A Silence Haunts Me - Jake Runestad, Todd Boss
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- "A Silence Haunts Me." Music by Jake Runestad, poem by Todd Boss. Winner of the 2019 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Brock Memorial Commission. More info and purchase scores: jakerunestad.co...
World premiere at the 2019 ACDA National Conference in Kansas City, MO, USA. Capital University Chapel Choir. Lynda Hasseler, conductor. Michael Lester, piano.
Libretto, by Todd Boss:
Hear me brothers I’ve a confession painful to make Six years I have endured a curse that deepens every day They say that soon I’ll cease to hear the very music of my soul What ought to be the sense most perfect in me fails me shames me taunts me
A silence haunts me They ask me Do you hear the shepherd singing faroff soft They ask me Do you hear a distant fluting dancing joyously aloft No I think so No I think so No God am I Prometheus exiled in chains for gifting
humankind my fire Take my feeling Take my sight Take my wings midflight but let me hear the searing roar of air before I score the ground Why Silence is God ’s reply and so I beg me take my life when lo I hear a grace and feel a ringing
in me after all So now as leaves of autumn fall I make my mark and sign my name and turn again to touch my flame of music to the world a broken man as best I can As ever Faithfully Yours A bell A bell Hear me and be well
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My school’s choir sang this song and it made me realize how much we take our hearing for granted. There is music in everything whether it be the cracking of a wild fire or a babies first laugh. To lose that would be devastating. A world without music, is a world without soul.
ngl almost cried a little at the silence at the end. I was like "wow I can barely hear- oh."
Ahhh the conducting in silence at the end gave me chills honestly
my director (who saw this premier live at ACDA) told me this piece changed his life. at first I honestly didn't believe him. I do now
Mine also saw this, and was laying it on about how amazing it was. I really wasn't expecting it to be THIS good.
I third this statement. Both of my directors wouldn't keep quiet about it. Now I too understand why..
@@MrxEVILCRAZYx i fourth this statement. we watched it projected onto a screen in our concert hall when he was back.
Jacob Helbig I fifth this statement. Heard a choir do it in a joint concert we had. Stunning.
Goodness gracious WHY and HOW does music have the power to make us cry?!
Not gonna lie I cried in the middle there, now I wanna go back in time and show this to Beethoven, and tell him “don’t worry, THIS is your legacy. THIS is your inspiration. You will be remembered.” :’(
Yes! :((
Well, he got cited ;)
Being lucky enough to be in the Helzberg Hall - it was magical. You could hear people breathing. You could hear people STOP breathing. I'm so glad I can revisit this amazing moment. Thank you so much Jake, Todd, Lynda, and the CU Chapel Choir.
My choir just performed this and it takes all my willpower to not cry actual tears while singing it. So powerful.
This is the first song that i cried at my first listening
The composition, the lyrics, the dissonances, the chords, the dynamics, they're all perfect
Maybe because I'm studying in a major that give importance to hearing I feel deeply resonated with the music
I can't wait to show my choir master this song
Jake, this is so expertly crafted. This work truly takes you to an emotional plane of what it must have felt like to lose the thing that brought him his livelihood. The choir conveys that emotion expertly. The motifs and quotes of Beethoven are a nice touch and I love the fugue subject in the middle. And by the end the complete pantomime of the ensemble literally mimicking what he experienced in his life. Absolutely stunning. Love as always.
Thank you so much!
I entirely agree. This is the best choral performance I have ever hear (no pun intended) thank you Mr Runestad for this marvelous production!
These are my thoughts exactly!
Jacob Ven Huizen Excellent writing man. The Op.27 -2 Moonlight Sonata, hits the heart. You’ve got a great ear. The fugue or round in the middle was marvelous.
Jake Runestad
Hi Jake,
My son had the privilege to sing your piece in High School just a couple months ago. Thank you for sharing your excellence. Very Emotional. I Believe listening to this, makes me and some others want to be a better a person/people. Sound a bit cheesy? Probably. Anyway My son loves the song too. Bravo
This! Amazing composition! Great use of harmony. Very tasteful quotes of "Moonlight Sonata" and "An die Freude". The choir was amazing. The consonants alone are worth writing home about. This conductor is breathtaking. She really embodied the music.
