The Song Within
Poetry by Frank Ticheli
The Song Within is an a cappella setting of an original poem whose dramatic flow moves from themes of hope and peace, to crisis, and finally to reconciliation. During the setting of the first two stanzas, the music searches in vain for resolution, traveling restlessly from one tonal area to another
before finally resigning itself in the poignant key of B minor. The third stanza represents a crisis of faith. Its first two lines are first announced by a male soloist, and then answered by the chorus as the mood turns darker. The words from these two lines are repeated over and over among the four families of the choir, juxtaposed upon each other in an extended agitato section. Then, after a moment of vulnerability, the poem and the music move towards resolution. Darkness yields to themes of transcendence as the singers discover an inner light.
— Frank Ticheli
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