Sometimes, For Eternity

This work is an ode to those whose lives were well-lived in music written as by one who has passed on. Scored for solo violin and SATB chorus, this rich harmonic palette is accomplished with minimal divisi except for the last verse where up to six- (and one instance, seven-) part divisi is specified. In this work, the violin paints each described scene while voices tell the story. The setting is direct and accessible.

Requiem
by Gordon E. Abshire
from A Collection of Poetry

If I could but see again
From this disadvantaged viewpoint,
I would watch for signs of
Seasons changing.
If I could but breathe again
I’d catch the scents
Of the hay’s first cutting,
Sage fires in desert summers,
The clear chill of early frost
And the lively green
Of spring’s new life.

Each dawn: A song sparrow
On my headstone
Trilling lux aeterna
Not for me,
But not minding
If I’d listen,
Sometimes,
For eternity.