I had the privilege of experiencing the premiere of this piece. Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to hear and see. It gave me a new perspective on what it means to be a human and musician. Thank you, Jake, and all who were involved in the creation and performance of this masterpiece. This is a work of artistic genius that will live with me forever.
Thank you so much!
5:50, when the men sing “in chains” it sounds like they’re breaking down themselves (as if they are Beethoven emotionally repeating that Motif), and it might be my favorite nuance of the song.
My choir director recommended this piece to us, particularly for the phenomenal diction of the choir, but also because it truly moved him. I wholeheartedly agree with him, this might be my favorite choral piece I've ever heard.
Those of the world who would dare declare art is dead have yet to see and hear this.
i love the line “the very music of my soul”
It’s been 3 years, and I still come back here, and I experience the emotion of singing it all over again. Every time I sang this with my choir. Every rehearsal. Every performance. I would be moved to tears. Hearing the agony and desperation in the music, only to feel the strength as well. This will always hold a special place in my heart, and my life.
I don’t have the right words, but this shook me. I’m crying
I love the haunting ending to this piece. This was a great piece of music.
This is one of the most brilliant choral pieces I've ever heard. Amazingly written, expertly performed, and amazing conducting. Thank you Jake for writing this piece and letting this choir perform it.
Beautiful.
Haunting. Beautiful. Touching.
As someone who has had the honor of singing "Let My Love Be Heard" and is in love with many of your other pieces. I am in love with your work and this piece as many of yours just pulls at thy heart like nothing else, but in a way, only music can. Thank you for the music- Walton Chorus
Sameer Joseph I agree.
Every time I listen to this piece I feel a tidal wave of emotions that brings me to tears. And that is what makes this piece of music magical... that shows people that even in their darkest hour that we have the strength to persevere. That when it seems like the world is caving in and your life is shaken to the core... there is music. There is still light at the end of the tunnel, there is still love to be shared, and there is still peace. I think it’s safe to say as a sophomore in high school that this piece has something for everyone. No matter what age you are or whatever background you come from there will always be a connection to this piece. So thank you Jake Runestad for giving us this gift music and soul, you are an inspiration for all of us.
I can’t get over how wonderful this performance is. Some of the best diction I have ever heard from a choir, honestly.
I was trying so hard not to cry when I first heard this
I thought I had been touched by music before and then I went to this convention. This was something beyond words, and unlocked emotions I never thought existed in me. The craftsmanship of this song and the choir that delivered it are beyond measure. Thank you Jake.
Thank you, Paul.
"He was an artist. And what he was, he was only through music. The thorns of life had wounded him deeply. So he held fast to his art, even when the gate through which it entered was shut. Music spoke through a deafened ear to he who could no longer hear it. He carried the music in his heart."
-Bernard Rose, "Immortal Beloved"
I’m not crying you’re crying. This is breathtaking.
What a beautiful tribute to one of the world’s great composers.
😮 I cant believe my 👂 what a tear jerker we’ll done jake runestead
I was at the premier of this piece and the mood in the room after the piece was finished is something I desperately want to experience again. The stillness was beautiful.
I was fortunate enough to be able to hear this piece live at that premier at ACDA and if I had to use one phrase to describe that performance, it would be 'hauntingly beautiful.' I wish I could turn back time to experience this again.
Our choir teacher showed us this today as an example of a great choir, but oh my gosh did I discover a heart wrenching piece of music. I teared up at the part that was like,"Exiled in chains" and the part after that said to take anything of his but his sight. What an absolute masterpiece Mr. Runestad. Our choir has sang a couple of your songs before and they were always a work of art. You are a musical genius
They did an amazing job of enunciating the words. If they hadn’t, you wouldn’t be able to feel the pain and anguish through the piece. I truly think they did an amazing job with this! Very emotional 🥺
the end of this piece gets me every time!!! such beautiful artistry!
I was deeply touched by this. Tears are still flowing. You so expertly capture the exquisite pain of l deep and traffic loss. Thank you for touching my soul.
Tragic, not traffic.
The first time I heard this was with the salt lake choral artists on a high school field trip earlier this year, and I was sobbing about 5 minutes in, but it was so hard to cry in silence. I hang on every word of this song. love the concept. so glad that this exists. Seriously.
I was at the performance and was amazed by this gift that Jake gave us; watching and listening to it again just confirms my thought that this is a beautiful and rare work of art. The performers-conductor, choir, pianist, all are simply stunning. Thank you, all.
This is the most powerful piece I've ever had the privilege to perform. The sound it commands is palpable. I've never been drenched in such a heavy silence before. It really made me appreciate what we do as music makers. Painting sound....
Sorry. Long post.
This is simply miraculous. A riveting composition paired with the most glorious choral sound.
I have chills!!
I remember, at first, when the piano started i thought: "what a weird music!". But I came back, again and again. The lyrics and the pain we can feel in this music makes me chill. This is a masterpiece. Thank you for this music
This is a masterpiece
Jake, I was left in tears and shaken to the core. Especially in the silence. Well done!
just heard this performed at the coral ridge presbyterian church near ft lauderdale florida....it was so painfully beautiful that i was left in tears.....the music conveyed the despair of beethoven on losing his hearing as he sends his "kiss to the world"......and the silent conducting at the end is something i will never forget.....it brought us into his world...his suffering ..his humanity...thank you for this exquisite work of art.
In June 2024, I and roughly forty other singers performed this at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, conducted by Dr Michael Barrett. This piece has not left my mind, and continues to ‘haunt’ me. I would consider it one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever come across. There is so much weight and beauty to it both because of and in spite of the tragedy Beethoven goes through. Thank you for your work
Dangerous using the dissonances yet very appropriate and straight up awesome. 1802. The Letter
Jake and Todd - thank you for this incredible gift! I was privileged to be at the premiere last week in Kansas City, and was overwhelmed with the power of this piece. It resonated with me deeply then, and continues to do so. Brilliant work...and a stunning performance by the Capital U Chapel Choir!! Bravo, bravo, bravo! - Peter DuBois, Rochester, NY
What a perfect way to spend my Spring Break! It was such a wonderful time collaborating with you, Jake. So happy this is up!! It's so different listening outside of our sound!
OMG!!!
one of the most beautiful, haunting, and meaningful pieces I’ve ever heard. You captured something beyond words. Thank so much for this blessing, Jake Runestad.
I just heard this piece live for the first time and it was an insane experience. The choir I saw was wearing masks and they added sign language at the end of of the piece since their faces weren’t visible, which added a lot.
This is now one of my favourite choral works. It’s so beautiful and really portrays the emotions Beethoven must have felt as he lost his hearing
I was just wondering how much more sign language couldve enhanced this already incredibly powerful piece. I wish I could’ve seen it as well. It must have been one hell of an experience to watch that
I'm gonna be honest, I didn't get the ending at first. What a way to turn music into living, breathing poetry! So much meaning behind every note... I could listen to this a hundred times and probably not understand all the nuance. Outstanding piece of art.
this is so emotionally beautiful
I truly felt as though I was witnessing history hearing this at the premier. Thank you so much for this masterpiece Jake.
wow! this is such an emotional and amazing piece; i had the privilege of performing 'i will lift mine eyes' at the TMEA convention this year and it was beautiful! you never fail to impress!
I have never wanted to connect with a piece more. It’s heartbreaking to put yourself in his shoes. I’ve endured situations where you’re concerned with your relationship of God and you question every aspect of it, when he questions why God’s reply is silence, it is so powerful! Take everything and send him scoring towards the ground but give him the ability to hear the terror of it. Anything could’ve been taken from him and the anger of never knowing why things happen to us make us question our faith of God and our will to live. If life didn’t want to go our way in the worst way possible then what’s the point? We can settle for the worst but as long as you keep that specific worst away from us. The worst that is way too specific to be apart of life, as if someone purposely threw it at us to watch us suffer as a joke. It’s an ugly coincidence and ironic in the most disgusting way and you don’t know if you should live on in that condition. This piece is an absolute genius.
karmoni lattimore yeah he did dat imma give him the EBT card
Jake. Your work just keeps getting better and better. This piece is INSPIRED. I'm singing it right now and it's emotionally exhausting to sing, but so worth it.
This is incredible. Thank you for your breathtaking work!
Oh my God, this is incredible!! Speechless and on the verge of tears. Wow!
