1. Celebration Alpha: The Motherland

We begin in West Africa with drumming and singing. The Yankadi and Makru rhythms are some of the most popular rhythms and dances performed at festivals and celebrations of the Susu culture in Guinea. The celebration ends as the drums alert the community of impending threat.

2. Terrorized, Trapped, and Trafficked

In this orchestral movement, Africans are being chased and terrorized. You will hear a mournful English Horn solo play “Go Down, Moses” to represent being trapped within one of the slave castles located along the West African coast. A cranking sound will signify Africans crossing through the slave castle’s “Door of No Return” into the hull of a dark, musty, and unsanitary ship. As the door to the ship is closed and secured, the timpani announce the commencement of the tumultuous journey across the Atlantic.

3. Introit/Kyrie: Chorus and Orchestra

The captives have landed on the shores of North America. The Latin phrase “Kyrie eleison” is spoken in eight West African languages, followed by the first line of the “Kyrie” chant.

Narration: A Strange Land I

4. Lord, How Come Me Here?: Soprano and Orchestra

Narration: Judgment is Coming/Steal Away

5. Dies irae: Chorus and Orchestra

There will be a day of reckoning for those who held the enslaved captive. The first line of the “Dies irae” chant is the last statement played by the orchestra.

Narration: The Lost Souls

6. Elegy for Lost Souls: Orchestra Strings

This movement features the principal cellist as soloist and incorporates the Negro Spiritual, “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child.”

Narration: A Strange Land II

7. Sanctus: Tenor, Chorus and Orchestra

The “Sanctus” is a tribute to the Black community who developed jazz. The movement begins with a smooth, modern styling before transitioning into the traditional big band sound made famous by Harlem Renaissance composer Duke Ellington.

8. Benedictus: Oboe, Soprano, Chorus and Orchestra

This reverent moment in the Requiem is shared by two soloists: oboe and soprano.

9. Agnus Dei: Chorus, Orchestra Strings and Piano

The quiet opening, reflective of the Renaissance period, builds into lush chords and cluster harmonies of the Romantic period before continuing with a simple melody, descant, and supportive piano accompaniment.

10. Communion: In Remembrance: French Horn, Chorus and Orchestra

“In Remembrance” was published in 2006 as a choral octavo for Horn and Piano. Dedicated to the memory of a former student and their family members, text fits perfectly within the context of the Requiem.