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And a time for peace
This piece, along with its title, took root one Sunday while hearing the well-known passage from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, which begins "For everything there is a season." The line "a time for war, and a time for peace" seemed particularly relevant in the autumn of 2024, when conflict continued to escalate in the Middle East and Ukraine.
My original intention was to reflect musically on peace in general, but the daily news of bombings, deaths and displacement, especially in the Middle East, soon took over the structure and feel of the piece.
After a short loud introduction marked "Forceful", the piece is slow and quiet, but sombre rather than peaceful. Phrases of the Ukrainian Kontakion of the Dead appear at times, though the complete theme is not heard. The piece ends with the final 4 notes of the central Ikhos section of the Kontakion, the words of which translate as "we make our song." The Alleluia which normally follows is omitted, however, and any feeling of hope and peace might be heard as an uneasy one.
The score is available for download at fireheadorganworks.com