I am a senior from neosho high school and music has been the art form that has inspired everything in my life. I enjoy art and writing as well, but without music I am lead to believe my life would be painfully dull. With out music, I’m not sure I would ever be motivated to move on to this unknown that is life after childhood. I have gone through high school singing your pieces during my darkest moments, and these pieces have given me hope to move forward. Thank you for writing these pieces that have given me strength as I move forward on this journey.
I am astounded. Your storytelling has always resonated with me far beyond the pitches and rhythms. I’m so disappointed that I couldn’t go to ACDA this year to see it myself, but you better believe that next year at ACDA I will have plenty of questions about this piece. Genius!!!
i’m going to Capital for vocal performance with emphasis in opera and theatre and i am beyond excited to audition for this choir! an amazing piece! (update): I got into Chapel Choir! i am beyond excited and honored :)
ollie i'm deceased rn reading this lol
Absolutely beautiful and hearttouching. Thank you mr. Runestad. The future of music is saved. Would love to have the score for choral conducting classes.
I love the tension and the more- 'tension'-resolve . This is truly a masterpiece! Amazing!
We just premiered in Panamá, Santiago Coral Fest 2019, your Nyon nyon and will be introducing your art into our festival, which is only for pedagogical purposes. Even though we do not have a choral tradition, both students and concert audience were amazed by your music. THANK YOU JAKE!! your genious makes of this world a better place to fight for
Lyrics
Hear me brothers I have a confession painful to make
Six years I have endured a curse that deepens every day
They say that soon I'll cease to hear the very music of my soul
What should be the sense most perfect in me fails me shames me taunts me
A silence haunts me
They ask me
Do you hear the shepherd singing faroff soft
They ask me
Do you hear a distant fluting dancing joyously aloft
No...I think so... No...I think so... No
God am I Prometheus exiled in chains for gifting humankind my fire
Take my feeling
Take my sight
Take my wings midflight but let me hear
the searing roar of air before I score the ground
Why Silence is God's reply
and so I beg me take my life
when lo I hear a grace
and feel a ringing in me after all
So now as leaves of autumn fall
I make my mark and sign my name
and turn again to touch my flame of music to the world
a broken man as best I can
As ever
Faithfully Yours
A bell...A bell
Hear me and be well
This is absolutely beautiful, and a stunning tribute to Beethoven. I absolutely love the silent conducting at the end, and I wonder, is it a reference to the premier of Beethoven's 9th where Beethoven demanded to "conduct" (there was a shadow conductor, of course) and due to his deafness, he was a few bars late and so was still flailing his arms like a madman even when all the preformers had finished and become silent? I have always felt that that was the allusion there. Aside from that and the sheer beauty of the piece, I loved all the other references to Beethoven's other works, like the first bar of Ode to Joy and beginning of Moonlight Sonata. The "God am I Prometheus bit gets me everytime; I can always feel his pain, unfit for his profession. I had the pleasure of hearing this piece in person and it was even more astounding. Thank you, dear sir.
Thank you!
I felt (and my opinion is really meaningless) that the diminuendo of “be well”, and then silence, represented Beethoven’s gradual loss of his hearing until he was swallowed up by complete deafness/silence. Who knows, other than the composer, but it’s fun to try and dissect it ☺️
Just Amazing! Thank you.
I gotta say, singing this song for MPA and hopefully getting the best score I can will be an experience. Since this piece is truly amazing.
It was so powerful listening to the premiere at the ACDA National Conference in Kansas City. Touched me to tears! Greetings from Argentina, dear Jake :-)
Amazing and moving piece!
woah
So dark mysterious and magical.
Wow, that's was so powerful. Well done!
i cry to my school’s recording of this piece like weekly lol.
I still don't get the ending. But the piece is beautiful, and the choir is amazing.
Beethoven continued to compose and conduct even after he was completely deaf. This represents conducting without being able to hear the instruments and/or choir voices.
The “God am I prometheus” part, it’s taken from another Beethoven piece. But I can’t remember what. Please help
From Wikipedia: “The Creatures of Prometheus (German: Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus), Op. 43, is a ballet composed in 1801 by Ludwig van Beethoven following the libretto of Salvatore Viganò. The ballet premiered on 28 March 1801 at the Burgtheater in Vienna and was given 28 performances. It was premiered in New York at the Park Theatre on 14 June 1808 being one of the first full length works by Beethoven to be performed in the United States. It is the only full length ballet by Beethoven.”
