                 23

in -jured so

that you may

   

   

com - fort them

and bring

them

     

joy.

mf

f

And may God

mp

                    in -jured so

that you may

f

com - fort

               

them

in jured so

that you may

rit.

com

-



fort them and bring them

  

 

 

   



      

      

joy.

    

        



and bring them

mf

And may God

mp

    

 joy.

   

     





And may God

q = 38



5





(e = 76)

 

 



 











poco accel.

        mf

26

    bless you

May God

bless you

mf

May

    

bless you





  

God bless

mf

     

bless you

  

     

May God bless



p

p



you

p



you

  

  May

God bless



you

  with the

mp

May God

bless

May God

bless you with the

mp

          May God

     

     

   

 

    





              

    



mp

bless

    



you

  with the

poco accel.

         



 

6 29

q = 50 mf

    



fool - ish - ness

mf

fool

-

mf

fool

-

ish -



ish

q = 50



 

to

lieve

      

    

  be -

ness

that you can

f

be

ness

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ff

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   

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



    







world

       







mf

f

that you may

that you may

    

heal



the



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  

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do

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has

A tempo

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has

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do

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f

   

so that you may

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 

do

f

   

   



mf

poco rit.

A tempo





A tempo

      



poco rit.

so





mf

    

    

world

   

that you can

   



so

ff



lieve

     

world

ff

heal

 

be -

A tempo

   

lieve that you can



to

the

poco rit.

   

32

-

         

f



heal



      





to



-

       

poco rit.

f

what has

 

  

 

  

7

rit.

p

35

    



ne

been

-

ver

 



ne

-

ne

-

   

    

  

ver

been





ver

been

   







bless

 

done.

 







you



 

pp

(oo)



 



  

pp

you.



p

      May God

q = 38

     



p

p

rit.



 

May God

p

  

q = 38 (e = 76)

(e = 76)

 



 



bless

 



you

 







      

pp

(oo)

  



  



  