In a ceremony on August 31, 2016, Curry College unveiled newly restored portraits of Samuel Silas Curry and Anna Baright Curry.  During the presentation, Librarian David Miller read My Helper, a poem composed by the institution’s namesake for his wife.

I set the closing stanza as an extended choral metaphor where a ship (Samuel Silas) is lost at sea in a terrible storm and desperate to find safe harbor. The scene opens with a panicked ostinato set against a dramatic melodic fragment. Dissonant minor seconds and augmented fourths—sounds most frequently used for alarms, horror films, and ambulance sirens—predominate. Just as all hope seems lost, the beloved lighthouse (Anna) provides direction. The abrasive motives from the opening stretch out and slow down as the storm subsides, making way for sunrise to shimmer over the port.  

I dedicate this work to the faculty and staff of Curry College who, like the poem’s lighthouse, shine a beacon across the dark, choppy waters of academia and to the students of Curry College who set course for the eye of the storm in a lifelong quest for knowledge.

Pages are missing from the preview pictures, but all pages will be included in the file that you order.

This title is listed as a site-license. Purchase it once and you can make as many copies as needed for ensembles at your institution. This license is non-transferable, so you can’t share your copies with other ensembles, but pricing is always negotiable if you contact me. I just want to share in making great music together!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a recording of the premiere, so all I can share is a MIDI realization at this point. Hopefully I can replace this soon with a recording of your choir singing How Long the Night!