JUDY SPECHT

by Judy Specht

SATB with piano – CP 2114 – duration 5:15
Cello part available upon request (gratis)

This piece has two opposing sets of lyrics.  One is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist mantra, chanted over and over so as to lead the mind into a relaxed state of being.  The other is a series of intriguing thoughts (from the poem Breathing, by Naomi Beth Wakan) that interrupt the focus, causing the mind to wander in and out of the meditation three times before the mantra finally prevails.  At the end, the singers sustain an “om” for as long as their breath holds out.

Supposing we are allowed X numbers of breaths in this lifetime,
And only X.
Think how slowly we would take an “in” breath,
And how leisurely we would let it out
In order to extend our days.
One breath could take in the morning sun,
And eggs on the table
And we wouldn’t let it go until the shadows lengthened
And we turned back the bedcovers.
Ah, if we could breathe like that  
Life might go on forever.

Poem:  Breathing ©2016 by Naomi Beth Wakan,
from Bent Arm for a Pillow

by Judy Specht

SAB with piano – CP 2240 – duration 3:55

The lyrics were written by Naomi Beth Wakan for the opening of a contemporary art show exploring the life of the forest, held at the Nanaimo Art Gallery, when Naomi was poet laureate of that city.
The music reflects, by its round of repeated sections, the continuous cycle of decay and rebirth that occurs on the forest floor.  The piece was composed for the Gabriola Chamber Ensemble for an Earth Day concert in 2018.  The choir had fewer men that season, thus the music being scored for SAB rather than the usual SATB.