"a boy & a boy" for SATB choir (2022) [Score-Video]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ต.ค. 2022
- Stuart Beatch - "a boy & a boy" for SATB choir, a cappella (2022)
Pro Coro Canada (Edmonton, AB, Canada)
Director: Michael Zaugg
Live recording from the first performance in September 2022
In early 2019, my friend and poet Matthew Stepanic set out alongside fellow poet Jason Purcell with the ambitious plan to open Glass Bookshop, a queer-focused bookstore & community space in Edmonton. As part of their fundraising campaign, I was able to commission a brand-new poem from Matthew-I asked him to write something unapologetically queer and romantic, taking inspiration from “A Boy and a Girl”, the poem by Octavio Paz famously set by Eric Whitacre.
This setting of “a boy & a boy” was commissioned by Pro Coro Canada and Michael Zaugg in 2022. Matthew’s poem adapts the fresh imagery of the original to weave a new narrative of queer summer love becoming something more. My music is lush and direct, focusing on the beauty and emotional depth of this brief poem, and I hope that it will resonate deeply with audiences and singers alike. This score is dedicated to Matthew, with deepest respect and admiration, for his openness and generosity in our collaborations-I’m thankful to have now set 12 of his poems to music, and I hope to continue amplifying his beautiful queer artistry in the years to come.
Learn more at stuartbeatch.com/ - เพลง
Years and years of singing in choirs about love not meant for me; never had I even imagined hearing such a moving piece in which I could see a shimmer of myself.
Thank you for these happy tears - not only is it uplifting to see that our kind of love has a place in our beloved world of choral music, but it's also deeply touching to see you and Matthew Stepanic share some of the most heartwarming and purest moments that our kind of love has to offer.
Mahalo e Stuart Beatch, and much aloha from Hawai'i. 💖
What a beautiful message - thank you SO much for your kind words. I'm happy you could see yourself reflected in this piece ❤️
I would imagine a lot of people thought this would just be a version of Whitacre's piece but for two boys. To say it's more than that really isn't enough. There's something more hauntingly beautiful about the text here and the harmonies are just beautiful. The phrasing really emulates breathing in such intimate fashion. Bravo my friend, Bravo. ❤
FINALLY someone writing about OUR stories!!! I’m in awe of this piece. Beautifully done ❤️
Thank you Christian! Writing queer music feels more authentic to me than anything else! ❤️
This is one of the most beautiful things on this site. The way the lines flow so effortlessly is actually mesmerizing
stuart... man you are so fucking talented... listening to 'jesus in a gay bar' and then this, I havent had so many shivers listening to music in a long long time. wow wow wow. in awe. i'm just a young guy studying music, but it really seems like you have a very very bright future. dont stop composing just like this!! no one is composing music like this here in the UK, people here dont understand that church-like tonal soundworlds and contemporary texts can in fact work so beautifully together. you guys in north america are unique in that understanding. thank you
i am so very happy this came across my recommended feed today. what a gorgeous, heart-wrenching way to capture the simple love between two men. thank you for releasing this beauty into the world.
A very nice and touching take on Paz/Rukeyser/Whitacre. It goes far beyond a mere pastiche. Thank you and bravo, from a queer woman in France who loves choir singing 💜
Very powerful and moving work. It brought me to tears because I never had a love like that in my life. Almost did but it slipped by as quietly as it came to me.
This is stunning. Thank you for bringing such a beautiful story to life, we have such a momentous task laid out for us to tell these stories through our music.
i am literally sobbing. this is so beautiful. thank you. thank you
Thank YOU - I'm happy this piece resonated with you ❤️
Excellent work representing our community, and with such beautiful music!
From a fellow queer (aroace, in my case) composer from Portugal, with due consideration and regard.
What a substantial work, truly wonderful artistry and story telling. Thank you!
A beautiful composition, Stuart. Romantic and touching.
This is really beautiful- the final section from figure I is especially compelling in its economy and clarity!
As a student composer you’re an inspiration to me
Thank you for your work ❤
So gorgeous. Thank you for sharing.
This is the kind of stuff that gives me faith in humanity
This is my favorite song now. I am relatively young, and I am bisexual (I like guys a little more), but my home is not very supportive of my sexuality. I listen to things like this and cry. It is such a beautiful story. One that I want to have. One that I crave.
Thank you for this beautiful message! I'm glad my music resonates with you, and I hope you find this story for yourself one day ❤️
@@stuartbeatch Thank you for your reply. Keep up the good work. 👍:)
How moving! Thank you for writing it; thank you for sharing it.
This so majestic and delicate at the same time❤❤
This was beautiful. 💙🧡
this is GORGEOUS
This is extraordinary. Loved your interview on Classical Queer Podcast!
Absolutely beautiful!
Great piece. Happy Pride '24.
Singing a boy and a girl right now for choir. I don't know how to feel
This reminds me of Song of Achilles. If Achilles and Patroclus had a song, this would be it.
Yess! I was just thinking that.