Not the right one.
It starts at 1:22
SO moving!! But the conductor is terrible.
So the group sounds amazing because of the terrible conductor?
@@johnbeck207 I miss-spoke. The conductor might be great in rehearsals, but her gestures are distracting and not clear to the choir. She's basically just waving her arms around like she's an interpretive dancer. However, I shouldn't have said that a year ago. There are too many negative comments on the internet. She obviously had to have done a wonderful job during the rehearsals.
@@benjaminlanier9329 Fair enough, Thanks!
@@benjaminlanier9329 Just curious - where you in the choir and unclear as to her direction / feelings?
@@esl147 No, but as a conducting student, it's easy to see that her gesture could be more clear. I understand that waving her arms like that might make it more "emotional" for her, but it can negatively affect the vocal technique for the choir.
This morning, i was contemplating whether I would show up on rehearsals anymore because I have lost my love for singing after I suffered having vocal nodes. I cried at how this music resembled my own grief. I felt that silence during those last bars.
John Raphael Ferrer i am so sorry youve had to experience something so frustrating and heartbreaking :( i hope the best for you
This is so beautiful.
This is one of the songs I believe I will find myself listening to when I find myself beginning to forget why I am so passionate about music.
I love this so much.
Thank you for creating this piece.
This is a reason that you are now one of my favorite contemporary composers. First, you select a theme and a poem that plumbs to soul of humanity and spiritual torment. Then, you poke around and mine for grace and the capacity to cope, hope, and continue. Ludwig moves from despair to hope without sickening superfluity. Like the chef/gourmand who cannot eat, he prepares a feast of which he cannot partake, You have laid out a feast for us from which we can partake and we are most satisfied.
Greatest moment of ACDA 2019. I’ll always remember this.
Please tell me this will be on spotify soon
Oh my goodness, this is stunning! I love how you quoted so many of Beethoven’s musical themes and incorporated different classical compositional devices. Those subtle historical nuances worked so well within the greater modern composition. And what a chilling ending. Job well done! I would love the opportunity to conduct this one day. Props to this conductor, too. Her gesture is so beautiful and clear, and her choir is so well refined. A very fine performance!
What you said!!!!
Jake, I was there to see and hear this live. Beautiful and moving!! Amazing work.
I will never forget this performance. It was magical. I was fortunate enough to be in that hall when it was premiered. Jake, you are the GOAT. We are truly blessed in the music fraternity to have you.
A beautiful song. Dr. Holcomb showed us this piece, and it literally stopped my heart for 13 minutes. Losing my hearing has always been my biggest fear, and this truly was perfect manifestation of what my imagination has explored.
Wow... I will never cease to be inspired and amazed by the work of Mr. Runestad and the Chapel Choir. Their standard of excellence is far greater than any other college choir I know of and it shows. This is hauntingly beautiful and it brings me chills whenever I hear it. We watched and reflected on this in choir and the whole room was dead silent whilst watching.
We were wondering, did you have the 5 stages of grief in mind while writing this piece? Many of us found points in the piece that reflected these emotions.
I hope that one day, I’ll be able to join these phenomenal artists. Thank you for this❤️
olivia i'm screaming at this comment rn
Very moving. One of my fave piece of yours- the whole song was very emotional, especially the end which is especially chilling
One of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard. So lucky I was able to be there for the premier. Thank you.
Dear Jake, this piece is so intense, and it tells so many things. Ever time I watch this video I get a different sensation. I had the honor to sing it under Dr. John Dickson’s direction with the LSU A Cappella Singers. Thank you so much for giving this beautiful gift to the world.
Dude, this gave me straight up shivers down my spine.
I have been dying to hear this since my choir conductor Dr. Durlam came back from ACDA. So beautiful and tragic.
My choir director has us performing this piece in May, and she introduced it to us by saying that it took her through every emotion twice. I could not agree more. Absolutely beautiful.
Ughhhhhh Jake Runestad is very good at giving everyone chills with his work but I love this piece by far and the story you've gave from that letter, I've felt the pain from each and every word ;-;
They sounds like they felt the pain and put it into words like they all felt it personally!!
I love this piece ending.
I had the privilege of hearing this performed at ACDA 2019 and it was an incredible experience. Thank you so much Mr. Runestead!