Fly On (SAB, piano)
Fly On (SAB, piano)
Ensemble: for SAB choir (no divisi) + vocal solo + piano accompaniment
Duration: 4’30”-5′
Music and text: David Archer
Origin: Composed in January 2016. Commissioned by Lindsay Thurber Music Parents’ Association and first performed by Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School Ladies’ Choir and Chamber Choir, directed by Lisa Friesen, on June 9, 2016. Sarah-jane Streibel, soloist; Erica Ortlieb, pianist.
To place an order, email me at archer.db [at] gmail.com
Text
All shall be well.
We are prairie wind
Lifting ghosts of voices past
Over shadow plain
We are ocean rain
Sailing down to earth
Seeds of light cascade
Fly on, fly on, fly on,
Oh soaring light.
Fly on, fly on, fly on,
Oh pale blue dot,
Fly on.
All shall be well.
David Archer
Program Notes
“Fly On” is a song of encouragement for those who feel misunderstood, misrepresented, or alone. We all struggle with voices from the past or turmoil in the present. It is so important to have a loving community around us as we move onward together.
There are two references to other writers in the poem. Julian of Norwich wrote the words “all shall be well” in the 14th century as she searched for peace during her journey of faith. (Her book Revelations of Divine Love is possibly the first book written in the English language by a woman.) The “pale blue dot” is a reference to Carl Sagan’s description of a photograph taken by the Voyager 1 space probe in 1990. The photo shows the Earth as one tiny pixel against the vastness of deep space in a perspective from 6 billion kilometres away.