A Statement from the Composer
Hymn for a Broken World w as written during the quarantine caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. During this period, I watched time pass by while doing my best to remain indoors with my family. I had been furloughed from my job at a museum, classes had all been moved online, and we were not allowed to see friends and family. A few weeks into the pandemic, we received word that my great grandmother, who had been moved into an assisted living facility due to progressing dementia, had contracted the coronavirus. She passed away a few days later. We attended her funeral digitally. I watched as similar stories affected my friends and neighbors, either directly or indirectly.
Then, about halfway through the quarantine, the brutal murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police was made known. Sickening video footage of his murder was published, and the protests ensued. I watched from my home, signing petitions and calling my representatives as these protesters further suffered from police brutality and as hideousness, corruption, racism, and lies spilled out of the White House. Meanwhile, the country began to reopen in an effort to revive the economy, which led to nothing but more illness and despair.
However, in the midst of these terrible times, there were some beautiful things that happened for both me personally and the otherwise “broken world”. During this time, I celebrated my first pride month as a gay man; the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the LGBTQ community, putting an end to workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, in addition to ruling that the the efforts of the presidential administration to end the DACA program was unconstitutional, assuring the hundreds of thousands children of immigrants that they would continue to have a home; and we celebrated my brother as he graduated from high school. Babies continued to be born, couples continued to marry, and lives continued to be lived. It was reported that the Earth had had a much needed reprieve as the skies of famously smoggy cities became clear, and society found common ground and bonded through the hardship.
This piece is a tribute to these times. It is written in the loving memory of my great grandmother, Alice Budd; those who have suffered from police brutality, including those who have been murdered by the police like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor; and for those who lost their jobs and homes as a result of the economic downturn.
This piece is also to serve as a reminder of the following indisputable facts:
Black Lives Matter
Science is Real
Love is Love
All people are People
Program Notes
Hymn for a Broken World was written during the quarantine caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The music is in one movement with three distinct parts, each of which represent a different stage in the pandemic: the opening fanfare represents the panic and fear of the virus as it disrupted lives, the more somber theme that pays respect to the victims of the virus, and the more minimalistic section reflecting on the horrors of police brutality and civil unrest.
The opening fanfare is hectic and complex both rhythmically and harmonically. It trades between harsh dissonances and more traditional, baroque styled runs. The end of this section is marked by a suspension, but instead of resolving to the anticipated major chord, it resolves to a dissonance focussed around this chord–the world is broken. The harmonic motif of the i-IV6/4-i is then played, introducing the more traditional “hymn” theme, which is tonally constructed but features many moments of more contemporary harmonic suspense. Each cadence point within this section is either a half cadence or is left unresolved to simulate the feeling of uncertainty and annoyance. The harmonic motif returns in growing volume and suspense, again ending on the unresolved iv chord. The next section, drawing from minimalism as opposed to more traditional tonal music, is then introduced, beginning with the initial sounds of the hymn theme before entering a new melody, both of which are played by the feet while the ethereal pattern is played above.
After returning to the harmonic motif, the hymn theme is recapitulated, but now drawing from major chords and non-tonal harmonic progression, representing optimism among society as it forgets about the virus and the civil unrest. This is quickly terminated by the bombastic pedal feature with interjections of the fanfare rhythm and minimalist pattern before the pedal returns to the hymn theme. Then, all of the sections come together as society is overwhelmed by the resurgence of the virus, continued civil unrest, and general sense of panic and distrust. Finally, the fanfare theme is recapitulated with a slight divertment to the minimalist theme, this time resolving the suspension to the expected major chord, which represents optimism for a more stable world.
Music
To procure a score, please contact the composer.
The following recording of Hymn for a Broken World was performed by Bethany Dame: